PL/SQL UTL_SMTP.RCPT

The UTL_SMTP.RCPT function in Oracle PL/SQL is a procedure in the UTL_SMTP package that is used to specify the recipient(s) of an email when sending messages through the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This function is typically used in conjunction with other functions in the UTL_SMTP package to build and send emails programmatically from within an Oracle database.

Syntax

UTL_SMTP.RCPT(
   c     IN OUT NOCOPY UTL_SMTP.CONNECTION,
   recipient  IN VARCHAR2
);

Parameters:

c: Represents the SMTP connection, established using the UTL_SMTP.OPEN_CONNECTION function.

recipient: A VARCHAR2 value specifying the email address of the recipient. This is the address where the email will be sent.

Purpose

The UTL_SMTP.RCPT procedure is invoked after establishing a connection and specifying the sender with the UTL_SMTP.MAIL procedure. It identifies the recipient of the email. Multiple calls to UTL_SMTP.RCPT can be made to send the same email to multiple recipients.

Example

Here is an example of how to use UTL_SMTP.RCPT within a PL/SQL block:

DECLARE
   smtp_connection UTL_SMTP.CONNECTION;
   mail_host       VARCHAR2(100) := 'smtp.example.com';
   mail_port       NUMBER        := 25;
   sender          VARCHAR2(100) := '[email protected]';
   recipient       VARCHAR2(100) := '[email protected]';
BEGIN
   -- Open SMTP connection
   smtp_connection := UTL_SMTP.OPEN_CONNECTION(mail_host, mail_port);

   -- Initiate the SMTP session
   UTL_SMTP.HELO(smtp_connection, mail_host);

   -- Specify the sender
   UTL_SMTP.MAIL(smtp_connection, sender);

   -- Specify the recipient
   UTL_SMTP.RCPT(smtp_connection, recipient);

   -- Write the email data (simplified example)
   UTL_SMTP.DATA(smtp_connection, 'Subject: Test Email' || CHR(13) || CHR(10) || 
                                   'This is a test email sent using UTL_SMTP.');

   -- End the SMTP session
   UTL_SMTP.QUIT(smtp_connection);

EXCEPTION
   WHEN OTHERS THEN
      -- Handle exceptions
      IF smtp_connection IS NOT NULL THEN
         UTL_SMTP.QUIT(smtp_connection);
      END IF;
      RAISE;
END;

Key Points

Order of Operations: UTL_SMTP.RCPT must be called after UTL_SMTP.MAIL to specify the sender.

Multiple Recipients: You can call UTL_SMTP.RCPT multiple times within the same SMTP session to add multiple recipients.

Error Handling: It is important to include error handling to close the connection gracefully if an error occurs.

Common Use Cases

Sending automated notification emails from an Oracle database.

Implementing email-based reporting or alerting systems.

Bulk emailing to multiple recipients (by looping through recipient addresses and calling UTL_SMTP.RCPT for each).

By using UTL_SMTP.RCPT, you can dynamically manage email recipients and integrate email capabilities into your PL/SQL applications.