Xbase++

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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LOCAL nSuccess
LOCAL oImap
LOCAL oMsgSet
LOCAL n
LOCAL i

nSuccess := 0

//  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
//  1, the identifiers are UIDs; otherwise they are sequence numbers.

oImap := CreateObject("Chilkat.Imap")

oImap:Ssl := 1
oImap:Port := 993

nSuccess := oImap:Connect("imap.example.com")
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oImap:LastErrorText
    oImap:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

nSuccess := oImap:Login("user@example.com", "myPassword")
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oImap:LastErrorText
    oImap:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

nSuccess := oImap:SelectMailbox("Inbox")
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oImap:LastErrorText
    oImap:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

//  Search for unseen (unread) messages, returning their UIDs.
oMsgSet := CreateObject("Chilkat.MessageSet")
nSuccess := oImap:QueryMbx("UNSEEN", 1, oMsgSet)
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oImap:LastErrorText
    oImap:destroy()
    oMsgSet:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

//  Iterate the matching message identifiers.
n := oMsgSet:Count
? "Matching messages: " + Str(n)

FOR i := 0 TO n - 1
    ? "UID: " + Str(oMsgSet:GetId(i))
NEXT

nSuccess := oImap:Disconnect()
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oImap:LastErrorText
    oImap:destroy()
    oMsgSet:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

oImap:destroy()
oMsgSet:destroy()