How to use mailto in JavaScript to open an Outlook mail template with a 'To address' when an image is clicked?

General Discussions
1

What is the correct way to use mailto in JavaScript to open a new Outlook mail template with the ‘To address’ when a user clicks an image?

I’ve written a script to open a mail template, but it’s not working as expected. Can you help me figure out what’s wrong with my code?

2

So, I’ve worked with this a lot, and the simplest way to use mailto: in JavaScript is by directly setting it in window.location.href. It’s pretty straightforward and works for most cases. When you click on the image, it triggers the mailto: link and opens the default email client with pre-filled information. Here’s how you can set it up:

<img src="path-to-your-image.jpg" alt="Click to Email" id="emailImage">

For the above HTML implement the below JavaScript:

  document.getElementById("emailImage").addEventListener("click", function() {
        var email = "example@example.com";
        var subject = "Hello from JavaScript";
        var body = "This is a pre-filled email body.";

        var mailtoLink = "mailto:" + email + "?subject=" + encodeURIComponent(subject) + "&body=" + encodeURIComponent(body);
        
        window.location.href = mailtoLink;
    });

Explanation: When the image is clicked, the mailto: link is constructed with the To address, subject, and body, and window.location.href opens the default email client with that link.

3

Using an Anchor (<a>) Tag with mailto: (HTML Approach) Instead of using JavaScript to handle the mailto, you can create an anchor tag directly in HTML. This method is more declarative and can be easier to implement for simple cases.

Example:

<a href="mailto:example@example.com?subject=Hello from JavaScript&body=This is a pre-filled email body.">
    <img src="path-to-your-image.jpg" alt="Click to Email">
</a>

Explanation: The mailto: link is included directly in the anchor (<a>) tag. When the user clicks on the image, the email client will open with the predefined values.

4

Using window.open() with mailto: for Cross-Browser Compatibility You can use window.open() to create a new window or tab with the mailto: link. This can sometimes help with handling certain email clients or browsers that might not properly handle window.location.href.

Example:

<img src="path-to-your-image.jpg" alt="Click to Email" id="emailImage">

    document.getElementById("emailImage").addEventListener("click", function() {
        var email = "example@example.com";
        var subject = "Hello from JavaScript";
        var body = "This is a pre-filled email body.";

        var mailtoLink = "mailto:" + email + "?subject=" + encodeURIComponent(subject) + "&body=" + encodeURIComponent(body);
        
        // Open the mailto link in a new window/tab
        window.open(mailtoLink, "_blank");
    });

Explanation: This method uses window.open() to open the mailto: link in a new window or tab, which can sometimes bypass issues with certain browsers not handling the mailto: protocol correctly when used with window.location.href.