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

Product Barcode Professional for ASP.NET Published 04/23/2007 Updated 04/23/2007

Requirements

  Neodynamic Barcode Professional 3.0 (or greater) for ASP.NET (WebControl)
  Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (or greater)
  Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, Visual Web Developer Express Edition or Microsoft Expression Web

In the following Step-By-Step Guide we're going to create a simple ASP.NET web page 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 ASP.NET and the System.Net.Mail classes.

Follow these steps:

  • Open your preferred ASP.NET Editor (Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, Visual Web Developer Express Edition or Microsoft Expression Web) and create an ASP.NET website and add a blank page.
  • Add a reference to Neodynamic.WebControls.BarcodeProfessional.dll assembly.
  • Design the created webform 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 webform 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.

    VB

    
Private Function GetBarcodeImage() As System.IO.MemoryStream
        'Create an instance of BarcodeProfessional class
        Dim bcp As New Neodynamic.WebControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional()

        'Set barcode settings...
        'Code 128 symbology
        bcp.Symbology = Neodynamic.WebControls.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

    C#

    
private System.IO.MemoryStream GetBarcodeImage()
{
    //Create an instance of BarcodeProfessional class
    Neodynamic.WebControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional bcp = new Neodynamic.WebControls.BarcodeProfessional.BarcodeProfessional();
    
    //Set barcode settings...
    //Code 128 symbology
    bcp.Symbology = Neodynamic.WebControls.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.

    VB

    
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:  will map to a LinkedResource with a ContentId of barcodeticket

        Dim htmlContent1 As String = "
    NEOMIX
    ADMIT ONE
    NEO STADIUM
    GENERAL ADMISSION
     
    John Doe in Concert
    "
        Dim htmlContent2 As String = ""
        Dim htmlContent3 As String = "
    May
    19
    2007    		SATURDAY
    8:00 PM
    $ 98.00
    "

        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

    C#

    
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:  will map to a LinkedResource with a ContentId of 'barcodeticket'

    string htmlContent1 = "
    NEOMIX
    ADMIT ONE
    NEO STADIUM
    GENERAL ADMISSION
     
    John Doe in Concert
    ";
    string htmlContent2 = "";
    string htmlContent3 = "
    May
    19
    2007    		SATURDAY
    8:00 PM
    $ 98.00
    ";

    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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