CkPython

Download an IMAP Message Set

Demonstrates how to read a set of IMAP emails. CkPython

import sys
import chilkat

success = False

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

imap = chilkat.CkImap()

# Connect using TLS.
imap.put_Ssl(True)
imap.put_Port(993)
success = imap.Connect("imap.example.com")
if (success == False):
    print(imap.lastErrorText())
    sys.exit()

# Authenticate
success = imap.Login("email_account_login","email_account_password")
if (success == False):
    print(imap.lastErrorText())
    sys.exit()

# Select an IMAP mailbox
success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox")
if (success == False):
    print(imap.lastErrorText())
    sys.exit()

# Search for messages with the word "test" in the subject.
fetchUids = True

messageSet = chilkat.CkMessageSet()
success = imap.QueryMbx("Subject test",fetchUids,messageSet)
if (success == False):
    print(imap.lastErrorText())
    sys.exit()

# Download the messages in a single call to FetchMsgSet.
# 
# This only makes sense if the number of emails to be downloaded is not too large.  
# For example, you wouldn't want to download 10000 emails in a single call to FetchMsgSet.
# Why? For two reasons:  (1) It could potentially cause an out-of-memory condition, and 
# (2) it would take an extremely large amount of time.  The longer the amount of time,
# the greater the likelihood of some kind of external networking or server problem occuring,
# and if it happens, then you would need to re-download everything from the beginning again.
# For large numbers of emails, it's better to loop over the emails in the message set
# and download/process one at a time as shown here: Download IMAP Messages One at a Time
# Downloading one message at a time makes it possible to resume the downloads rather than restart the entire operation all over again.

# If the message set is reasonable in size, you can download all at once using FetchMsgSet:

print("Number of messages = " + str(messageSet.get_Count()))

bundle = chilkat.CkEmailBundle()
headersOnly = False
success = imap.FetchMsgSet(headersOnly,messageSet,bundle)
if (success == False):
    print(imap.lastErrorText())
    sys.exit()

# Display the Subject and From of each email.
email = chilkat.CkEmail()
i = 0
numEmails = bundle.get_MessageCount()
while i < numEmails :
    bundle.EmailAt(i,email)

    print(email.getHeaderField("Date"))
    print(email.subject())
    print(email.ck_from())
    print("--")
    i = i + 1