Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

[Max M]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

ian@kirbyfooty. com wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi Steve,[/color]
[color=blue]
> When it comes to sending emails the user has the option of sending them
> via smtp, or via there email client (eg outlook express).
> I prefer the send method as this makes setting up the email parameters
> a lot easier for the user.[/color]


If Outlook Express cannot be automated through COM, you are in abind.
Maybe you should shange your tactics.

What about just fetching the settings from the client?

That way the send function will be the same, and you can control it. But
the server settings could be fetched from the different clients.

It is probably much simpler to find those than it is to use them as the
sender.

Most email clients can fetch the settings from other mail clients, so
it's been done before.

--

hilsen/regards Max M, Denmark

http://www.mxm.dk/

IT's Mad Science

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hi Max,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm always open to new ideas.

Can you please tell me how to retrieve the default account settings
from Outlook Express?

Ian

[Ganesan R]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

>>>>> "ian" == ian <ian@kirbyfooty .com> writes:
[color=blue]
> Hi Max,
> Thanks for the suggestion. I'm always open to new ideas.[/color]
[color=blue]
> Can you please tell me how to retrieve the default account settings
> from Outlook Express?[/color]

s.Configuration .Load(2) is supposed to do exactly that. I have no clue
why that didn't work for you :-(.

Ganesan

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hi Ganesan,
I'm on the verge of giving up <sigh>
I don't suppose you could write a small script to send the email for me
via the default windows email client. I will then try running your
script and my end to see if it works ok.
I may have missed something and would really appreciate your help.
Thanks in advance
Ian

[Ganesan R]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

>>>>> "ian" == ian <ian@kirbyfooty .com> writes:
[color=blue]
> Hi Ganesan,
> I'm on the verge of giving up <sigh>
> I don't suppose you could write a small script to send the email for me
> via the default windows email client.[/color]

I can see no easy way to do this. Though you can access the default mail
client using a registry key (I don't have enough win32 programming
experience to do this), there is no guarantee that the email client is a COM
server. Even Outlook Express is not a COM server. What if the user has
configured Eudora or something like that?

The best we can do is use Outlook Express settings and send the mail.
[color=blue]
> I will then try running your script and my end to see if it works ok. I
> may have missed something and would really appreciate your help.[/color]

The final script that you pasted:

=====
import win32com.client

s = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Message')
s.From = "ian@cgbs.com.a u"
s.To = "ian@kirbyfooty .com"
s.Subject = "The subject"
cdoSourceOutloo kExpress = 2
s.Configuration .Load(cdoSource OutlookExpress)
s.Send()
=====

works fine for me. According to CDO.Message documentation, if IIS is
installed that configuration will be used by default, followed by OE
configuration. I don't have IIS installed, so the script picked up the OE
configuration automatically for me. Here's a variation of the above
script.

======
import win32com.client

s = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Message')
c = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Configuration')
cdoSourceOutloo kExpress = 2
c.Load(cdoSourc eOutlookExpress )
s.Configuration = c
s.From = "ian@cgbs.com.a u"
s.To = "ian@kirbyfooty .com"
s.Subject = "The subject"

s.Send()
======

If that doesn't help, I give up :-(.

Ganesan

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Heavy sigh... <grin>

======
This script WILL send the email
import win32com.client


s = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Message')
c = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Configuration')
cdoSourceOutloo kExpress = 2
c.Load(cdoSourc eOutlookExpress )
s.Configuration = c
s.From = "i...@cgbs.com. au"
s.To = "i...@kirbyfoot y.com"
s.Subject = "The subject"


s.Send()
======


======
But if a change the TO email address to a yahoo address the server
rejects it
import win32com.client


s = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Message')
c = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Configuration')
cdoSourceOutloo kExpress = 2
c.Load(cdoSourc eOutlookExpress )
s.Configuration = c
s.From = "i...@cgbs.com. au"
s.To = "iwcook@yahoo.c om"
s.Subject = "The subject"


s.Send()
======

It's official. I have given up sending emails any other way but via
smtp.

[Lenard Lindstrom]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Steve Holden <steve@holdenwe b.com> writes:
[color=blue]
> ian@kirbyfooty. com wrote:
>[color=green]
> > Hi Fredrik,
> > Thank you for the suggestion.
> > I tried different from/to settings and guess what? The mail came
> > thru.
> > The script is now..
> > import win32com.client
> > s = win32com.client .Dispatch('CDO. Message')
> > s.From = "ian@cgbs.com.a u" (was
> > "ian@kirbyfooty .com")
> > s.To = "ian@kirbyfooty .com" (was
> > "someone@yahoo. com")
> > s.Subject = "The subject"
> > s.Send()
> > My problem is thought, the message is still not being sent via
> > Outlook
> > Express.
> > What am I missing?
> > Thanks again for your help so far!!
> > Kind regards
> > Ian
> >[/color]
> Unfortunately Outlook Express isn't programmable in the same way as
> Outlook. I used to use it because this property gave it a certain
> degree of immunity from macro viruses (back in the days when Outlook
> came configured to open any Office document it came across).
>[/color]
Outlook Express can be accessed through the Simple Mapi interface -
at least the version on Win98 can. I have a program that reads
and deletes messages from the new mail folder. So I would imaging
mail can be also sent through Outlook Express using Simple Mapi,
but I have not tried it. I have also not tried using Simple Mapi
under Python, only VC++. But a quick test shows I can access
MAPI32.DLL use the ctypes package:

import ctypes
mapi = ctypes.windll.m api32
MAPILogon = mapi.MAPILogon
....

It is messy though.

Lenard Lindstrom
<len-l@telus.net>

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

That sound really promising. Is there any chance you could forward me a
copy of the script. I'm still very new to Python and it would help me a
lot.
Thanks again

Ian

[Lenard Lindstrom]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

ian@kirbyfooty. com writes:
[color=blue]
> That sound really promising. Is there any chance you could forward me a
> copy of the script. I'm still very new to Python and it would help me a
> lot.
> Thanks again
>
> Ian[/color]

This is a simple example I have put together:

=============== SimpleMAPI.py =============== =======
# module SimpleMAPI

from ctypes import *

FLAGS = c_ulong
LHANDLE = c_ulong
LPLHANDLE = POINTER(LHANDLE )

# Return codes
SUCCESS_SUCCESS = 0
# Recipient class
MAPI_ORIG = 0
MAPI_TO = 1

NULL = c_void_p(None)

class MapiRecipDesc(S tructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('ulRecipClass' , c_ulong),
('lpszName', c_char_p),
('lpszAddress', c_char_p),
('ulEIDSize', c_ulong),
('lpEntryID', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiRecipDesc = POINTER(MapiRec ipDesc)

class MapiFileDesc(St ructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('flFlags', c_ulong),
('nPosition', c_ulong),
('lpszPathName' , c_char_p),
('lpszFileName' , c_char_p),
('lpFileType', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiFileDesc = POINTER(MapiFil eDesc)

class MapiMessage(Str ucture):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('lpszSubject', c_char_p),
('lpszNoteText' , c_char_p),
('lpszMessageTy pe', c_char_p),
('lpszDateRecei ved', c_char_p),
('lpszConversat ionID', c_char_p),
('flFlags', FLAGS),
('lpOriginator' , lpMapiRecipDesc ), # ignored?
('nRecipCount', c_ulong),
('lpRecips', lpMapiRecipDesc ),
('nFileCount', c_ulong),
('lpFiles', lpMapiFileDesc) ,
]
lpMapiMessage = POINTER(MapiMes sage)

MAPI = windll.mapi32

MAPISendMail=MA PI.MAPISendMail
MAPISendMail.re stype = c_ulong # Error code
MAPISendMail.ar gtypes = (LHANDLE, # lhSession
c_ulong, # ulUIParam
lpMapiMessage, # lpMessage
FLAGS, # lpFlags
c_ulong, # ulReserved
)

def SendMail(recipi ent, subject, body):
"""Post an e-mail message using Simple MAPI

recipient - string: address to send to
subject - string: subject header
body - string: message text
"""

recip = MapiRecipDesc(0 , MAPI_TO, None, recipient, 0, None)
msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
0, cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) )
rc = MAPISendMail(0, 0, byref(msg), 0, 0)
if rc != SUCCESS_SUCCESS :
raise WindowsError, "MAPI error %i" % rc
=============== == Example usage =============== ==========
import SimpleMAPI
SimpleMAPI.Send Mail("someone@s omewhere.com",
"The subject line"
"This is the message content.\n")


Lenard Lindstrom
<len-l@telus.net>

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hi Lenard,
Absolutely fantastic!!
That worked like a charm.
Now onto adapting it to send attachments.

Thanks again

Ian

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hi Lenard,
Absolutely fantastic!!
That worked like a charm.
Now onto adapting it to send attachments.

Thanks again

Ian

[Lenard Lindstrom]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

ian@kirbyfooty. com writes:
[color=blue]
> Hi Lenard,
> Absolutely fantastic!!
> That worked like a charm.
> Now onto adapting it to send attachments.
>[/color]
Glad to be of help.

Lenard Lindstrom

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hi Lenard,

As the risk of severely embarassing myself can I ask for your help one
more time.
I have tried changing your script to include attachments, but guess
what, (and this should come as no suprise) I can't do it.
So....
Here is my feeble attempt at changing the script..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
import os
from ctypes import *

FLAGS = c_ulong
LHANDLE = c_ulong
LPLHANDLE = POINTER(LHANDLE )


# Return codes
SUCCESS_SUCCESS = 0
# Recipient class
MAPI_ORIG = 0
MAPI_TO = 1


NULL = c_void_p(None)


class MapiRecipDesc(S tructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('ulRecipClass' , c_ulong),
('lpszName', c_char_p),
('lpszAddress', c_char_p),
('ulEIDSize', c_ulong),
('lpEntryID', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiRecipDesc = POINTER(MapiRec ipDesc)


class MapiFileDesc(St ructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('flFlags', c_ulong),
('nPosition', c_ulong),
('lpszPathName' , c_char_p),
('lpszFileName' , c_char_p),
('lpFileType', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiFileDesc = POINTER(MapiFil eDesc)


class MapiMessage(Str ucture):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('lpszSubject', c_char_p),
('lpszNoteText' , c_char_p),
('lpszMessageTy pe', c_char_p),
('lpszDateRecei ved', c_char_p),
('lpszConversat ionID', c_char_p),
('flFlags', FLAGS),
('lpOriginator' , lpMapiRecipDesc ), # ignored?
('nRecipCount', c_ulong),
('lpRecips', lpMapiRecipDesc ),
('nFileCount', c_ulong),
('lpFiles', lpMapiFileDesc) ,
]
lpMapiMessage = POINTER(MapiMes sage)


MAPI = windll.mapi32


MAPISendMail=MA PI.MAPISendMail
MAPISendMail.re stype = c_ulong # Error code
MAPISendMail.ar gtypes = (LHANDLE, # lhSession
c_ulong, # ulUIParam
lpMapiMessage, # lpMessage
FLAGS, # lpFlags
c_ulong, # ulReserved
)


def SendMail(recipi ent, subject, body, attach=[]):
"""Post an e-mail message using Simple MAPI


recipient - string: address to send to
subject - string: subject header
body - string: message text
attach - string: files to attach
"""
attach = map( os.path.abspath , attach )
nFileCount = len(attach)
if attach:
MapiFileDesc_A = MapiFileDesc * len(attach)
fda = MapiFileDesc_A( )
for fd, fa in zip(fda, attach):
fd.ulReserved = 0
fd.flFlags = 0
fd.nPosition = -1
fd.lpszPathName = fa
fd.lpszFileName = None
fd.lpFileType = None
lpFiles = fda


recip = MapiRecipDesc(0 , MAPI_TO, None, recipient, 0, None)
#msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
# cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
# nFileCount, cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) )
msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
nFileCount, cast(NULL, lpFiles))


rc = MAPISendMail(0, 0, byref(msg), 0, 0)
if rc != SUCCESS_SUCCESS :
raise WindowsError, "MAPI error %i" % rc

[Lenard Lindstrom]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

ian@kirbyfooty. com writes:
[color=blue]
> Hi Lenard,
>
> As the risk of severely embarassing myself can I ask for your help one
> more time.
> I have tried changing your script to include attachments, but guess
> what, (and this should come as no suprise) I can't do it.
> So....
> Here is my feeble attempt at changing the script..[/color]

Actually the only real problem is with the lpFiles argument
to the MapiMessage constructor call.
[color=blue]
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/color]
[snip][color=blue]
>
> def SendMail(recipi ent, subject, body, attach=[]):
> """Post an e-mail message using Simple MAPI
>
>
> recipient - string: address to send to
> subject - string: subject header
> body - string: message text
> attach - string: files to attach
> """
> attach = map( os.path.abspath , attach )
> nFileCount = len(attach)
> if attach:
> MapiFileDesc_A = MapiFileDesc * len(attach)
> fda = MapiFileDesc_A( )
> for fd, fa in zip(fda, attach):
> fd.ulReserved = 0
> fd.flFlags = 0
> fd.nPosition = -1
> fd.lpszPathName = fa
> fd.lpszFileName = None
> fd.lpFileType = None
> lpFiles = fda[/color]

Add this else clause to the "if attach:"

else:
# No attachments
lpFiles = cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) # Make NULL
[color=blue]
>
>
> recip = MapiRecipDesc(0 , MAPI_TO, None, recipient, 0, None)
> #msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
> # cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
> # nFileCount, cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) )
> msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
> cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
> nFileCount, cast(NULL, lpFiles))[/color]

Replace "cast(NULL, lpFiles)" with "lpFiles".[color=blue]
>
>
> rc = MAPISendMail(0, 0, byref(msg), 0, 0)
> if rc != SUCCESS_SUCCESS :
> raise WindowsError, "MAPI error %i" % rc[/color]

And that is it.

The "cast(NULL, lpFiles)" was a way of assigning a null value to
the lpFiles member of the MapiMessage structure. Using None did
not work. But recasting a c_void_p(None) did.

Lenard Lindstrom
<len-l@telus.net>

[ian@kirbyfooty.com]

Re: Python To Send Emails Via Outlook Express

Hello again,
Thanks for the advice!
Unfortunately I still cannot get it to send attachments.
It comes up with the following windows error..
(I have a feeling it has something to do with the file count)
[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>>> import simplemapi
>>> simplemapi.Send Mail("ian@cgbs. com.au","The Subject","The[/color][/color][/color]
body","c:\ian\i an.txt")
nFileCount 14
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interacti ve input>", line 1, in ?
File "simplemapi.py" , line 111, in SendMail
raise WindowsError, "MAPI error %i" % rc
WindowsError: MAPI error 2


This is the updated script..

----------------------------------
import os
from ctypes import *

FLAGS = c_ulong
LHANDLE = c_ulong
LPLHANDLE = POINTER(LHANDLE )


# Return codes
SUCCESS_SUCCESS = 0
# Recipient class
MAPI_ORIG = 0
MAPI_TO = 1


NULL = c_void_p(None)


class MapiRecipDesc(S tructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('ulRecipClass' , c_ulong),
('lpszName', c_char_p),
('lpszAddress', c_char_p),
('ulEIDSize', c_ulong),
('lpEntryID', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiRecipDesc = POINTER(MapiRec ipDesc)


class MapiFileDesc(St ructure):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('flFlags', c_ulong),
('nPosition', c_ulong),
('lpszPathName' , c_char_p),
('lpszFileName' , c_char_p),
('lpFileType', c_void_p),
]
lpMapiFileDesc = POINTER(MapiFil eDesc)


class MapiMessage(Str ucture):
_fields_ = [('ulReserved', c_ulong),
('lpszSubject', c_char_p),
('lpszNoteText' , c_char_p),
('lpszMessageTy pe', c_char_p),
('lpszDateRecei ved', c_char_p),
('lpszConversat ionID', c_char_p),
('flFlags', FLAGS),
('lpOriginator' , lpMapiRecipDesc ), # ignored?
('nRecipCount', c_ulong),
('lpRecips', lpMapiRecipDesc ),
('nFileCount', c_ulong),
('lpFiles', lpMapiFileDesc) ,
]
lpMapiMessage = POINTER(MapiMes sage)


MAPI = windll.mapi32


MAPISendMail=MA PI.MAPISendMail
MAPISendMail.re stype = c_ulong # Error code
MAPISendMail.ar gtypes = (LHANDLE, # lhSession
c_ulong, # ulUIParam
lpMapiMessage, # lpMessage
FLAGS, # lpFlags
c_ulong, # ulReserved
)


def SendMail(recipi ent, subject, body, attach=[]):
"""Post an e-mail message using Simple MAPI


recipient - string: address to send to
subject - string: subject header
body - string: message text
attach - string: files to attach
"""
attach = map( os.path.abspath , attach )
nFileCount = len(attach)
if attach:
MapiFileDesc_A = MapiFileDesc * len(attach)
fda = MapiFileDesc_A( )
for fd, fa in zip(fda, attach):
fd.ulReserved = 0
fd.flFlags = 0
fd.nPosition = -1
fd.lpszPathName = fa
fd.lpszFileName = None
fd.lpFileType = None
lpFiles = fda
else:
# No attachments
lpFiles = cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) # Make NULL

print "nFileCount ",nFileCoun t


recip = MapiRecipDesc(0 , MAPI_TO, None, recipient, 0, None)
#msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
# cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
# nFileCount, cast(NULL, lpMapiFileDesc) )
msg = MapiMessage(0, subject, body, None, None, None, 0,
cast(NULL, lpMapiRecipDesc ), 1, pointer(recip),
nFileCount, lpFiles)


rc = MAPISendMail(0, 0, byref(msg), 0, 0)
if rc != SUCCESS_SUCCESS :
raise WindowsError, "MAPI error %i" % rc

--------------------------

Thanks again for your help so far on this. I really appreciate it!
Have a safe and very merry Christmas.

God bless!!

Ian