Using License Keys

Trial license key

During downloading MailBee.NET Objects package, you can get a trial license key which allows you to evaluate MailBee.NET Objects in fully-functional mode for a period of 30 days. You can also get the trial key using Trial Key Request form.

Permanent license key

When you purchase a license for MailBee.NET Objects library or any individual part of this library (such as MailBee.NET POP3), you receive a permanent license key which allows you to use the licensed components for an unlimited period of time.

Note There are no trial or permanent versions of MailBee.NET Objects library. Single version of the package is used in both trial and permanent mode. The status of whether the library is working in trial or permanent mode is fully controlled by the license key.

Assigning the license key

The license key (either trial or permanent) needs to be specified either in the config file (such as app.config, web.config, machine.config) or in the static (Shared in Visual Basic) property LicenseKey of the component you're going to use (such as Smtp, Pop3, Imap or Security). Setting the license key in the config file is the preferred method (unless you need to redistribute the application and thus hide the license key from the end user).

Setting the license key in the config file (app.config, web.config, machine.config):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
	<appSettings>
		<!-- License key for Pop3, Imap, and Smtp components -->
		<!-- Note that MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123 is not a real key. Use your key instead. -->
		<add key="MailBee.Pop3Mail.Pop3.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.ImapMail.Imap.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.SmtpMail.Smtp.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.Security.Powerup.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.AntiSpam.BayesFilter.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.Outlook.MsgConvert.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
		<add key="MailBee.Outlook.PstReader.LicenseKey" value="MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123"/>
	</appSettings>
</configuration>

Note You should NOT attempt to specify the license key in appname.exe.config file created by Visual Studio in Debug or Release folder of the project. Visual Studio overwrites this file during rebuilding the project.

Setting the license key using LicenseKey property (you should set this property before creating any instances of the licensed component):

MailBee.Pop3Mail.Pop3.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.ImapMail.Imap.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.SmtpMail.Smtp.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.Security.Powerup.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.AntiSpam.BayesFilter.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.Outlook.MsgConvert.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";
MailBee.Outlook.PstReader.LicenseKey = "MN600-0123456789ABCDEF-0123";

If you redistribute the application to third-parties without the source code, this is the preferred method of hiding the license key from end users.

Placing the license key into Windows registry (the license key will be saved in the registry in the encoded form, thus you can also use this method in case if you need to redistribute the application). Make sure, however, the application will have the permission to read Windows registry (by default, ASP.NET applications may have some limitations on reading the registry under certain Trust levels).
To put the license key into the registry, you can use SaveKey or SaveKeyGui utilities which are located in MailBee.NET Objects installation folder. You can quickly start SaveKeyGui utility by clicking "Save license key to registry" item in MailBee.NET Objects group of Start/Programs menu.

SaveKeyGui provides friendly interface to the user while SaveKey console application is intended to be used by installation programs. If you need to put the license key into Windows registry programmatically, call SaveKey utility with parameters. To learn how to use this utility, run it in a command-line not specifying any parameters.

SaveKey utility also has an option to put the license key in machine.config file (although it's not recommended to use this option since the machine.config file will be reformatted).

Note Windows Vista introduces a new registry security model which arises some registry compatibility issues of .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0+ applications.

If you installed MailBee.NET.dll for .NET Framework 2.0 and above, the setup program will install SaveKey2 and SaveKeyGui2 utilities, and links in the Start/Programs/MailBee.NET Objects menu will lead to these utilities. If you didn't select to install MailBee.NET.dll for .NET Framework 1.1, SaveKey/SaveKeyGui won't be installed at all. The versions with suffix "2" of these utilities still have an option to put the license key in machine.config file but all the considerations of using this option mentioned above still apply.

The main difference of SaveKey2 and SaveKeyGui2 versions is that they include a manifest. Most applications compiled in modern versions of .NET development tools do include a manifest which changes the way the application interacts with Windows registry. To let such applications find the license key, the tool which placed it in the registry must include the manifest (this way, both the tool and the program are "on the same side"). The same way, .NET 1.1 programs by default do not include the manifest and the tool which saves the license key for them in the registry must do not have the manifest as well. In older systems (prior to Vista), both SaveKey and SaveKey2 (as well as their GUI versions) behave identically.

You should usually use "Run as Administrator" option in order to use SaveKey2 and SaveKeyGui2 utilities.

If you're familiar with Windows Vista compatibility mechanisms, you may know that all old programs which are not aware of the new registry policy of Vista by default write into some kind of "sandbox" in the registry called VirtualStore. Newer applications which expose their awarnesses of Vista via a manifest will write into the "real" registry. MailBee.NET Objects provides you with the tools to write into the "sandbox" as well into the "normal" registry.

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