Delphi - Validate email address syntax and test email address¶

Installation¶

EASendMail is a SMTP component which supports all operations of SMTP/ESMTP protocols (RFC 821, RFC 822, RFC 2554). Before you can use the following example codes, you should download the EASendMail Installer and install it on your machine at first.

Add reference¶

To use EASendMail SMTP ActiveX Object in your Delphi project, the first step is “Add Unit file of EASendMail to your project”. Please go to C:\Program Files\EASendMail\Include\delphi or C:\Program Files (x86)\EASendMail\Include\delphi folder, find EASendMailObjLib_TLB.pas, and then copy this file to your project folder.

unit Unit1;

interface
// include EASendMailObjLib_TLB unit to your Delphi Project
uses
Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,
Dialogs, EASendMailObjLib_TLB, StdCtrls;

You can also create “EASendMailObjLib_TLB.pas” manually like this:

• Delphi 7

  Please choose menu -> Project -> Import Type Library and select EASendMailObj ActiveX Object, click Create Unit, the reference of EASendMail ActiveX Object will be added to your project.

  

• Delphi XE

  If you use Delphi XE to import the Type library, Please choose menu -> Component -> Import Component -> Import Type Library -> and select EASendMailObj ActiveX Object -> have Generate Component Wrapper checked -> Create Unit.

Then you can start to use it in your Delphi Project.

Delphi - Test email address - example¶

The following example codes demonstrate testing email address using MX DNS lookup. In order to run it correctly, please change SMTP server, user, password, sender, recipient value to yours.

Unit Unit1;

Interface

Uses
    Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,
    Dialogs, StdCtrls, EASendMailObjLib_TLB; // add EASendMail Unit

Type
    TForm1 = Class(TForm)
        Button1: TButton;
        Procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
    private
        { Private declarations }
    public
        { Public declarations }
    End;

const
  ConnectNormal = 0;
  ConnectSSLAuto = 1;
  ConnectSTARTTLS = 2;
  ConnectDirectSSL = 3;
  ConnectTryTLS = 4;

Var
    Form1: TForm1;

Implementation

{$R *.dfm}

Procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
Var
    oSmtp : TMail;
Begin
    oSmtp := TMail.Create(Application);
    oSmtp.LicenseCode := 'TryIt';

    // Set your sender email address
    oSmtp.FromAddr := 'test@emailarchitect.net';

    // Add recipient email address
    oSmtp.AddRecipientEx('support@emailarchitect.net', 0);

    // Do not set SMTP server address
    oSmtp.ServerAddr := '';

    ShowMessage('start to test email address ...');

    If oSmtp.TestEmailAddr() = 0 Then
        ShowMessage('email address was verified!')
    Else
        ShowMessage('failed to test email address with the following error: '
        + oSmtp.GetLastErrDescription());

End;

End.

How does it work?¶

Firstly, SmtpClient performs a DNS MX record query. If it retrieves the recipient’s local SMTP server successfully, SmtpClient will try to connect to this server. SmtpClient then performs “RCPT TO” command to test if this SMTP server accepts this email address.

Why we don’t recommend testing email address?¶

Because it totally depends on your networking connection, if your networking connection to the recipient server is bad or your IP address is blocked by the recipient server, test will be failed, but it doesn’t mean this email address is invalid.

Moreover, to prevent email address testing, many email providers accept the recipient address at first no matter if the address is valid or invalid, only after you sent the email data to the server, then the server rejects it if the recipient address is invalid.

Recommended solution¶

Send the email to the recipient without testing. If you don’t get Transport Error and Failure Report in 24 hours, that means the recipient is valid. If you get Failure Report, you should consider to remove this recipient from your mail listing.

32bit/x64 ActiveX DLL¶

Seperate builds of run-time dll for 32 and x64 platform

Distribution¶

• Standard EXE

  For VB6, C++, Delphi or other standard exe application, you can distribute EASendMailObj.dll with your application to target machine without COM-registration and installer. To learn more detail, please have a look at Registration-free COM with Manifest File.

• Script

  For ASP, VBScript, VBA, MS SQL Stored Procedure, you need to install EASendMail on target machine by EASendMail installer, both 32bit/x64 DLL are installed and registered.