Error when trying to send an email

Question

I am trying to send an email, but I am getting syntax errors:

$fromaddress = "abc@a.com" 
$toaddress = @('def@a.com>', 'ghi@a.com>')
$bccaddress = @('sl@a.com') 
#$CCaddress = @('la@a.com>') 
$Subject = "BAKUP REPORT FOR Instances " 
$body = get-content C:\body.txt 
$attachment = @("C:\result.text", "C:\result.csv", "C:\object.text", "C:\object.csv") 
$smtpserver = "smtp.a.com" 

$message = new-object System.Net.Mail.MailMessage 
$message.From = $fromaddress 
$message.To.Add($toaddress) 
#$message.CC.Add($CCaddress) 
$message.Bcc.Add($bccaddress) 
$message.IsBodyHtml = $True 
$message.Subject = $Subject 
$attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment) 
$message.Attachments.Add($attach) 
$message.body = $body 
$smtp = new-object Net.Mail.SmtpClient($smtpserver) 
$smtp.Send($message)

I am getting the below errors.

new-object : Cannot find an overload for "Attachment" and the argument count: "4".
At line:18 char:11
+ $attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment)
+           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [New-Object], MethodException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ConstructorInvokedThrowException,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand

Exception calling "Add" with "1" argument(s): "Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: item"
At line:19 char:1
+ $message.Attachments.Add($attach)
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ArgumentNullException

Exception calling "Send" with "1" argument(s): "Failure sending mail."
At line:22 char:1
+ $smtp.Send($message)
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : SmtpException

Normally Net.Mail requires you to add attachments one by one, that's why I thought you should start with a single file - it is complaining about no function existing for attachment with 4 parameters. — Anthony Horne, May 30 '17 at 13:11
This works for me but error in smtp server...which is not related to this script. Thanks — vivekanand pandey, May 30 '17 at 14:47

Anthony Horne · Answer 1 · 2017-05-30T15:16:28.270

What about:

$fromaddress = "abc@a.com" 
$toaddress = @('def@a.com>', 'ghi@a.com>')
$bccaddress = @('sl@a.com') 
#$CCaddress = @('la@a.com>') 
$Subject = "BAKUP REPORT FOR Instances " 
$body = get-content C:\body.txt 
$attachment1 = @("C:\result.text") 
$attachment2 = @("C:\result.csv",) 
$attachment3 = @("C:\object.text") 
$attachment4 = @("C:\object.csv") 
$smtpserver = "smtp.a.com" 

$message = new-object System.Net.Mail.MailMessage 
$message.From = $fromaddress 
$message.To.Add($toaddress) 
#$message.CC.Add($CCaddress) 
$message.Bcc.Add($bccaddress) 
$message.IsBodyHtml = $True 
$message.Subject = $Subject 
$attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment1) 
$message.Attachments.Add($attach) 
    $attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment2) 
$message.Attachments.Add($attach) 
    $attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment3) 
$message.Attachments.Add($attach) 
    $attach = new-object Net.Mail.Attachment($attachment4) 
$message.Attachments.Add($attach) 

$message.body = $body 
$smtp = new-object Net.Mail.SmtpClient($smtpserver) 
$smtp.Send($message)

Your last error may be related to authentication. Best to search for "send email by telnet" to do a quick test. use How to send email using simple SMTP commands via Gmail? as reference.

Attached the code to include authentication:

----> ADD AFTER >> $smtp = New-Object System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient($SMTPServer, $SMTPPort);
$smtp.EnableSSL = $true
$smtp.Credentials = New-Object System.Net.NetworkCredential($Username, 
      $Password);

PFE: https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/621669-powershell-mail-script

What About the last massage Exception calling "Send" with "1" argument(s): "Failure sending mail." — vivekanand pandey, May 30 '17 at 13:22

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered May 30 '17 at 13:54

I prefer to use Send-MailMessage as it has a nicer syntax the Net.Mail, you can also use Splatting to make it even easier to read:

$messageParameters = @{                        
    From = "abc@a.com"
    To = "def@a.com>", "ghi@a.com>"
    Bcc = "sl@a.com"
    #Cc = "la@a.com>"

    Subject = "BAKUP REPORT FOR Instances"
    Body = Get-Content C:\body.txt
    Attachments = "C:\result.text", "C:\result.csv", "C:\object.text", "C:\object.csv"
    SmtpServer = "smtp.a.com"
}                        
Send-MailMessage @messageParameters -BodyAsHtml

Depending on your SMTP Server, you might also need to specify Credentials for authentication and/or SSL as well.

Thanks for optimizing the script, it also worked for me. – vivekanand pandey May 31 '17 at 15:35 — vivekanand pandey, May 31 '17 at 15:35

Error when trying to send an email

2 Answers2