hrefmailto

hrefmailto is a URI scheme used in HTML to create hyperlinks that initiate an email client when clicked. The basic syntax involves the href attribute set to "mailto:" followed by an email address. For example, <a href="mailto:[email protected]">Contact Us</a> would create a link that, when clicked, opens the user's default email application with "[email protected]" pre-filled in the "To" field.

Beyond just an email address, the mailto URI can also include additional parameters to pre-fill other fields such as the subject, body, and carbon copy (CC) or blind carbon copy (BCC) recipients. These parameters are appended after the email address, separated by a question mark (?) for the first parameter and ampersands (&) for subsequent ones. For instance, <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Inquiry&body=Hello,%0DI have a question.">Send an Email</a> would open the email client with the subject "Inquiry" and the body "Hello, I have a question." (where %0D represents a newline character).

While widely supported, the functionality of mailto links can vary depending on the user's operating system, browser, and installed email clients. Some users may not have a default email client configured, in which case clicking a mailto link might result in an error or a prompt to set up an email client. It is also important to note that email addresses included in mailto links are technically exposed in the page's source code, which could make them vulnerable to scraping by automated bots. For increased security and more robust communication, contact forms implemented with server-side scripting are often preferred.

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