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How to create HTML emails featuring barcode images with System.Net.Mail classes in Windows Forms (VB.NET and C#)

Prerequisites
  • Neodynamic Barcode Professional 3.0 (or greater) for Windows Forms (WinControl)
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (or greater)
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions (VB, C#, J#, and C++)
In the following Step-By-Step Guide we're going to create a simple Windows Form which lets you to generate and send HTML emails featuring barcode images (some useful scenarios may involve any kind of barcode tickets, newsletters, invitations, and so on) created by Barcode Professional for Windows Forms and the System.Net.Mail classes.
Follow these steps:
  • Open Visual Studio and create a Windows Forms application project.
  • Add a reference to Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.dll assembly.
  • Design the created Windows Form so it looks like the following figure. Add a TextBox and a Button control.

    HTML e-mail Ticket with Barcode


  • In the class file of the form write the following private method called GetBarcodeImage() which will generate a barcode image encoding a random value by using Barcode Professional so it can be embedded into the HTML email.
    Visual Basic .NET 
    Private Function GetBarcodeImage() As System.IO.MemoryStream
	'Create an instance of BarcodeProfessional class

        Dim bcp As New Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional()

        'Set barcode settings...
	'Code 128 symbology

        bcp.Symbology = Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.Symbology.Code128
        'Set a fictitious value to encode

        bcp.Code = Guid.NewGuid().ToString().Replace("-", "").Substring(0, 20).ToUpper()

        'Return barcode stream

        Return New System.IO.MemoryStream(bcp.GetBarcodeImage(System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png))
End Function
    Visual C# .NET 
    private System.IO.MemoryStream GetBarcodeImage()
{
    //Create an instance of BarcodeProfessional class
    Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional bcp = new Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional();
    
    //Set barcode settings...
    //Code 128 symbology
    bcp.Symbology = Neodynamic.WinControls.BarcodeProfessional.Symbology.Code128;
    //Set a fictitious value to encode
    bcp.Code = Guid.NewGuid().ToString().Replace("-","").Substring(0,20).ToUpper();

    //Return barcode stream
    return new System.IO.MemoryStream(bcp.GetBarcodeImage(System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png));
}
  • Now code the button's click event. In the button's click event procedure we are going to generate the HTML email by using System.Net.Mail classes embedding the barcode image generated by the aforementioned private method.
    Visual Basic .NET 
    Protected Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        'Create the mail message

        Dim mail As New System.Net.Mail.MailMessage()

        'Set the email addresses

        mail.From = New System.Net.Mail.MailAddress("me@mycompany.com")
        mail.To.Add(Me.TextBox1.Text)

        'Set the subject

        mail.Subject = "John Doe in Concert - Barcode Ticket"

        'Create the Html part.
        'To embed the barcode image, we need to use the prefix cid in the img src attribute.
        'The cid value will map to the Content-Id of a Linked resource.
        'Example: <img src=cid:barcodeticket> will map to a LinkedResource with a ContentId of barcodeticket


        Dim htmlContent1 As String = "<table border=""1"" bordercolor=""#000000"" cellpadding=""5"" cellspacing=""0"" style=""vertical-align: middle; width: 300px; text-align: center""><td bgcolor=""#ff6633"" colspan=""2""><span style=""font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial""><b>NEOMIX</b></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=""2""><span style=""font-family: Arial Black"">ADMIT ONE</span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=""#ff6633"" colspan=""2""><span style=""color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial"">NEO STADIUM</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=""2""><span style=""font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial""><b>GENERAL ADMISSION</b></span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=""#ff6633"" colspan=""2"">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td colspan=""2""><span style=""font-size: 22pt; font-family: Arial""><b>John Doe in Concert</b></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=""2"">"
        Dim htmlContent2 As String = "<img src=cid:barcodeticket>"
        Dim htmlContent3 As String = "</td></tr><tr><td style=""width: 100px""><span style=""font-family: Arial Black"">May<br /><span style=""font-size: 24pt"">19</span><br />2007</span></td><td style=""width: 100px""><span style=""font-family: Arial Black"">SATURDAY<br />8:00 PM</span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=""#ff6633"" colspan=""2""><span style=""color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial Black"">$ 98.00</span></td></tr></table>"

        Dim htmlView As System.Net.Mail.AlternateView = System.Net.Mail.AlternateView.CreateAlternateViewFromString(htmlContent1 + htmlContent2 + htmlContent3, Nothing, "text/html")

        'Create the LinkedResource (embedded barcode image)

        Dim barcode As New System.Net.Mail.LinkedResource(Me.GetBarcodeImage(), "image/png")
        barcode.ContentId = "barcodeticket"
        'Add the LinkedResource to the view

        htmlView.LinkedResources.Add(barcode)

        'Add the view

        mail.AlternateViews.Add(htmlView)

        'specify the mail server address

        Dim smtp As New System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient("127.0.0.1")
        'send the message

        smtp.Send(mail)
End Sub
    Visual C# .NET 
    protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    //Create the mail message
    System.Net.Mail.MailMessage mail = new System.Net.Mail.MailMessage();

    //Set the email addresses
    mail.From = new System.Net.Mail.MailAddress("me@mycompany.com");
    mail.To.Add(this.TextBox1.Text);

    //Set the subject
    mail.Subject = "John Doe in Concert - Barcode Ticket";

    //Create the Html part.
    //To embed the barcode image, we need to use the prefix 'cid' in the img src attribute.
    //The cid value will map to the Content-Id of a Linked resource.
    //Example: <img src=cid:barcodeticket> will map to a LinkedResource with a ContentId of 'barcodeticket'

    string htmlContent1 = "<table border=\"1\" bordercolor=\"#000000\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"vertical-align: middle; width: 300px; text-align: center\"><td bgcolor=\"#ff6633\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial\"><b>NEOMIX</b></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Black\">ADMIT ONE</span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=\"#ff6633\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial\">NEO STADIUM</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial\"><b>GENERAL ADMISSION</b></span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=\"#ff6633\" colspan=\"2\">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 22pt; font-family: Arial\"><b>John Doe in Concert</b></span></td></tr><tr><td colspan=\"2\">";
    string htmlContent2 = "<img src=cid:barcodeticket>";
    string htmlContent3 = "</td></tr><tr><td style=\"width: 100px\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Black\">May<br /><span style=\"font-size: 24pt\">19</span><br />2007</span></td><td style=\"width: 100px\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Black\">SATURDAY<br />8:00 PM</span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=\"#ff6633\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial Black\">$ 98.00</span></td></tr></table>";

    System.Net.Mail.AlternateView htmlView = System.Net.Mail.AlternateView.CreateAlternateViewFromString(htmlContent1 + htmlContent2 + htmlContent3, null, "text/html");

    //Create the LinkedResource (embedded barcode image)
    System.Net.Mail.LinkedResource barcode = new System.Net.Mail.LinkedResource(this.GetBarcodeImage(), "image/png");
    barcode.ContentId = "barcodeticket";
    //Add the LinkedResource to the view
    htmlView.LinkedResources.Add(barcode);

    //Add the view
    mail.AlternateViews.Add(htmlView);

    //specify the mail server address
    System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient smtp = new System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient("127.0.0.1");
    //send the message
    smtp.Send(mail);
}
  • That's it. Build your project and test it. IMPORTANT: Remember to specify a VALID "FROM" EMAIL ACCOUNT AS WELL AS A VALID SMTP SERVER in the code above.
    You should get something like the following figure.

    HTML e-mail Ticket with Barcode


  • After you specify a valid email address and click on "Send Barcode Ticket" a HTML email with barcode image will be send to you.

    Barcode Ticket


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