Read emails from exchange

06 Jun 2022 142695 views 0 minutes to read Contributors

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Situation

You have an Office 365 mailbox. You want to use C# to read those mails and save them to SQLServer.

Requirements

• Office365 mailbox
• SQLServer
• Exchange WebServices
• C# (visual studio)

Exchange WebServices

Applies to: EWS Managed API | Exchange Online | Exchange Server 2013 | Office 365 There is 1 step you need to take and that is to install Exchange Webservices (MIT License). Download EWS Managed API via nuget. This step is very easy and does not require more then download/install via a nuget package. This only has to be done on your Development Machine. Once you want to release your product for production release all you need to include is the Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll and you're all set.

Implemented Solution

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
using System;
using Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;

namespace ReadOffice365Mailbox
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            ExchangeService _service;

            try
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Registering Exchange connection");

                _service = new ExchangeService
                {
                    Credentials = new WebCredentials("yourmailbox@email.com", "*******")
                };
            }
            catch
            {
                Console.WriteLine("new ExchangeService failed. Press enter to exit:");
                return;
            }

            // This is the office365 webservice URL
            _service.Url = new Uri("https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx");

            // Prepare seperate class for writing email to the database
            try
            {
                Write2DB db = new Write2DB();

                Console.WriteLine("Reading mail");

                // Read 100 mails
                foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))
                {
                    db.Save(email);

                }

                Console.WriteLine("Exiting");
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("An error has occured. \n:" + e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}
			

				

					

				

					
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using System;
using Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
 
namespace ReadOffice365Mailbox
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            ExchangeService _service;
 
            try
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Registering Exchange connection");
 
                _service = new ExchangeService
                {
                    Credentials = new WebCredentials("yourmailbox@email.com", "*******")
                };
            }
            catch
            {
                Console.WriteLine("new ExchangeService failed. Press enter to exit:");
                return;
            }
 
            // This is the office365 webservice URL
            _service.Url = new Uri("https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx");
 
            // Prepare seperate class for writing email to the database
            try
            {
                Write2DB db = new Write2DB();
 
                Console.WriteLine("Reading mail");
 
                // Read 100 mails
                foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))
                {
                    db.Save(email);
 
                }
 
                Console.WriteLine("Exiting");
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("An error has occured. \n:" + e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}
					
				
			
		

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
...
using Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data;
...

namespace ReadOffice365Mailbox
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            ExchangeService _service;
            _service = new ExchangeService
                {
                    Credentials = new WebCredentials("yourmailbox@email.com", "*******")
                };
...
			

				

					

				

					
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...
using Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data;
...
 
namespace ReadOffice365Mailbox
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            ExchangeService _service;
            _service = new ExchangeService
                {
                    Credentials = new WebCredentials("yourmailbox@email.com", "*******")
                };
...
					
				
			
		

Instantiate a new ExchangeService and provide your mailbox credentials.

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
            // This is the official office365 webservice URL
            _service.Url = new Uri("https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx");

            // Read 100 mails
            foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))

...
			

				

					

				

					
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            // This is the official office365 webservice URL
            _service.Url = new Uri("https://outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx");
 
            // Read 100 mails
            foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))
 
...
					
				
			
		

Then, because you want to call an Webservice (ExchangeWebService EWS) you provide the webservice URL and you call the function FindItems( , ). This call will connect to your mailbox (if you've provided the correct credentials) and start reading (in this case 100 mail headers) After that you can read all the basic email properties like subject, from and to. Microsoft has implemented a lightweight EWS so that if you want to read more properties like Htmlbody or TextBody, you have to send an instruction to load that extra information with the following command:

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
       // Read 100 mails
       foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))
       {
            email.Load(new PropertySet(BasePropertySet.FirstClassProperties, ItemSchema.TextBody));

            // Then you can retrieve extra information like this:
            string recipients = "";

            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.CcRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@message_id", email.InternetMessageId);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@from", email.From.Address);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body", email.TextBody.ToString());
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@cc", recipients);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@subject", email.Subject);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@received_time", email.DateTimeReceived.ToUniversalTime().ToString());

            recipients = "";
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.ToRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@to", recipients);
            }
...
			

				

					

				

					
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       // Read 100 mails
       foreach (EmailMessage email in _service.FindItems(WellKnownFolderName.Inbox, new ItemView(100)))
       {
            email.Load(new PropertySet(BasePropertySet.FirstClassProperties, ItemSchema.TextBody));
 
            // Then you can retrieve extra information like this:
            string recipients = "";
 
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.CcRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@message_id", email.InternetMessageId);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@from", email.From.Address);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body", email.TextBody.ToString());
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@cc", recipients);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@subject", email.Subject);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@received_time", email.DateTimeReceived.ToUniversalTime().ToString());
 
            recipients = "";
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.ToRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@to", recipients);
            }
...
					
				
			
		

Save your emails to the database

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
class Write2DB
    {
        SqlConnection conn = null;

        public Write2DB()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to SQL Server");
            try
            {
                conn = new SqlConnection("Server=*******;DataBase=***********;uid=******;pwd=**********");
                conn.Open();
                Console.WriteLine("Connected");
            }
            catch (System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException e)
            {
                throw (e);
            }
        }

        public void Save(EmailMessage email)
        {
            email.Load(new PropertySet(BasePropertySet.FirstClassProperties, ItemSchema.TextBody));

            SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("dbo.usp_servicedesk_savemail", conn)
            {
                CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure,
                CommandTimeout = 1500

            };

            string recipients = "";

            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.CcRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@message_id", email.InternetMessageId);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@from", email.From.Address);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body", email.TextBody.ToString());
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@cc", recipients);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@subject", email.Subject);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@received_time", email.DateTimeReceived.ToUniversalTime().ToString());

            recipients = "";
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.ToRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@to", recipients);

            // Execute the procedure
            cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
        }
        ~Write2DB()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Disconnecting from SQLServer");
        }
    }
			

				

					

				

					
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class Write2DB
    {
        SqlConnection conn = null;
 
        public Write2DB()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Connecting to SQL Server");
            try
            {
                conn = new SqlConnection("Server=*******;DataBase=***********;uid=******;pwd=**********");
                conn.Open();
                Console.WriteLine("Connected");
            }
            catch (System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException e)
            {
                throw (e);
            }
        }
 
        public void Save(EmailMessage email)
        {
            email.Load(new PropertySet(BasePropertySet.FirstClassProperties, ItemSchema.TextBody));
 
            SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("dbo.usp_servicedesk_savemail", conn)
            {
                CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure,
                CommandTimeout = 1500
 
            };
 
            string recipients = "";
 
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.CcRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@message_id", email.InternetMessageId);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@from", email.From.Address);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body", email.TextBody.ToString());
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@cc", recipients);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@subject", email.Subject);
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@received_time", email.DateTimeReceived.ToUniversalTime().ToString());
 
            recipients = "";
            foreach (EmailAddress emailAddress in email.ToRecipients)
            {
                recipients += ";" + emailAddress.Address.ToString();
            }
            cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@to", recipients);
 
            // Execute the procedure
            cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
        }
        ~Write2DB()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Disconnecting from SQLServer");
        }
    }
					
				
			
		

		
			
T-SQL
			
Transact-SQL
			

			
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
CREATE procedure [dbo].[usp_servicedesk_savemail]  @message_id varchar(50),@to varchar(512), @from varchar(256), @cc varchar(256)=null,@subject varchar(256),  @body varchar(max), @received_time datetime
as
begin
	IF NOT EXISTS( SELECT 1 from mnit_email where param1 = @message_id )
		insert into mnit_email( created_datetime, type, [from], [to], cc, [subject], body, param1 )
		values( @received_time, 'receive_supportmail', @from, @to, @cc,  @subject, @body, @message_id)
end
GO
			

				

					

				

					
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SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
CREATE procedure [dbo].[usp_servicedesk_savemail]  @message_id varchar(50),@to varchar(512), @from varchar(256), @cc varchar(256)=null,@subject varchar(256),  @body varchar(max), @received_time datetime
as
begin
	IF NOT EXISTS( SELECT 1 from mnit_email where param1 = @message_id )
		insert into mnit_email( created_datetime, type, [from], [to], cc, [subject], body, param1 )
		values( @received_time, 'receive_supportmail', @from, @to, @cc,  @subject, @body, @message_id)
end
GO
					
				
			
		

The complete visual studio solution & database table and procedure code can be downloaded after purchase.

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