VB.NET

Get IMAP Attachment Filenames

Demonstrates the Chilkat Imap.GetMailAttachFilename method, which returns the filename of an attachment. The first argument is the Email and the second is the zero-based attachment index. This example fetches only the message headers and lists the attachment filenames.

Background: This method reads the filename from ckx-imap-* metadata, so it works on a header-only email even though the attachment bodies have not been downloaded. That is exactly what a mail client needs to render the paperclip list — the names of the attached files — before the user decides to download any of them.

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Dim success As Boolean = False

'  Demonstrates the Imap.GetMailAttachFilename method, which returns the filename of an
'  attachment.  The 1st argument is the Email and the 2nd is the zero-based attachment index.

Dim imap As New Chilkat.Imap

imap.Ssl = True
imap.Port = 993

success = imap.Connect("imap.example.com")
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If

success = imap.Login("user@example.com","myPassword")
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox")
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


'  Fetch only the message headers.  Attachment bodies are NOT downloaded, but the ckx-imap-*
'  metadata describing the attachments is present, so the attachment info methods still work.
Dim headersOnly As Boolean = True
Dim useUid As Boolean = False
Dim seqNum As Integer = 1
Dim email As New Chilkat.Email
success = imap.FetchEmail(headersOnly,seqNum,useUid,email)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


'  Loop over the attachments and print each filename.
Dim numAttach As Integer = imap.GetMailNumAttach(email)
Debug.WriteLine("Attachments: " & numAttach)
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To numAttach - 1
    '  GetMailAttachFilename returns a string, so assign it to a string variable.
    Dim fname As String = imap.GetMailAttachFilename(email,i)
    If (imap.LastMethodSuccess = False) Then
        Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
        Exit Sub
    End If

    Debug.WriteLine(fname)
Next

success = imap.Disconnect()
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If