Mail multipart/alternative vs multipart/mixed

user_99923 0
Viewed 177083

When creating email messages you are supposed to set the Content-Type to multipart/alternative when sending HTML and TEXT or multipart/mixed when sending TEXT and attachments.

So what do you do if you want to send HTML, Text, and attachments? Use both?

smtp content-type mime email
10 Answers

Here is the best: Multipart/mixed mime message with attachments and inline images

And image: https://www.qcode.co.uk/images/mime-nesting-structure.png

From: from@qcode.co.uk
To: to@@qcode.co.uk
Subject: Example Email
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="MixedBoundaryString"

--MixedBoundaryString
Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="RelatedBoundaryString"

--RelatedBoundaryString
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="AlternativeBoundaryString"

--AlternativeBoundaryString
Content-Type: text/plain;charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is the plain text part of the email.

--AlternativeBoundaryString
Content-Type: text/html;charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>
  <body>=0D
    <img src=3D=22cid:masthead.png=40qcode.co.uk=22 width 800 height=3D80=
 =5C>=0D
    <p>This is the html part of the email.</p>=0D
    <img src=3D=22cid:logo.png=40qcode.co.uk=22 width 200 height=3D60 =5C=
>=0D
  </body>=0D
</html>=0D

--AlternativeBoundaryString--

--RelatedBoundaryString
Content-Type: image/jpgeg;name="logo.png"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: inline;filename="logo.png"
Content-ID: <logo.png@qcode.co.uk>

amtsb2hiaXVvbHJueXZzNXQ2XHVmdGd5d2VoYmFmaGpremxidTh2b2hydHVqd255aHVpbnRyZnhu
dWkgb2l1b3NydGhpdXRvZ2hqdWlyb2h5dWd0aXJlaHN1aWhndXNpaHhidnVqZmtkeG5qaG5iZ3Vy
...
...
a25qbW9nNXRwbF0nemVycHpvemlnc3k5aDZqcm9wdHo7amlodDhpOTA4N3U5Nnkwb2tqMm9sd3An
LGZ2cDBbZWRzcm85eWo1Zmtsc2xrZ3g=

--RelatedBoundaryString
Content-Type: image/jpgeg;name="masthead.png"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: inline;filename="masthead.png"
Content-ID: <masthead.png@qcode.co.uk>

aXR4ZGh5Yjd1OHk3MzQ4eXFndzhpYW9wO2tibHB6c2tqOTgwNXE0aW9qYWJ6aXBqOTBpcjl2MC1t
dGlmOTA0cW05dGkwbWk0OXQwYVttaXZvcnBhXGtsbGo7emt2c2pkZnI7Z2lwb2F1amdpNTh1NDlh
...
...
eXN6dWdoeXhiNzhuZzdnaHQ3eW9zemlqb2FqZWt0cmZ1eXZnamhka3JmdDg3aXV2dWd5aGVidXdz
dhyuhehe76YTGSFGA=

--RelatedBoundaryString--

--MixedBoundaryString
Content-Type: application/pdf;name="Invoice_1.pdf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="Invoice_1.pdf"

aGZqZGtsZ3poZHVpeWZoemd2dXNoamRibngganZodWpyYWRuIHVqO0hmSjtyRVVPIEZSO05SVURF
SEx1aWhudWpoZ3h1XGh1c2loZWRma25kamlsXHpodXZpZmhkcnVsaGpnZmtsaGVqZ2xod2plZmdq
...
...
a2psajY1ZWxqanNveHV5ZXJ3NTQzYXRnZnJhZXdhcmV0eXRia2xhanNueXVpNjRvNWllc3l1c2lw
dWg4NTA0

--MixedBoundaryString
Content-Type: application/pdf;name="SpecialOffer.pdf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="SpecialOffer.pdf"

aXBvY21odWl0dnI1dWk4OXdzNHU5NTgwcDN3YTt1OTQwc3U4NTk1dTg0dTV5OGlncHE1dW4zOTgw
cS0zNHU4NTk0eWI4OTcwdjg5MHE4cHV0O3BvYTt6dWI7dWlvenZ1em9pdW51dDlvdTg5YnE4N3Z3
...
...
OTViOHk5cDV3dTh5bnB3dWZ2OHQ5dTh2cHVpO2p2Ymd1eTg5MGg3ajY4bjZ2ODl1ZGlvcjQ1amts
dfnhgjdfihn=

--MixedBoundaryString--

.

Schema multipart/related/alternative

Header
|From: email
|To: email
|MIME-Version: 1.0
|Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="boundary1";
Message body
|multipart/mixed --boundary1
|--boundary1
|   multipart/related --boundary2
|   |--boundary2
|   |   multipart/alternative --boundary3
|   |   |--boundary3
|   |   |text/plain
|   |   |--boundary3
|   |   |text/html
|   |   |--boundary3--
|   |--boundary2    
|   |Inline image
|   |--boundary2    
|   |Inline image
|   |--boundary2--
|--boundary1    
|Attachment1
|--boundary1
|Attachment2
|--boundary1
|Attachment3
|--boundary1--
|
.
Admin1
user_6871370

Mixed Subtype

The "mixed" subtype of "multipart" is intended for use when the body parts are independent and need to be bundled in a particular order. Any "multipart" subtypes that an implementation does not recognize must be treated as being of subtype "mixed".

Alternative Subtype

The "multipart/alternative" type is syntactically identical to "multipart/mixed", but the semantics are different. In particular, each of the body parts is an "alternative" version of the same information

Source

user_92474650

Based on my research:

Microsoft and Gmail use this format:

  • mixed
    • related
      • alternative
        • text - can contain [cid:imageid.png] or [image: imagename.jpg]
        • html - can contain <img src="cid:imageid.png">
      • inline image 1 (CID)
      • inline image 2 (CID)
      • inline image 3 (CID)
    • attachment 1
    • attachment 2
    • attachment 3

Another format being used:

  • mixed
    • alternative
      • text - can contain [cid:imageid.png] or [image: imagename.jpg]
      • related
        • html - can contain <img src="cid:imageid.png">
        • inline image 1 (CID)
        • inline image 2 (CID)
        • inline image 3 (CID)
    • attachment 1
    • attachment 2
    • attachment 3

I cannot comment which one is more common, but I'd go with Microsoft/Gmail format. Reader programs should support both, and writer/generator programs should probably stick with the first version.

If the message doesn't contain attachments then the root would be related and if it also doesn't contain inline images then the root would be alternative (based on first version).

user_9747000
Related