Question

I have a windows forms application that I am adding a request support form to, and would like the user to be able to input the values and hit a button. Once the button is pushed I can either:

1. Open a new mail message and auto populate the message. (Not sure how to do this)
2. Submit the request via a http form on my website. (I know how to do this)
3. Send an email directly from the code of the application. (I know how to do this)

What I want to know is what would be the best method to use? I think option 1 is the most transparent, and the user will see exactly what is being sent, but I am not sure how to ensure it works no matter what email client they use.

I see there being potential issues with option two, specifically a firewall possibly stopping the submission. But option 2 would allow me to supply them with a ticket number right then and there for their request.

Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

For Option 1, as suggested, use the mailto handler.

Format your string like so: string.Format("mailto:[e-mail]?subject={0}&body={1}", subject, body). Don’t forget to UrlEncode the subject and body values.

Then use System.Diagnostics.Process.Start() with your string.

This will launch the registered mail handler (Outlook, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, etc) on the system.