Is JavaScript supported in an email message?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-mail_clients
Old clients, such as Lotus Notes, Mozilla Thunderbird, Outlook Express, and Windows Live Mail all seem to have supported some sort of JavaScript execution. Nothing else does.
It seems like a bad idea security-wise, so I would expect this to be a feature that won't always be around, even in these clients.
Short answer
No
Descriptive answer
It depends. But the email is not guaranteed to behave in the way you want it to. Different email clients handle JS differently. Most of the newer email clients do not support any of it since it is potentially very dangerous to support script execution in a desktop application which contains so much of your personal info.
I had a use case where I needed to use JS in an email. I tried out on the web client of outlook and desktop client as well, and it turns out outlook just wipes out the script part of your HTML email. There might be some other email client which does support JS execution, but given that you cannot control the client where your email would be viewed in the client machine, it's not a good idea to embed any scripts in the HTML email.
Its advised to keep your HTML email as simple as possible, no JS, and the least CSS you can do with (because, again, different email clients have varying support for CSS as well) eg: outlook's web client was not even recognizing an HTML button tag in the email. I had to use an anchor tag and some CSS on top of it to mimic the display of a button.
Bottom Line - Don't rely on Javascript when working with HTML email content.
No, generally speaking email readers do not allow javascript.
Other answerers have suggested that the answer is "No."
On the other hand, an html attachment will probably get opened in an environment that runs Javascript.
EDIT: It was suggested that I haven't properly answered the question so here goes a more complete effort.
Summary: I would expect that many or most users receiving an html-formatted email containing embedded Javascript will see it run and have run tests to confirm that this is true in some environments. But Javascript WILL be blocked for some users.
The protocols (specifically RFC2854) explicitly address scripting (within the text/html message body type) with the statement that:
In addition, the introduction of scripting languages and
interactive capabilities in HTML 4.0 introduced a number of
security risks associated with the automatic execution of programs
written by the sender but interpreted by the recipient. User
agents executing such scripts or programs must be extremely careful
to insure that untrusted software is executed in a protected
environment.
So the protocols do support Javascript, but which user agents do?
My (ancient) email reader uses a table to specify which viewer software to use for each mimetype, diverting html content to my favorite web browser. Almost all current web browsers support Javascript (and some issue dire warnings when you try to turn it off!) Do modern email agents include internal html interpreters and, if so, is the javascript turned on or off? I've checked documentation on Thunderbird and find that javascript seems to be turned on by default but can be turned off: http://codeverge.com/mozilla.support.thunderbird/simple-html-tags-reference-docume/2030160
I have noticed that some (?many?) users now access their email from a browser directly (webmail is one such platform) rather than running separate email software. All such platforms which I have tested so far do run any Javascript embedded in the html of the email message. However some such environments, depending on user security settings, do not automatically fetch external links (Javascript or pictures or other) and so can only run external Javascript from a file which is included as an attachment to the message. The same would be true of any offline email reader on a device without a current internet connection.
The above applies to javascript embedded in the main message part of the email body. One can also have html explicitly given as an "attachment", which if saved and then opened would be displayed in a web browser, wherein Javascript is available with very high likelyhood. Therefore, one might included a second copy of the javascript enabled email as an html attachement with an alternative text/plain main body and/or tag in the main text/html directing the user to the attachment.
I've been thinking about this because some of my acquaintances insist on sending me "email greeting cards" which consist of a text message directing me to a link which I've found so unsatisfactory that I refuse to even consider loading it just on principle. I have written and sent email greeting cards with interactive graphics and music and even games using embedded javascript and been satisfied with the result.
Therefore, I maintain that the correct answer is "Yes" both on the grounds that the protocols specifically address scripting and on the grounds that all the email agents I personally use ran the Javascript in my test emails.
You aren't going to get executable JavaScript onto a server and into a mail client. But emails DO support links, you can always link to your content within an email.
For most mail clients, no.
No email client support javascript due to security concern
Try to send a mail with this HTML content
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<button onclick="this.innerHTML=Date()">The time is?</button>
</body>
</html>
It may be, but mail clients won't read it & mail servers may reject it. So leave it out.
Javascript is not supported in emails.
You can view an email with JavaScript working with Windows Live Mail, but can't add JavaScript to a new email you wish to send.
JavaScript also works with saved .eml files.
Mozilla Thunderbird version 60.7.0 can't view or add JavaScript.
(If you save an eml file with Thunderbird, the code will work if file is then loaded with Live Mail)
You can send an email with JavaScript using PHP code.
Some email websites may support it, but the few I used don't. (AOL, uk2.net, GMail)
Short answer: No it is not supported in an email message
Long answer:
I have tested it with two email readers. Outlook (online) and OE Classic. As OE Classic is very outdated (I use it on windows 7), it does support JavaScript and I tested it with an alert button. However, the newer Outlook does not even support buttons, which showed up as plain text. So to conclude JavaScript is only enabled on some, usually older, email readers but not on new ones such as Outlook.
I am building an app in Xamarin Forms where you can buy products etc. Now I am at the stage where I want to send the user a confirmation when their order has been placed.
I have a string cointaining their email but I am not quite sure how to proceed. When I have previously worked with mail it looks something like this:
Device.OpenUri(new Uri("mailto:ryan.hatfield#test.com?subject=free candy&body=you can trust me"));
And what this does is that you open your own mail and you have to send it yourself to yourself which obviously is wrong.
So my question is, how can I send a confirmation email from my email to their inputted email which I have stored in a string?
You have a few options. If your email is a Microsoft Exchange mailbox, you can use Exchange Web Services (EWS), which is fairly simple if you follow code samples online. Otherwise, you should use an SMTP client. .NET has its own that you can include: System.Net.Mail, or you can find a number of libraries online.
If you're inclined toward the .NET SMTP option, I would take a look at this question. It has a fairly complete example that should help you get started.
EDIT: You mentioned that your backend is PHP-Based. There are plenty of SMTP libraries for PHP as well and plenty of code samples. Here's another SO question I'd suggest you look at to help you get started in PHP instead of C#.
I am trying to add a user suggestions interface to my MVC4 application using system.net.mail .
I want to use my own email address to send mail from me to me with their suggestions. This works fine on debug, but when I publish to a server, Google sends me an email saying I might be a victim blah blah...
Is this just a Gmail thing, or is there a better way to send SMTP mail?
Gmail uses specific algorithms and other relative data to mark a email as spam. In short your email has to have a valid and verified email sender address, authenticated request, etc.
You can check the details of GMail spam detection policy here -
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1366858?hl=en
we used to use the .net mailer, but now we use mandrill (http://mandrill.com/)
its free for up a certain volume, and certainly for development it serves it purpose without the headaches of the gmail think it's spam, phished emails and what not.
here's a .net wrapper: https://github.com/shawnmclean/Mandrill-dotnet
I have a list of actions happend on an item listed on an ASP.net website. These actions are logged in a simple sql table linked to the item.
i.e.:
[2013-11-04 18:00]: Problem solved
[2013-11-04 18:00]: Called User
[2013-11-04 14:00]: Mail Received
For this, I will have to query the support mailbox for new mail messages. When a new message is received, a 'mail received' action is created. The 'mail recieved' entry should be clickable so the support user can see the contents of this message.
Question: How do I show this message to the support user?
Using Exchange Webservices Managed API 2.0 I can find this message and his body but the message body can have inline images and other layouts.
Options:
Show the message on the web page try to render the mail message the best way I can.
-> Are there any free plugins that do this? Something like this but that can be used in a web page?
Use Outlook to display this email message.
1&2 combined.. show a preview text-only message and click to see the whole message using outlook.
Since the support user will have Outlook 2010 or higher installed on his machine, the 3th option seems a logical choice but how can I display this message in outlook?
#{
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-disposition", "inline;filename=message.msg");
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-outlook";
}
#(new HtmlString(ViewBag.Body))
Obviously doesn't work.. a .msg file seems binary. Do I need an API for this?
But even when this works I will have these problems:
Every time you open a message you will have to click 'Open' to view this message.
-> Can I prevent this in modern browsers (primarily IE10 & IE11)?
-> Or are there 'inline outlook viewers' available?
When this support user answers this message using his outlook, this message will be sent 'from' his account. There would be no trace of this sent message!
-> Can anyone think of a way around this?
We are using an on-premise Exchange 2010 SP3 server that should be migrated to Exchange Online some time next year. Application is running on ASP.NET 4.5 using MVC 5.0 framework.
It could be solution to use this API to download messages as .msg file directly from Exchange server
Tinker with the different body types and retrieval methods. Info here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee217562(v=exchg.80).aspx
See if any of them return something that's relatively easy to display, whether that be parsing the HTML body or showing the RTF body in the browser. I haven't mucked with this much and don't have an Exchange server handy or I'd check myself. If Exchange doesn't chew up the HTML when the message is send, you may be able to parse out the src="cid:contentIdOfAttachment" and replace it with a proper link to the attachment for display in the browser, but Exchange can do funny things to HTML and CSS.
And for clarification, by "support user", do you mean a support employee (ie, tech support) or someone who is receiving support and checking on the status of their ticket? If the message is to be shown and/or replied to in Outlook, would this person be accessing a single support mailbox (perhaps a public folder) or would the message be forwarded/copied to the person's individual mailbox?
If I'm getting this right, you'll be copying it to an individual mailbox, and from there it's "outside" the system, so the reply goes straight to the end user and skips the central support mailbox. You might be able to circumvent this by altering the message before it is sent/downloaded by changing the "from" to the central support mailbox. When the support user responds, it goes back to the central support mailbox, where you can have a secondary sync action (or even the same one that's fetching incoming mail) process it, change the to/from to send to the intended recipient from the central support mailbox, and send it off by using UpdateItems and saving it to the Sent folder. It's not pretty, but it should be possible. That's just off the top of my head, though, so there could easily be a better solution. And I'm operating on a few assumptions about the system you're working in, so maybe I have things a bit wrong.
i have created a function which send an email having large HTML data containing many in-line styling and images.
HTML body is set to true.
The Email appears fine in GMAIL with all styling and images but in Outlook the format got distracted.
Do outlook requires something more to make email exactly like in Gmail?
Thanks for any help
Thanks #Me.Name
your link help me to solve the issue, steps mentioned in below link help in creating HTML for outlook view
http://robcubbon.com/create-html-email-newsletters-outlook/