(Ruby) 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 Ruby Downloads install from rubygems.org gem install chilkat or download... Ruby Library for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Alpine Linux

require 'chilkat'

# This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
# See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

mime = Chilkat::CkMime.new()

mime.SetBodyFromPlainText("This is the plain text body.")
mime.ConvertToMultipartMixed()
mime.AppendPartFromFile("qa_data/jpg/penguins.jpg")
mime.AppendPartFromFile("qa_data/pdf/fishing.pdf")

# At this point, when saved, the MIME bodies will be base64 encoded.
mime.SaveMime("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.
# jpgPart is a CkMime
jpgPart = mime.GetPart(1)
jpgPart.put_Encoding("binary")

# pdfPart is a CkMime
pdfPart = mime.GetPart(2)
pdfPart.put_Encoding("binary")

# 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.
mime.SaveMime("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?
binData = Chilkat::CkBinData.new()
# Write the binary MIME into binData;
mime.GetMimeBd(binData)

email = Chilkat::CkEmail.new()
# Load the email from the binData.
email.SetFromMimeBd(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.
email.put_Subject("Binary MIME Email")
email.put_From("admin@chilkatsoft.com")
email.AddTo("Chilkat","support@chilkatsoft.com")
email.SaveEml("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.
sb = Chilkat::CkStringBuilder.new()
email.GetMimeSb(sb)
sb.WriteFile("qa_output/email_fromSb.eml","utf-8",false)

# 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.
mime.GetMimeSb(sb)
sb.WriteFile("qa_output/mime_fromSb.eml","utf-8",false)

# 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:
mime.SaveMime("qa_output/mime_binary.mime")