Uploading emails using IMAP

// C# code

using (Imap imap = new Imap())
{
    imap.Connect("server");
    imap.Login("user", "password");

    string eml = File.ReadAllText("email.eml", Encoding.GetEncoding(1252));

    // The name of the folder depends on your IMAP server
    imap.UploadMessage("[Gmail]/Sent Mail", eml);

    imap.Close();
}

' VB.NET code

Using imap As New Imap()
	imap.Connect("server")
	imap.Login("user", "password")

	Dim eml As String = File.ReadAllText("email.eml", Encoding.GetEncoding(1252))

	' The name of the folder depends on your IMAP server
	imap.UploadMessage("[Gmail]/Sent Mail", eml)

	imap.Close()
End Using

// C# code

using (Imap imap = new Imap())
{
    imap.Connect("server");
    imap.Login("user", "password");

    // Create new mail message
    MailBuilder builder = new MailBuilder();
    builder.Subject = "subject";
    builder.From.Add(new MailBox("alice@email.com", "Alice"));
    builder.To.Add(new MailBox("bob@email.com", "Bob"));
    builder.Text = "This is plain text email";

    // Upload
    // The name of the folder depends on your IMAP server
    imap.UploadMessage("[Gmail]/Sent Mail", builder.Create());

    imap.Close();
}

' VB.NET code

Using imap As New Imap()
	imap.Connect("server")
	imap.Login("user", "password")

	' Create new mail message
	Dim builder As New MailBuilder()
	builder.Subject = "subject"
	builder.From.Add(New MailBox("alice@email.com", "Alice"))
	builder.[To].Add(New MailBox("bob@email.com", "Bob"))
	builder.Text = "This is plain text email"

	' Upload
	' The name of the folder depends on your IMAP server
	imap.UploadMessage("[Gmail]/Sent Mail", builder.Create())

	imap.Close()
End Using

8 Responses to “Uploading emails using IMAP”

1. Roberto Says:
   May 10th, 2011 at 13:02

   Hello,
   I try to submit an email, through this method, with many attachments (total size approx. 19MB) and I jump an error: “Unable to write data to the transport connection: An error occurred during connection attempt because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or failed to established connection and connected host has failed to respond. ”
   You know that it can be? The mail then you are on gmail.
   Thanks

2. Limilabs support Says:
   May 10th, 2011 at 15:07

   @Roberto,
   1.
   Uploading message to IMAP server is a different thing than sending email.
   You should use SMTP server if you want to send an email.

   2.
   I don’t know how your code looks like, you might have simply reached Gmail’s 25MB message limit.
   (Typically, encoding makes the size of the files grow slightly 19 * 1,33 = 25,27)

   3.
   Could you please contact us directly, and provide a bit more info (code, stack trace, log)

   [Edit]
   In fact I was able to upload 10MB, 15MB, 18 MB and 19MB messages.
   With 19MB Gmail randomly disconnected without any error message.
   Seems it’s their bug.

3. Daryl Says:
   December 12th, 2011 at 10:32

   Hello,
   vb.net 2010

   I want to upload an email using imap but mark it as unread

   imap.UploadMessage("Inbox", builder2.Create())
   

   works as described

   BUT

   Dim messageinfo As New Limilabs.Client.IMAP.UploadMessageInfo
   messageinfo.Flags.Add(Limilabs.Client.IMAP.Flag.Unseen)
   imap.UploadMessage("Inbox", builder2.Create(),messageinfo)
   

   gives the error:

   
Expected more data request, but received: e9f70402ea13473e BAD APPEND


   Any help would be appreciated – thanks

4. Limilabs support Says:
   December 12th, 2011 at 15:12

   @Daryl

   Most likely Unseen flag can not by used in this way by your IMAP server.

   Some server accepts negative flags in this context (hMailServer) others don’t (Gmail).

   Please simply remove messageinfo.Flags.Add(Limilabs.Client.IMAP.Flag.Unseen) line:

   Dim messageinfo As New Limilabs.Client.IMAP.UploadMessageInfo
   imap.UploadMessage(“Inbox”, builder2.Create(),messageinfo)
   

   It should work as expected.

5. Michael Says:
   February 20th, 2012 at 16:57

   Hi,

   If I use Mail.dll Smtp to send email (using fluent interface or not) and want a “copy” of the message placed in the online mail client (e.g. Gmail) sent mail folder, is it safe to use Imap.UploadMessage for this, or do I risk the message being sent twice? Once by using Smtp and once when uploading the message like this (where some Imap servers apparently decide to also send the message).

   Thanks,
   Michael

6. Limilabs support Says:
   February 20th, 2012 at 19:45

   @Michael,

   By default, uploading to ‘sent’ folder should not send the message. RFC3501 is very precise about this “The APPEND command is not used for message delivery, because it does not provide a mechanism to transfer [SMTP] envelope information.”

7. Michael Says:
   February 27th, 2012 at 19:22

   Ok, I see. Thanks. I also found that sending through Gmails SMTP server did the “copying” to the sent messages folder automatically, so no problem there.

8. Limilabs support Says:
   February 28th, 2012 at 00:38

   @Michael,

   You are right: when you send an email using Gmail’s SMTP server it automatically appears in “Sent Mail” folder.

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