Question

My application has a requirement to open the send email window in outlook.

The application displays a list of invoices. When the user clicks on an invoice number I need to open the send email window in outlook and attach the PDF statement. The user can then modify the message and click send.

How can I accomplish this?

I have tried the following:

    using Outlook = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

The application works fine on development environment but iam getting an exception:

**System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80040154): Retrieving the COM class factory for component with CLSID {0006F03A-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} failed due to the following error: 80040154 Class not registered (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040154 (REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG))**

Detailed:

    System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80040154): Retrieving the COM class factory for component with CLSID {0006F03A-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} failed due to the following error: 80040154 Class not registered (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040154 (REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG))
    at System.RuntimeTypeHandle.CreateInstance(RuntimeType type, Boolean publicOnly, Boolean noCheck, Boolean& canBeCached, RuntimeMethodHandleInternal& ctor, Boolean& bNeedSecurityCheck)
       at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceSlow(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache)
     at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceDefaultCtor(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipVisibilityChecks, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache)
    at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Boolean nonPublic)
    at InvoiceSearchTool.Controllers.emailController.CreateMessageWithAttachment(String invoiceNumber, String recipient, String messageBody) in C:\Projects\KeleInvoice\InvoiceSearchTool\Controllers\emailController.cs:line 38

I do not have outlook installed on application server. do i need to istall outlook on server? or the exception is for some other reason? how to get rid of it?

EDIT: Adding Code

public static void CreateMessageWithAttachment(string invoiceNumber, string recipient, string messageBody )
    {
        try
        {

            Outlook.Application oApp = new Outlook.Application();
            Outlook.MailItem email = (Outlook.MailItem)(oApp.CreateItem(Outlook.OlItemType.olMailItem));

            Models.DYNAMICS_EXTEntities _db = new Models.DYNAMICS_EXTEntities();

            #region set email recipients
            {
                ObjectParameter[] parameters = new ObjectParameter[1];
                parameters[0] = new ObjectParameter("InvoiceNumber", invoiceNumber);

                List<Models.EmailAddress> emailList = _db.ExecuteFunction<Models.EmailAddress>("uspGetEmailAddress", parameters).ToList<Models.EmailAddress>();
                if (emailList.Count() > 0)
                {
                    if(!(string.IsNullOrEmpty(emailList[0].Email.ToString().Trim()) ))
                    recipient = emailList[0].Email.ToString().Trim();
                    else
                        recipient = " ";
                }
                else
                    recipient = " ";

                email.Recipients.Add(recipient);
            }
            #endregion

            //email subject                 
            email.Subject = "Invoice # " + invoiceNumber;

            #region set email Text
            {
                Models.EmailText emailText = _db.ExecuteFunction<Models.EmailText>("uspEmailText").SingleOrDefault();

                messageBody = emailText.EmailTextLine1.ToString().Trim();
                email.Body = messageBody;
            }
            #endregion

            #region email attachment
            {
                string fileName = invoiceNumber.Trim();
                string filePath = HostingEnvironment.MapPath("~/Content/reports/");
                filePath = filePath + fileName + ".pdf";
                fileName += ".pdf";
                int iPosition = (int)email.Body.Length + 1;
                int iAttachType = (int)Outlook.OlAttachmentType.olByValue;
                Outlook.Attachment oAttach = email.Attachments.Add(filePath, iAttachType, iPosition, fileName);
            }
            #endregion

            email.Display();                

                        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            InvoiceSearchTool.Models.udtExceptionTable exception = new udtExceptionTable();
            exception.MethodName = "email";
            exception.Exception = e.ToString();
            exception.Date = DateTime.Now;
            DYNAMICS_EXTEntities db = new DYNAMICS_EXTEntities();
            db.AddToudtExceptionTables(exception);
            db.SaveChanges();

        }

    }

Answer 1

Now that we have your actual requirements, things get a little easier.

First off, get rid of Outlook from the mix. You don’t need it.

When the user clicks the invoice number, ask them for the message to go along with the email. Once they type this in use the standard .net smtp objects to create the mail message, attach the pdf and send through your mail server.

You don’t need Outlook installed on the server, nor do you need any type of interop.

If you are using Exchange or an IMAP server then the email will show up in the users outlook Sent box for you.