Oracle APEX – Email Sending Process

Published on 27 Dec 2025 by CHATURVEDINIDHI26@GMAIL.COM

Oracle APEX – Email Sending Process

1. Introduction

This document explains how email works in Oracle APEX, how mail is sent, how to verify mail status, how to debug issues, and the common reasons why mail may not be delivered, along with solutions.

This document is suitable for:

       
• Technical posting (LinkedIn / internal knowledge sharing)
       
• Team onboarding
       
• Client explanation
       
• Production support reference
   

2. What is the Oracle APEX Mail Process?

Oracle APEX provides a built-in package called APEX\_MAIL to send emails from applications.

The mail process works in the following stages:

       
1. Mail Creation – Mail request is created using APEX\_MAIL.SEND
       
2. Mail Queue – Mail is temporarily stored in APEX\_MAIL\_QUEUE
       
3. Mail Processing – SMTP server picks the mail
       
4. Mail Logging – Final status is stored in APEX\_MAIL\_LOG
   

3. How Email is Sent in Oracle APEX

Step 1: Send Mail Using PL/SQL

  
DECLARE  
   l\_mail\_id NUMBER;  
BEGIN  
   l\_mail\_id := apex\_mail.send(  
       'user@example.com',                -- TO  
       'itsupport@company.com',           -- FROM  
       'Test Mail from Oracle APEX',      -- SUBJECT  
       'This is a test email.'            -- BODY  
   );

   apex\_mail.push\_queue;  
END;  
/  
   

Step 2: What Happens Internally

       
• Mail request is created
       
• Entry is added to APEX\_MAIL\_QUEUE
       
• SMTP sends the mail
       
• Entry is removed from queue
       
• Final result is written to APEX\_MAIL\_LOG
   

4. How to Check if Mail Was Sent

4.1 Check Mail Log (Most Important)

  
select  
   mail\_id,  
   mail\_to,  
   mail\_from,  
   mail\_subj,  
   mail\_message\_send\_end,  
   mail\_send\_error  
from apex\_mail\_log  
order by mail\_id desc;  
   

Interpretation:

       
• MAIL\_MESSAGE\_SEND\_END populated → Mail processed
       
• MAIL\_SEND\_ERROR is NULL or '-' → No error
   

5. Why APEX\_MAIL\_QUEUE Can Be Empty

This is normal behavior.

       
• APEX\_MAIL\_QUEUE only contains pending mails
       
• After successful send, records are deleted
       
• History is always available in APEX\_MAIL\_LOG
   

6. How to Debug if Mail Is Not Sent

Step 1: Check EMAIL\_ENABLED

  
select value  
from apex\_instance\_parameters  
where parameter\_name = 'EMAIL\_ENABLED';  
   

Expected value: Y

Step 2: Check SMTP Configuration

  
select parameter\_name, value  
from apex\_instance\_parameters  
where parameter\_name like 'SMTP%';  
   

SMTP must be configured correctly.

Step 3: Check Mail Log for Errors

  
select mail\_send\_error  
from apex\_mail\_log  
where mail\_send\_error is not null;  
   

7. Common Reasons Why Mail Is Not Delivered & Solutions

8. Best Practices for APEX Email

       
• Always verify mail using APEX\_MAIL\_LOG
       
• Use domain-based FROM email
       
• Use positional parameters for compatibility
       
• Commit business data before sending mail
       
• Avoid page items in background processes
   

9. Production Checklist

       
• SMTP configured and tested
       
• EMAIL\_ENABLED = Y
       
• FROM email domain authorized
       
• Spam policy validated
       
• Mail logging monitored
   

10. Conclusion

Oracle APEX provides a reliable and traceable email mechanism using APEX\_MAIL.

If mail appears in APEX\_MAIL\_LOG, it means:

       
• ✔ Mail request created
       
• ✔ SMTP accepted the mail
       
• ✔ APEX processing completed successfully
   

Any delivery issue beyond this point is related to the email server or security policies, not Oracle APEX.

Prepared For: Technical Posting & Knowledge Sharing
   Prepared By: IT Support Team