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SaveToFile

procedure SaveToFile(const AFileName: string;
  const AHeadersOnly: Boolean);

Example​

procedure SaveMessageFile(const Message: TIdMessage;
  const AFileName: string);
begin
  Message.SaveToFile(AFileName, False);
end;

Usage​

SaveToFile creates or truncates a destination file and serializes the message with file-mode Bcc inclusion, optional headers-only output and a full-message dot terminator.

Additional Technical Info​

SaveToFile opens an Indy TIdFileCreateStream, sets an internal FSavingToFile flag, delegates to SaveToStream, restores the flag in finally, and closes the stream. The create stream uses Delphi fmCreate semantics: an existing file is truncated and a missing file is created.

The internal flag changes header generation. GenerateHeader includes Bcc recipients only for this file route; normal/direct stream output removes Bcc to match SMTP delivery privacy. The flag is restored even when serialization fails, but the other message mutations performed during header generation remain.

AHeadersOnly=True writes headers without Body/MessageParts and without the final dot line. False writes the full encoded/raw message and appends a line containing . as the end-of-message marker. The result is the same transport-framed format consumed by LoadFromFile, not necessarily a minimal byte-for-byte .eml representation.

The operation is not atomic. The destination is created/truncated before generation or encoding begins; an exception can leave an empty or partial final file and destroy the previous contents. Use an application-controlled temporary path plus a verified rename when atomic replacement is required.

The process account must have directory/file permissions. An arbitrary path can overwrite accessible files, so do not pass untrusted filenames. Attachment sources are read synchronously and may change/fail during serialization. Concurrent calls on the same message race the internal file flag, generated headers, boundaries and part state.

The source-reviewed example passes the script-required Boolean and was not runtime/filesystem-tested.

External references

Created 2026-07-15