Parse Email Body, Attachment and Convert Email to HTML page in VB 6.0

In previous section, I introduced how to parse winmail.dat. In this section, I will introduce how to parse email body and attachment, then convert email to a HTML page and display it using Web browser in VB 6.0.

Introduction

After the email was converted to HTML page, you can browse it with web browser. You can get everything in the HTML page such as From, To, Cc, Subject, Date, Attachments and Embedded images.

Note

Remarks: All of examples in this section are based on first section: A simple VB 6.0 project. To compile and run the following example codes successfully, please click here to learn how to create the test project and add reference to your project.

[VB 6.0 Example - Convert email to HTML]

The following example codes demonstrate how to use EAGetMail POP3 component to convert email to HTML page.

Note

To get the full sample projects, please refer to Samples section.

Option Explicit

Const CRYPT_MACHINE_KEYSET = 32
Const CRYPT_USER_KEYSET = 4096
Const CERT_SYSTEM_STORE_CURRENT_USER = 65536
Const CERT_SYSTEM_STORE_LOCAL_MACHINE = 131072

Private oTools As New EAGetMailObjLib.Tools

' We generate a html + attachment folder for every email, once the html is create,
' Next time we don't need to parse the email again.
Private Sub GenerateHtmlForEmail(ByVal htmlName As String, _
    ByVal emlFile As String, ByVal tempFolder As String)

On Error GoTo ErrorGenHtml

    Dim oTools As New EAGetMailObjLib.Tools
    Dim oMail As New EAGetMailObjLib.Mail
    oMail.LicenseCode = "TryIt"

    oMail.LoadFile emlFile, False
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        MsgBox Err.Description
        Exit Sub
    End If

    On Error Resume Next
    If oMail.IsEncrypted Then
        Set oMail = oMail.Decrypt(Nothing)
        If Err.Number <> 0 Then
            MsgBox Err.Description
        End If
    End If

    If oMail.IsSigned Then
        oMail.VerifySignature
        If Err.Number <> 0 Then
            MsgBox Err.Description
        End If
    End If

On Error GoTo ErrorGenHtml

    ' Decode winmail.dat (TNEF) and RTF body automatically
    ' also convert RTF body to HTML automatically.
    oMail.DecodeTNEF

    Dim html As String
    html = oMail.HtmlBody

    Dim hdr As String
    hdr = hdr & "<font face=""Courier New,Arial"" size=2>"
    hdr = hdr & "<b>From:</b> " + FormatHtmlTag(oMail.From.name & "<" & _
    oMail.From.Address & ">") + "<br>"

    Dim i, addrs
    Set addrs = oMail.ToList

    If (addrs.Count > 0) Then
        hdr = hdr & "<b>To:</b> "
        For i = 0 To addrs.Count - 1
            hdr = hdr & FormatHtmlTag(addrs.Item(i).name & "<" & addrs.Item(i).Address & ">")
            hdr = hdr & ";"
        Next
        hdr = hdr & "<br>"
    End If

    Set addrs = oMail.CcList

    If (addrs.Count > 0) Then
        hdr = hdr & "<b>Cc:</b> "
        For i = 0 To addrs.Count - 1
            hdr = hdr & FormatHtmlTag(addrs.Item(i).name & "<" & addrs.Item(i).Address & ">")
            hdr = hdr & ";"
        Next
        hdr = hdr & "<br>"
    End If

    hdr = hdr & "<b>Subject:</b>" & FormatHtmlTag(oMail.Subject) & "<br>" & vbCrLf

    Dim atts
    Set atts = oMail.AttachmentList
    If (atts.Count > 0) Then

        If Not oTools.ExistFile(tempFolder) Then
            oTools.CreateFolder (tempFolder)
        End If

        hdr = hdr & "<b>Attachments:</b>"
        For i = 0 To atts.Count - 1
            Dim att As Attachment
            Set att = atts.Item(i)

            Dim attname
            attname = tempFolder & "\" & att.name
            att.SaveAs attname, True

            hdr = hdr & "<a href=""" & attname & """ target=""_blank"">" & att.name & "</a> "
            If Len(att.ContentID) > 0 Then
                'show embedded image.
                html = Replace(html, "cid:" + att.ContentID, attname)
            ElseIf InStr(1, att.ContentType, "image/", vbTextCompare) = 1 Then
                'show attached image.
                html = html & "<hr><img src=""" & attname & """>"
            End If
        Next
    End If

    hdr = "<meta HTTP-EQUIV=""Content-Type"" Content=""text-html; charset=utf-8"">" & hdr
    html = hdr & "<hr>" & html
    oTools.WriteTextFile htmlName, html, 65001

    MsgBox emlFile & " has been converted to html successfully!"
    Exit Sub

ErrorGenHtml:
    MsgBox "Failed to generate html file for the email; " & Err.Description

End Sub

Private Function FormatHtmlTag(ByVal src As String) As String
    src = Replace(src, ">", "&gt;")
    src = Replace(src, "<", "&lt;")
    FormatHtmlTag = src
End Function

Private Sub ConvertMailToHtml(ByVal fileName As String)
    Dim pos
    pos = InStrRev(fileName, ".")
    Dim mainName
    Dim htmlName
    mainName = Mid(fileName, 1, pos - 1)
    htmlName = mainName & ".htm"

    Dim tempFolder As String
    tempFolder = mainName
    If Not (oTools.ExistFile(htmlName)) Then
        ' We haven't generate the html for this email, generate it now.
        GenerateHtmlForEmail htmlName, fileName, tempFolder
    End If

End Sub

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim curpath As String
    Dim mailbox As String

    ' Create a folder named "inbox" under current directory
    ' to save the email retrieved.
    curpath = App.Path
    mailbox = curpath & "\inbox"
    oTools.CreateFolder mailbox

    Dim files
    Dim i As Long

    ' Get all *.eml files in specified folder and convert it to HTML one by one.
    files = oTools.GetFiles(mailbox & "\*.eml")
    For i = LBound(files) To UBound(files)
        ConvertMailToHtml files(i)
    Next

    Exit Sub
ErrorHandle:
    MsgBox Err.Description
End Sub

In EAGetMail installer, there are many samples demonstrate how to use Web browser control to display the email, I suggest that you download it and have a try

pop3, imap4 samples

Next Section

At next section I will introduce how to parse Non-delivery report.

Appendix

Comments

If you have any comments or questions about above example codes, please click here to add your comments.