The following vb.net example codes demonstrate how to retrieve email over TLS connection from POP3 server. This sample downloads emails from POP3 server and deletes the email after the email is retrieved.
SSL and TLS
SSL connection encrypts data between the email component and POP3 server or IMAP4 server to protect user, password and email content in TCP/IP level. Now this technology is commonly used and many email servers are deployed with SSL such as Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.
There are two ways to deploy SSL on email server:
Implicit SSL
Deploying SSL on another port (POP3: 995 port or IMAP4: 993 port) directly. This is most common way.
Explicit SSL (TLS)
Using STARTTLS or STLS command to switch SSL channel on normal port (POP3: 110 port or IMAP4: 143 port);
TLS 1.2
TLS is the successor of SSL, EAGetMail supports SSL 3.0/TLS1.0 - 1.2 very well. In EAGetMail, ConnectTLS doesn’t mean TLS encryption, it means TLS command in POP3/IMAP protocol.
You don’t have to set any property to enable TLS 1.2 encryption. If your server requires TLS 1.2 encryption, TLS 1.2 encryption is used automatically with ConnectTLS, ConnectSSL or ConnectSSLAuto.
To enable TLS 1.2 on some legacy systems, you have to install required update/packages:
Enable TLS 1.2 on Windows XP/2003/2008/7/2008 R2
STLS command can switch normal POP3 connection to SSL connection.
Sections:
Before you can use the following sample codes, you should download the EAGetMail Installer and install it on your machine at first. Full sample projects are included in this installer.
Install from NuGet
You can also install the run-time assembly by NuGet. Run the following command in the NuGet Package Manager Console:
Install-Package EAGetMail
Note
If you install it by NuGet, no sample projects are installed, only .NET assembly is installed.
To use EAGetMail POP3 & IMAP Component in your project, the first step is “Add reference
of EAGetMail to your project”. Please create or open your project with Visual Studio,
then go to menu
-> Project
-> Add Reference
-> .NET
-> Browse...
, and
select Installation path\Lib\[netversion]\EAGetMail.dll
, click Open
-> OK
, the reference
will be added to the project, you can start to use it to
retrieve email and parse email in your project.
Because EAGetMail has separate builds for .Net Framework, please refer to the following table and choose the correct dll.
Separate builds of run-time assembly for .Net Framework 2.0, 4.0, 4.5, 4.6.1, 4.7.2, 4.8.1, .NET 6.0, NET 7.0, .NET 8.0, .NET Standard 2.0 and .Net Compact Framework 2.0, 3.5.
File | .NET Framework Version |
Lib\net20\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 2.0
It requires .NET Framework 2.0, 3.5 or later version. |
Lib\net40\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 4.0
It requires .NET Framework 4.0 or later version. |
Lib\net45\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 4.5
It requires .NET Framework 4.5 or later version. |
Lib\net461\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 4.6.1
It requires .NET Framework 4.6.1 or later version. |
Lib\net472\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 4.7.2
It requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later version. |
Lib\net481\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Framework 4.8.1
It requires .NET Framework 4.8.1 or later version. |
Lib\net6.0\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET 6.0
It requires .NET 6.0 or later version. |
Lib\net7.0\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET 7.0
It requires .NET 7.0 or later version. |
Lib\net8.0\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET 8.0
It requires .NET 8.0 or later version. |
Lib\netstandard2.0\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Standard 2.0
It requires .NET Standard 2.0 or later version. |
Lib\net20-cf\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Compact Framework 2.0
It requires .NET Compact Framework 2.0, 3.5 or later version. |
Lib\net35-cf\EAGetMail.dll |
Built with .NET Compact Framework 3.5
It requires .NET Compact Framework 3.5 or later version. |
The following example codes demonstrate retrieving email over TLS from POP3 server.
In order to run it correctly, please change email server
, user
, password
, folder
, file name
value to yours.
Note
To get full sample projects, please download and install EAGetMail on your machine.
Imports System.Globalization
Imports System.Text
Imports System.IO
Imports EAGetMail 'imports EAGetMail namespace
Module Module1
Function _generateFileName(ByVal sequence As Integer) As String
Dim currentDateTime As DateTime = DateTime.Now
Return String.Format("{0}-{1:000}-{2:000}.eml",
currentDateTime.ToString("yyyyMMddHHmmss", New CultureInfo("en-US")),
currentDateTime.Millisecond,
sequence)
End Function
Sub Main()
Try
' Create a folder named "inbox" under current directory
' to save the email retrieved.
Dim localInbox As String = String.Format("{0}\inbox", Directory.GetCurrentDirectory())
' If the folder is not existed, create it.
If Not Directory.Exists(localInbox) Then
Directory.CreateDirectory(localInbox)
End If
Dim oServer As New MailServer("pop3.emailarchitect.net",
"test@emailarchitect.net",
"testpassword",
ServerProtocol.Pop3)
' Enable SSL Connection
oServer.SSLConnection = True
' Set 110 POP3 Port
oServer.Port = 110
' Set TLS connection type
oServer.SSLType = SSLConnectType.ConnectTLS
Console.WriteLine("Connecting server ...")
Dim oClient As New MailClient("TryIt")
oClient.Connect(oServer)
Dim infos As MailInfo() = oClient.GetMailInfos()
Console.WriteLine("Total {0} email(s)", infos.Length)
For i As Integer = 0 To infos.Length - 1
Dim info As MailInfo = infos(i)
Console.WriteLine("Index: {0}; Size: {1}; UIDL: {2}",
info.Index, info.Size, info.UIDL)
' Retrieve email from POP3 server
Dim oMail As Mail = oClient.GetMail(info)
Console.WriteLine("From: {0}", oMail.From.ToString())
Console.WriteLine("Subject: {0}" & vbCr & vbLf, oMail.Subject)
' Generate an unqiue email file name based on date time.
Dim fileName As String = _generateFileName(i + 1)
Dim fullPath As String = String.Format("{0}\{1}", localInbox, fileName)
' Save email to local disk
oMail.SaveAs(fullPath, True)
' Mark email as deleted from POP3 server.
oClient.Delete(info)
Next
' Quit and expunge emails marked as deleted from POP3 server.
oClient.Quit()
Console.WriteLine("Completed!")
Catch ep As Exception
Console.WriteLine(ep.Message)
End Try
End Sub
End Module
Appendix
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