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C#

Search IMAP Mailbox for Email Matching Criteria

Searching an IMAP mailbox for messages that match search criteria.

Chilkat C# Downloads

C#
bool success = false;

// This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
// See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

Chilkat.Imap imap = new Chilkat.Imap();

// Connect to an IMAP server.
// Use TLS
imap.Ssl = true;
imap.Port = 993;
success = imap.Connect("imap.example.com");
if (success == false) {
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// Login
success = imap.Login("myLogin","myPassword");
if (success == false) {
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// Select an IMAP mailbox
success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox");
if (success == false) {
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
bool fetchUids = true;

// Here are examples of different search criteria:

// Return all messages.
string allMsgs = "ALL";

// Search for already-answered emails.
string answered = "ANSWERED";

// Search for messages on a specific date.
// The date string is DD-Month-YYYY where Month is
// Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, or Dec.
string onDate = "SENTON 05-Mar-2007";

// Search for messages between two dates.  SENTBEFORE
// finds emails sent before a date, and SENTSINCE finds
// email sent on or after a date.  The "AND" operation
// is implied by joining criteria, separated by spaces.
string betweenDates = "SENTSINCE 01-Mar-2007 SENTBEFORE 05-Mar-2007";

// Another example of AND: find all unanswered emails
// sent after 04-Mar-2007 with "Problem" in the subject:
string complexSearch1 = "UNANSWERED SENTSINCE 04-Mar-2007 Subject \"Problem\"";

// Find messages with a specific string in the body:
string bodySearch = "BODY \"problem solved\"";

// Using OR.  The syntax is OR <criteria1> <criteria2>. 
// The "OR" comes first, followed by each criteria.
// For example, to match all emails with "Help" or "Question" in the subject.
// You'll notice that literal strings may be quoted or unquoted.
// If a literal contains SPACE characters, quote it:
string orSearch = "OR SUBJECT Help SUBJECT Question";

// ----------------------------------------------
// Strings are case-insensitive when searching....
// ----------------------------------------------

// Find all emails sent from yahoo.com addresses:
string fromSearch = "FROM yahoo.com";
// Find all emails sent from anyone with "John" in their name:
string johnSearch = "FROM John";

// Find emails with the RECENT flag set:
string recentSearch = "RECENT";

// Find emails that don't have the recent flag set:
string notRecentSearch = "NOT RECENT";
// This is synonymous with "OLD":
string oldSearch = "OLD";

// Find all emails marked for deletion:
string markedForDeleteSearch = "DELETED";

// Find all emails having a specified header field with a value
// containing a substring:
string headerSearch = "HEADER DomainKey-Signature paypal.com";

// Find any emails having a specific header field.  If the 
// 2nd argument to the "HEADER" criteria is an empty string,
// any email having the header field is returned regardless
// of the header field's content.
// Find any emails with a DomainKey-Signature field:
string headerExistsSearch = "HEADER DomainKey-Signature \"\"";

// Find NEW emails: these are emails that have the RECENT flag
// set, but not the SEEN flag:
string newSearch = "NEW";

// Find emails larger than a certain number of bytes:
string sizeLargerSearch = "LARGER 500000";

// Find emails marked as seen or not already seen:
string seenSearch = "SEEN";
string notSeenSearch = "NOT SEEN";

// Find emails having a given substring in the TO header field:
string toSearch = "TO support@chilkatsoft.com";
// A more long-winded way to do the same thing:
string toSearch2 = "HEADER TO support@chilkatsoft.com";

// Find emails smaller than a size in bytes:
string smallerSearch = "SMALLER 30000";

// Find emails that have a substring anywhere in the header
// or body:
string fullSubstringSearch = "TEXT \"Zip Component\"";

// Pass any of the above strings here to test a search:
Chilkat.MessageSet messageSet = new Chilkat.MessageSet();
success = imap.QueryMbx(orSearch,fetchUids,messageSet);
if (success == false) {
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// Fetch the email headers into a bundle object:
Chilkat.EmailBundle bundle = new Chilkat.EmailBundle();
bool headersOnly = true;
success = imap.FetchMsgSet(headersOnly,messageSet,bundle);
if (success == false) {
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

// Display the Subject and From of each email.
Chilkat.Email email = new Chilkat.Email();
int i = 0;
while (i < bundle.MessageCount) {
    bundle.EmailAt(i,email);

    Debug.WriteLine(email.GetHeaderField("Date"));
    Debug.WriteLine(email.Subject);
    Debug.WriteLine(email.From);
    Debug.WriteLine("--");

    i = i + 1;
}

// Disconnect from the IMAP server.
success = imap.Disconnect();