Java

Search an IMAP Mailbox

Demonstrates the Chilkat Imap.QueryMbx method, which searches the selected mailbox using IMAP search criteria and stores the matching message identifiers in a MessageSet. If bUid is true, the identifiers are UIDs; otherwise they are sequence numbers. This example finds unseen messages and lists their UIDs.

Background: IMAP search runs on the server, so you can find matching messages without downloading them. The criteria string is standard IMAP search syntax — for example UNSEEN, FROM "alice@example.com", SUBJECT "invoice", or SINCE 1-Jan-2026 — and terms can be combined. The result is a MessageSet of identifiers you then fetch, flag, copy, or move. Requesting UIDs (bUid = true) is preferred because UIDs remain valid across sessions.

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Java

import com.chilkatsoft.*;

public class ChilkatExample {

  static {
    try {
        System.loadLibrary("chilkat");
    } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError e) {
      System.err.println("Native code library failed to load.\n" + e);
      System.exit(1);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String argv[])
  {
    boolean success = false;

    //  Demonstrates the Imap.QueryMbx method, which searches the selected mailbox using IMAP
    //  search criteria and stores the matching message identifiers in a MessageSet.  If bUid is
    //  true, the identifiers are UIDs; otherwise they are sequence numbers.

    CkImap imap = new CkImap();

    imap.put_Ssl(true);
    imap.put_Port(993);

    success = imap.Connect("imap.example.com");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(imap.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    success = imap.Login("user@example.com","myPassword");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(imap.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox");
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(imap.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    //  Search for unseen (unread) messages, returning their UIDs.
    CkMessageSet msgSet = new CkMessageSet();
    success = imap.QueryMbx("UNSEEN",true,msgSet);
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(imap.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }

    //  Iterate the matching message identifiers.
    int n = msgSet.get_Count();
    System.out.println("Matching messages: " + n);
    int i;
    for (i = 0; i <= n - 1; i++) {
        System.out.println("UID: " + msgSet.GetId(i));
        }

    success = imap.Disconnect();
    if (success == false) {
        System.out.println(imap.lastErrorText());
        return;
        }
  }
}