Dart

Check the Number of Messages in a POP3 Mailbox

Demonstrates the Chilkat MailMan.CheckMail method, which returns the number of messages currently available in the POP3 mailbox, or -1 if an error occurs. If no POP3 session is active, Chilkat connects and authenticates automatically using the configured settings. This example configures the POP3 connection and checks the message count.

Background: POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is the classic protocol for downloading mail from a server to a client. A client connects, authenticates with a username and password, and can then list, retrieve, or delete messages. Modern connections use implicit TLS on port 995 (PopSsl = true). CheckMail is a quick way to ask "how many messages are waiting?" without downloading any of them.

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Dart

import 'package:chilkat/chilkat.dart';

void main() {
  // Demonstrates the MailMan.CheckMail method, which returns the number of messages currently
  // available in the POP3 mailbox (or -1 if an error occurs).  If no POP3 session is active,
  // Chilkat connects and authenticates automatically using the configured settings.

  final mailman = CkMailMan();

  // Configure the POP3 server connection.
  mailman.mailHost = 'pop.example.com';
  mailman.mailPort = 995;
  mailman.popSsl = true;
  mailman.popUsername = 'user@example.com';
  mailman.popPassword = 'myPassword';

  // Check the mailbox.  A return value of -1 indicates an error.
  final numMessages = mailman.checkMail();
  print('Number of messages in the mailbox: $numMessages');

  // Note: Explicitly connecting/authenticating is optional.  Chilkat MailMan automatically
  // connects and authenticates -- using the property settings above -- whenever a server
  // operation requires it.  Calling the explicit connect/authenticate methods can still be
  // helpful to determine whether a failure occurs while connecting or while authenticating.
}