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How to Send Emails in Laravel: A Comprehensive Guide

August 08, 2024   Laravel

Emails are an essential part of any web application. Whether you're sending transactional emails, newsletters, or notifications, Laravel provides a powerful and flexible way to handle email sending. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about sending emails in Laravel, from basic setup to advanced usage, with detailed examples to help you implement it in your projects.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the details, ensure you have the following set up:

• Laravel Installed: If you haven't set up Laravel yet, install it first.
• SMTP Server or Service: You need an SMTP server (like Gmail, Mailgun, or SendGrid) to send emails.
• Basic Knowledge of Laravel: Familiarity with routes, controllers, and views will be helpful.

Configuring Mail in Laravel

Laravel simplifies email configuration with its built-in Mail facade. First, you need to set up the mail configuration in the .env file.

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=example@example.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

Replace the above values with your SMTP server's credentials. Laravel supports various mailers, including SMTP, Mailgun, Postmark, and more.

Sending a Basic Email

Once configured, sending an email is straightforward. Let’s create a basic example where a welcome email is sent to a new user.

1. Create Mailable Class:

   Laravel provides a simple way to create a mailable class using the Artisan command:

php artisan make:mail WelcomeMail

 This command generates a new WelcomeMail class in the App\Mail directory.

      2.Define the Email Content:

      Open the generated WelcomeMail class and define the content in the build()        method:

namespace App\Mail;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Mail\Mailable;
use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;

class WelcomeMail extends Mailable
{
    use Queueable, SerializesModels;

    public function __construct()
    {
        //
    }

    public function build()
    {
        return $this->view('emails.welcome')
                    ->subject('Welcome to Our Platform');
    }
}

     3.Create the Email View:

     Now, create the view file resources/views/emails/welcome.blade.php to define         the HTML content of your email:

Welcome to Our Platform!

We are thrilled to have you on board.

      4.Send the Email:

      Finally, you can send the email from a controller or any other part of your              application:

use App\Mail\WelcomeMail;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Mail;

public function sendWelcomeEmail()
{
    Mail::to('user@example.com')->send(new WelcomeMail());
}

Advanced Email Sending

Sending Emails with Attachments

Laravel makes it easy to send emails with attachments. Here’s how you can do it:

public function build()
{
    return $this->view('emails.welcome')
                ->subject('Welcome to Our Platform')
                ->attach('/path/to/file.pdf');
}

You can even attach files from storage disks or pass additional options:

$this->attach(storage_path('app/invoices/invoice.pdf'), [
    'as' => 'Invoice.pdf',
    'mime' => 'application/pdf',
]);

Using Markdown for Emails

Laravel supports Markdown for email content, allowing you to create beautiful email templates. Here’s how you can leverage it:

1. Create a Markdown Mailable:

   php artisan make:mail OrderShipped --markdown=emails.orders.shipped
   

2. Define the Content:

   Open the generated class and update the build() method:

   public function build()
   {
       return $this->markdown('emails.orders.shipped')
                   ->with([
                       'orderNumber' => $this->order->id,
                       'orderUrl' => url('/orders/'.$this->order->id),
                   ]);
   }
   

3. Customize the Template:

   You can find the Markdown template in resources/views/emails/orders/shipped.blade.php. Customize it according to your needs.

   @component('mail::message')
   # Order Shipped
   
   Your order (Order #: {{ $orderNumber }}) has been shipped.
   
   @component('mail::button', ['url' => $orderUrl])
   View Order
   @endcomponent
   
   Thanks,
   
   {{ config('app.name') }}
   @endcomponent
   

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