Node.js

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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Node.js

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function chilkatExample() {

    var 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.

    var imap = new chilkat.Imap();

    imap.Ssl = true;
    imap.Port = 993;

    success = imap.Connect("imap.example.com");
    if (success == false) {
        console.log(imap.LastErrorText);
        return;
    }

    success = imap.Login("user@example.com","myPassword");
    if (success == false) {
        console.log(imap.LastErrorText);
        return;
    }

    success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox");
    if (success == false) {
        console.log(imap.LastErrorText);
        return;
    }

    //  Search for unseen (unread) messages, returning their UIDs.
    var msgSet = new chilkat.MessageSet();
    success = imap.QueryMbx("UNSEEN",true,msgSet);
    if (success == false) {
        console.log(imap.LastErrorText);
        return;
    }

    //  Iterate the matching message identifiers.
    var n = msgSet.Count;
    console.log("Matching messages: " + n);
    var i;
    for (i = 0; i <= n - 1; i++) {
        console.log("UID: " + msgSet.GetId(i));
    }

    success = imap.Disconnect();
    if (success == false) {
        console.log(imap.LastErrorText);
        return;
    }


}

chilkatExample();