EmailStartSession (Function)

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Help / WLanguage / WLanguage functions / Communication / Managing emails

POP3 and SMTP protocols
Authenticated SMTP
Connection with two-factor authentication
Timeout
Creating an Outlook Exchange profile
Managing emails in asynchronous mode
Gmail: What should I do if a connection to Gmail (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) fails due to a certificate error?

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EmailStartSession (Function)

In french: EmailOuvreSession

Starts an email management session based on the selected management mode:

e-mails managed by POP3, SMTP or IMAP protocol: the EmailStartSession function opens the POP3, SMTP or IMAP session.
emails managed via the MS Exchange client: the EmailStartSession function opens the MS Exchange session. In this case, the current directory is automatically modified when using EmailStartSession.

Only the POP3 and SMTP sessions are supported.

Remarks:

To start a session with the Lotus Notes messaging software, use EmailStartNotesSession.
To start a session with the Outlook messaging software, use EmailStartOutlookSession.
To start a session for reading emails (POP3 protocol only), use EmailStartPOP3Session.
To start a session for sending emails (SMTP protocol only), use EmailStartSMTPSession. This function can also be used to start an authenticated SMTP session.

Example

See additional examples

// Send an email via the POP3 protocol 
IF EmailStartSession(USER, PASSWORD, "pop3.gmail.com", "smtp.gmail.com") = True THEN
	UserName = USER
ELSE
	UserName = ""
	Error("Unable to establish the connection")
END

Syntax

Starting an email session (POP3, SMTP, IMAP, Notes or Outlook) Hide the details

<Result> = EmailStartSession(<Session>)

<Result>: Boolean

True if the session was started,
False otherwise. If an error occurs, the ErrorOccurred variable is set to True.
To get more details on the error, use ErrorInfo with the errMessage constant.

<Session>: emailPOP3Session, emailSMTPSession, emailIMAPSession, emailNotesSession or emailOutlookSession variable

Name of variable containing the description of the email server connection parameters. All the connection properties are specified in the variable properties. For more details, see:
variable of type emailPOP3Session: to open a session to a POP3 server in order to read messages.
variable of type emailIMAPSession: to open a session to an IMAP server in order to read messages.
variable of type emailSMTPSession: to open a session to an SMTP server in order to send messages.
variable of type emailNotesSession: to open a session to a Lotus Domino server in order to manipulate messages.
variable of type emailOutlookSession: to open a session to the Outlook messaging software.

Note: This syntax has been retained for compatibility.. We recommend that you use the emailOutlookSession variables or EmailStartOutlookSession.

Starting an email session using MS Exchange Hide the details

<Result> = EmailStartSession(<Profile> [, <Asynchronous>])

<Result>: Integer

Identifier of the current email session.
0 (or False) if an error occurred. The ErrorOccurred variable is set to True. To get more details on the error, use ErrorInfo with the errMessage constant.

<Profile>: Character string

Identifies the connection profile (see the Notes).
If this parameter corresponds to an empty string (""):
if several profiles are defined on the current computer, EmailStartSession displays a window containing all profiles among which the user can choose his own profile.
if a single profile is defined on the current computer, EmailStartSession automatically selects this profile.

<Asynchronous>: Optional constant or boolean

emailAsynchronous or True The emails sent during the session started by EmailStartSession must be transmitted in asynchronous mode (see the Notes).
emailSynchronous or False
(Default value) The emails sent during the session started by EmailStartSession must be transmitted in synchronous mode (see the Notes).
This parameter must correspond to emailSynchronous or False.

Note: This syntax has been retained for compatibility.. We recommend that you use the emailPOP3Session, emailSMTPSession variables or EmailStartPOP3Session and EmailStartSMTPSession.

Starting an email session by using the POP3 and SMTP protocols simultaneously Hide the details

<Result> = EmailStartSession(<Username> , <Password> , <Address of POP3 server> [, <Address of SMTP server> [, <Number of POP3 port> [, <Number of SMTP port> [, <Asynchronous>]]]])

<Result>: Boolean

True if the session was started,
False otherwise. If an error occurs, the ErrorOccurred variable is set to True. To get more details on the error, use ErrorInfo with the errMessage constant.

<Username>: Character string

Identifies the user. This name is supplied by the service provider or by the network administrator. This name will be used to identify the email session in the different functions for email management.

<Password>: Character string or Secret string

User password. This password is given by the service provider or by the network administrator.
New in version 2025
Secret strings: If you use the secret string vault, the type of secret string used for this parameter must be "Ansi or Unicode string".
To learn more about secret strings and how to use the vault, see Secret string vault.
Secret strings are not available for this parameter in Android/Android widget applications.

<Address of POP3 server>: Character string

IP address of email server (incoming protocol). This IP address is supplied by the service provider or by the network administrator. This IP address can have the following format:
IP address in XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX format (125.5.110.100 for example).
IP address containing the server name (pop3.freesbee.eu for example). This syntax is recommended.
IP address returned by NetIPAddress.

<Address of SMTP server>: Optional character string

IP address of email server (outgoing protocol). This IP address is supplied by the service provider or by the network administrator.
This address must be specified only if the POP3 account and the SMTP account do not go through the same computer.

<Number of POP3 port>: Optional integer

Identifies the port used for the POP3 protocol (110 by default).

<Number of SMTP port>: Optional integer

Identifies the port used for SMTP (25 by default).

<Asynchronous>: Optional constant or boolean

emailAsynchronous or True The emails sent during the session started by EmailStartSession must be transmitted in asynchronous mode (see the Notes).
emailSynchronous or False
(Default value) The emails sent during the session started by EmailStartSession must be transmitted in synchronous mode (see the Notes).
This parameter must correspond to emailSynchronous or False.

Remarks

POP3 and SMTP protocols

The different parameters passed to EmailStartSession are supplied by the Internet Service Provider or by the network administrator.

An Internet connection is required to manage the emails. Several cases may occur:

The user uses a direct connection to Internet (cable or ADSL): no specific operation required.
The user uses a modem to connect to the Internet: the NetOpenRemoteAccess function opens the Internet connection.

By default, if only the IP address of POP3 server is specified, this address will be used by the email server that uses SMTP. The IP address of SMTP protocol must be specified only if the POP3 account and the SMTP account do not use the same computer.

Authenticated SMTP

The SMTP authentication cannot be performed by EmailStartSession. To start a POP3 session and an authenticated SMTP session at the same time, you must use both EmailStartPOP3Session and EmailStartSMTPSession.

Connection with two-factor authentication

More and more providers offer secure email accounts (SMTP/IMAP) with two-factor authentication.

Here is how it works:

Connect to the email provider using OAuth: this connection provides a token.
Use the token to connect to IMAP or SMTP email boxes.

Let's see an example of code that can be used:

// Exemple de connexion IMAP avec un compte Gmail
// et une double authentification
OAuthCnxGoogle is OAuth2Parameters
gMaSessionIMAP is emailIMAPSession

// Paramètres du serveur IMAP
gMaSessionIMAP.ServerAddress = "imap.gmail.com"
gMaSessionIMAP.Option = optionTLS
gMaSessionIMAP.Port = "993"

// Paramètres de connexion OAuth
OAuthCnxGoogle.ClientID = "ID de l'application"
OAuthCnxGoogle.ClientSecret = "ID secret de l’application"
OAuthCnxGoogle.AuthURL = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth"
OAuthCnxGoogle.TokenURL = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token"
OAuthCnxGoogle.Scope = "https://mail.google.com/"
OAuthCnxGoogle.RedirectionURL = "http://localhost:9000"
OAuthCnxGoogle.ResponseType = "code"

// Identification OAuth
gMaSessionIMAP.AuthToken = AuthIdentify(OAuthCnxGoogle)
// Si l'identification a réussi, il faut se connecter à la boîte email.
IF gMaSessionIMAP.AuthToken <> Null THEN
IF EmailStartSession(gMaSessionIMAP) THEN
// Session ouverte
ELSE
// Erreur d'ouverture de la session.
END
ELSE
// Erreur d'authentification.
END

Timeout

The timeout can be set using EmailSetTimeOut.

Creating an Outlook Exchange profile

To start a new email session, a "profile" must be defined. This "profile" is defined in the configuration of Internet connection.

To create a profile:

Open the control panel.
Double-click the "Email" option.
Click the "Display the profiles" button.
In the window named "Choosing a profile", click the "Add" button.
Give a name to the profile. This name will be used in the WINDEV programs.
Select "Add a new email account".
Select the "Microsoft Exchange Server" service.
Enter the name of Microsoft Exchange server.

Managing emails in asynchronous mode

The email functions are locking functions by default. Which means that no other code can be run during their execution. The program will resume only when the current Email functions have been run.

WEBDEV gives you the ability to manage the emails in asynchronous mode. This mode allows your sites to send emails without locking the execution of other processes.

To use the asynchronous mode, you must:

Uncheck "Disable the email spooler" in the WEBDEV administrator ("Configuration" tab).
Enable the asynchronous mode when starting the SMTP session (with EmailStartSMTPSession or EmailStartSession).
All outgoing emails will be transmitted to a "spooler". Emails are queued up before being sent.

Executing Email functions does no longer block the rest of the program. EmailStatus is used to determine the status of an email.

Remark: if the WEBDEV administrator is closed, the email spooler is emptied: pending emails are not sent and are removed from the spooler.

If "Disable the email spooler" is checked while emails are still found in the spooler, these emails will not be lost: the administrator keeps sending them but no new email is accepted by the spooler.

Warning: Asynchronous mode can only be used when opening a session on an SMTP server (function EmailStartSMTPSession for sending emails or function EmailStartSession).. The asynchronous mode is ignored in all other cases.

Gmail: What should I do if a connection to Gmail (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) fails due to a certificate error?

Since the end of August 2017, Google has deployed a new certificate: Google Internet Authority G3. Unfortunately, the Windows API for checking certificates does not validate this certificate.

Therefore, starting a POP3, IMAP or SMTP session may fail with the error "The certificate string was not issued by a trusted authority".

To validate the certificate, all you have to do is modify the management mode of emails. The WLanguage EmailConfigure function allows you to change this mode and to no longer use the Windows API that locks this certificate. The following code must be added before starting the session via EmailStartSession:

// Enable the multi-platform implementation
EmailConfigure(emailParameterMode, 1)

Remarks:

As of version 23 Update 1, you no longer need to call the EmailConfigure function: WLanguage automatically uses the email management mode appropriate to the session.
You can handle certificate errors on an SMTP session using the IgnoreError property of a variable of type emailSMTPSession.

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