Email sending to client is requirment for every morden project. Sending email from node js application with template is most common feature now a days.In this project, i have build functionality which will help the developer to configure the email sending functionality with template very easily. I have use the express js and nodemailer and my own custom mail configuration to sending the email through gmail smtp and shared hosting email smtp.

Prerequisites

1. nodemailer
2. nodemailer-express-handlebars
3. dotenv

Installations

1. Clone the Git repository git clone https://github.com/tariqulislam/express-email-project
2. Run command: For npm npm install for yarn yarn install

Configure the smtp server or email Server

There is a .env file at root of the project, you just change the environment variable for email server

###For Gmail configuration

GMAIL_SERVICE_NAME = gmail # service name
GMAIL_SERVICE_HOST = smtp.gmail.com # service host name
GMAIL_SERVICE_SECURE = false # Service security
GMAIL_SERVICE_PORT = 587 # service port
GMAIL_USER_NAME = <email> # email address
GMAIL_USER_PASSWORD = <password> # email address password

Add html Template for email templating to views/email/test.hbs file:

<h1>You Node mailer is working</h1>
<p>
    Your Name: {{name}}
    <br/>
    Your address: {{address}}
    <br/>
    Your Email: {{email}}
</p>

Send Email By with email template

For testing purpose, we will create get request for sending the email through Gmail smtp

Configure the gmail to less secure for sending email through gmail account

1. Turn on the less secure app from this link https://myaccount.google.com/lesssecureapps

Then add the express-nodmailer-handlebars to routes/index.js and email.js file from config->email.js

routes/index.js

var MailConfig = require('../config/email');
var hbs = require('nodemailer-express-handlebars');
var gmailTransport = MailConfig.GmailTransport;

router.get('/email/template', (req, res, next) => {
  MailConfig.ViewOption(gmailTransport,hbs);
  let HelperOptions = {
    from: '"Tariqul islam" <[email protected]>',
    to: '[email protected]',
    subject: 'Hellow world!',
    template: 'test',
    context: {
      name:"tariqul_islam",
      email: "[email protected]",
      address: "52, Kadamtola Shubag dhaka"
    }
  };
  gmailTransport.sendMail(HelperOptions, (error,info) => {
    if(error) {
      console.log(error);
      res.json(error);
    }
    console.log("email is send");
    console.log(info);
    res.json(info)
  });
});

After that add html template support to when sending the email we will call the MailConfig.viewOption() function at express router get request function at routes/index.js file.

  let HelperOptions = {
    from: '"Tariqul islam" <[email protected]>',
    to: '[email protected]',
    subject: 'Hellow world!',
    template: 'test',
    context: {
      name:"tariqul_islam",
      email: "[email protected]",
      address: "52, Kadamtola Shubag dhaka"
    }
  };

HelperOptions object is simple configuration object for email templating

1. form value will be, from which email address sends the email (sender name)
2. to value will be, Receiver email address
3. subject email subject
4. template this will be .hbs template which will be create in ``views/email/``` folder
5. context will the arguments or paramter to send the dynamic value to template

gmailTransport.sendMail(HelperOptions, (error,info) => {
    if(error) {
      console.log(error);
      res.json(error);
    }
    console.log("email is send");
    console.log(info);
    res.json(info)
  });

gmailTransport.sendMail is the nodemailer default function to send email to sender address, it takes two arguments:

1. HelperOptions (simple template configuration object)
2. error_first_callback function which contains (error, success) arguments

we will use postman to test the function for mail sending by gmail smtp

1. From command line or cmd run command: for npm npm run start for yarn yarn start
2. Hit the url at postman with get request http://localhost:3000/email/template
3. the result will be:

Send email through the own SMTP server:

Send Email By and Create Template

For testing purpose, we will create get request for sending the email through own smtp server

For testing purpose i get the custom smtp information from my shared hosting site by cpanel:

1. Go to Email account sections
2. Select Email and you will be option email client configuration
3. Then get the shared hosting smtp account mail server information for account
4. After that configure the smtp email to .env file:

For other smtp configuration

SMTP_SERVICE_HOST=<smtp host name>
SMTP_SERVICE_SECURE=<conection is secure or not>
SMTP_SERVICE_PORT=<smtp port>
SMTP_USER_NAME=<email Address>
SMTP_USER_PASSWORD=<password>

Sample code for sending email by own smtp

router.get('/email/smtp/template', (req, res, next) => {
  MailConfig.ViewOption(smtpTransport,hbs);
  let HelperOptions = {
    from: '"Tariqul islam" <[email protected]>',
    to: '[email protected]',
    subject: 'Hellow world!',
    template: 'test',
    context: {
      name:"tariqul_islam",
      email: "[email protected]",
      address: "52, Kadamtola Shubag dhaka"
    }
  };
  smtpTransport.verify((error, success) => {
      if(error) {
        res.json({output: 'error', message: error})
        res.end();
      } else {
        smtpTransport.sendMail(HelperOptions, (error,info) => {
          if(error) {
            res.json({output: 'error', message: error})
          }
          res.json({output: 'success', message: info});
          res.end();
        });
      }
  })
  
});

1. Configure the email template like gmailTransport by calling MailConfig.viewOption() method MailConfig.ViewOption(smtpTransport,hbs);
2. Configure the email template Helper Option Object to sending the email through smtp email:

  let HelperOptions = {
    from: '"Tariqul islam" <[email protected]>',
    to: '[email protected]',
    subject: 'Hellow world!',
    template: 'test',
    context: {
      name:"tariqul_islam",
      email: "[email protected]",
      address: "52, Kadamtola Shubag dhaka"
    }
  };

HelperOptions object is simple configuration object for email templating

1. form value will be, from which email address sends the email (sender name)
2. to value will be, Receiver email address
3. subject email subject
4. template this will be .hbs template which will be create in ``views/email/``` folder
5. context will the arguments or paramter to send the dynamic value to template

 smtpTransport.verify((error, success) => {
      if(error) {
        res.json({output: 'error', message: error})
        res.end();
      } else {
        smtpTransport.sendMail(HelperOptions, (error,info) => {
          if(error) {
            res.json({output: 'error', message: error})
          }
          res.json({output: 'success', message: info});
          res.end();
        });
      }
  })

3. smtpTransport.verify() method will check the smtp sever connection is valid and ping to server to all is okay for server
4. smtpTransport.sendMail is work like gmailTransport.sendMail function

we will use postman to test the function for mail sending by own smtp

1. From command line or cmd run command: for npm npm run start for yarn yarn start
2. Hit the url at postman with get request http://localhost:3000/email/smtp/template
3. the result will be: