(SQL Server) Create Binary MIME

Demonstrates how to create and save a multipart/mixed MIME document where the parts (a JPG and a PDF) are NOT base64 encoded, but are instead binary.

Note: This example requires Chilkat v9.5.0.62 or greater.

Chilkat ActiveX Downloads ActiveX for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows

-- Important: See this note about string length limitations for strings returned by sp_OAMethod calls.
--
CREATE PROCEDURE ChilkatSample
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @hr int
    -- This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
    -- See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

    DECLARE @mime int
    -- Use "Chilkat_9_5_0.Mime" for versions of Chilkat < 10.0.0
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Mime', @mime OUT
    IF @hr <> 0
    BEGIN
        PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
        RETURN
    END

    DECLARE @success int

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'SetBodyFromPlainText', @success OUT, 'This is the plain text body.'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'ConvertToMultipartMixed', @success OUT
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'AppendPartFromFile', @success OUT, 'qa_data/jpg/penguins.jpg'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'AppendPartFromFile', @success OUT, 'qa_data/pdf/fishing.pdf'

    -- At this point, when saved, the MIME bodies will be base64 encoded.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'SaveMime', @success OUT, 'qa_output/sample.txt'

    -- We now have the following MIME where everything is base64 encoded:
    -- The code that follows shows how to eliminate the base64 to make this binary MIME.

    -- 	Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------000207060703080505060404"
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Type: text/plain
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
    -- 
    -- 	This is the plain text body.
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="penguins.jpg"
    -- 	Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="penguins.jpg"
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
    -- 
    -- 	/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/7gAOQWRvYmUAZAAAAAAB/+ESCEV4aWYAAE1NACoAAAAIAAcB
    -- 	MgACAAAAFAAAAGIBOwACAAAABwAAAHZHRgADAAAAAQAEAABHSQADAAAAAQA/AACcnQABAAAADgAA
    -- 	...
    -- 	800a1MlLipJHlyU9en7sqVPkBK+gBj+o+1E91Ld7iJk0pJDO5PmDk4FOGOHy6S3JW120W1uCJ5M0
    -- 	PBa54edOFAc8ePX/2Q==
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="fishing.pdf"
    -- 	Content-Type: application/pdf; name="fishing.pdf"
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
    -- 
    -- 	JVBERi0xLjMKJcfsj6IKNSAwIG9iago8PC9MZW5ndGggNiAwIFIvRmlsdGVyIC9GbGF0ZURlY29k
    -- 	ZT4+CnN0cmVhbQp4nM1c288cNxVX09A0myq35tom7bSl8E1hp76P/YpASIiXlEg8tDwVKEJfilIe
    -- 	...
    -- 	MDRGMT48OTlENkRFQzExQjkzNjA0Mjc1RUFCNzIyMjI4RjA0RjE+XQo+PgpzdGFydHhyZWYKMjk0
    -- 	MzY5CiUlRU9GCg==
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404--
    -- 

    -- To make it binary MIME (getting rid of the base64), set the Encoding property to "binary"
    -- for the JPG and PDF parts.
    DECLARE @jpgPart int
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'GetPart', @jpgPart OUT, 1
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @jpgPart, 'Encoding', 'binary'
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jpgPart

    DECLARE @pdfPart int
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'GetPart', @pdfPart OUT, 2
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @pdfPart, 'Encoding', 'binary'
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdfPart

    -- Now save it.  If you try to view this MIME in a text editor,
    -- the JPG and PDF parts will be garbled and unintelligible. That's because
    -- the bytes do not represent characters.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'SaveMime', @success OUT, 'qa_output/sampleBinary.mim'

    -- The MIME now contains this:

    -- 	Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------000207060703080505060404"
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Type: text/plain
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
    -- 
    -- 	This is the plain text body.
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="penguins.jpg"
    -- 	Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="penguins.jpg"
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary
    -- 
    -- 	<Binary Data Here>
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404
    -- 	Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="fishing.pdf"
    -- 	Content-Type: application/pdf; name="fishing.pdf"
    -- 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary
    -- 
    -- 	<Binary Data Here>
    -- 
    -- 	--------------000207060703080505060404--
    -- 

    -- Can we load this binary MIME into an Email object?
    DECLARE @binData int
    -- Use "Chilkat_9_5_0.BinData" for versions of Chilkat < 10.0.0
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.BinData', @binData OUT

    -- Write the binary MIME into binData;
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'GetMimeBd', @success OUT, @binData

    DECLARE @email int
    -- Use "Chilkat_9_5_0.Email" for versions of Chilkat < 10.0.0
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Email', @email OUT

    -- Load the email from the binData.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'SetFromMimeBd', @success OUT, @binData

    -- Note: Many email clients may not be able to correctly process emails
    -- using the binary encoding.  Thunderbird has trouble.  Windows Live Mail
    -- worked OK.
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'Subject', 'Binary MIME Email'
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'From', 'admin@chilkatsoft.com'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddTo', @success OUT, 'Chilkat', 'support@chilkatsoft.com'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'qa_output/binaryEmail.eml'

    -- Chilkat does not recommend trying to use binary MIME for email.
    -- Binary MIME is typically used in HTTP for uploads and downloads.
    -- 

    -- Also, binary MIME is not representable in a string.  
    -- If we try to get the MIME as a string, then it must be encoded
    -- using base64.

    -- Chilkat automatically changes binary encodings to base64
    -- when there's an attempt to get the MIME as a string.
    DECLARE @sb int
    -- Use "Chilkat_9_5_0.StringBuilder" for versions of Chilkat < 10.0.0
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.StringBuilder', @sb OUT

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'GetMimeSb', @success OUT, @sb
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @sb, 'WriteFile', @success OUT, 'qa_output/email_fromSb.eml', 'utf-8', 0

    -- Likewise, if we try to get the MIME as a string from the Mime object, 
    -- it cannot contain non-character data in a binary encoding.  The binary
    -- bytes MUST be in base64.  The act of trying to retrieve the MIME in string
    -- format will force Chilkat to convert binary encodings (for non-text parts)
    -- to base64.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'GetMimeSb', @success OUT, @sb
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @sb, 'WriteFile', @success OUT, 'qa_output/mime_fromSb.eml', 'utf-8', 0

    -- However, the above use of base64 is just for the purpose of making the MIME
    -- string friendly.  If we save the MIME to a file, it's still binary:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @mime, 'SaveMime', @success OUT, 'qa_output/mime_binary.mime'

    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @mime
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @binData
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @email
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @sb


END
GO