NAME¶
imap4 - imap client-side tcl implementation of imap protocol
SYNOPSIS¶
package require
Tcl 8.5
package require
imap4 ?0.5.2?
::imap4::open hostname ?
port?
::imap4::login chan user pass
::imap4::folders chan ?
-inline? ?
mboxref?
?
mboxname?
::imap4::select chan ?
mailbox?
::imap4::examine chan ?
mailbox?
::imap4::fetch chan range ?
-inline? ?
attr
...?
::imap4::noop chan
::imap4::check chan
::imap4::folderinfo chan ?
info?
::imap4::msginfo chan msgid ?
info? ?
defval?
::imap4::mboxinfo chan ?
info?
::imap4::isableto chan ?
capability?
::imap4::create chan mailbox
::imap4::delete chan mailbox
::imap4::rename chan oldname newname
::imap4::subscribe chan mailbox
::imap4::unsubscribe chan mailbox
::imap4::search chan expr ?
...?
::imap4::close chan
::imap4::cleanup chan
::imap4::debugmode chan ?
errormsg?
::imap4::store chan range data flaglist
::imap4::expunge chan
::imap4::copy chan msgid mailbox
::imap4::logout chan
DESCRIPTION¶
The
imap4 library package provides the client side of the
Internet
Message Access Protocol (IMAP) using standard sockets or secure connection
via TLS/SSL. The package is fully implemented in Tcl.
This document describes the procedures and explains their usage.
PROCEDURES¶
This package defines the following public procedures:
- ::imap4::open hostname ?port?
-
Open a new IMAP connection and initalize the handler, the imap communication
channel (handler) is returned.
hostname - mail server
port - connection port, defaults to 143
The namespace variable ::imap4::use_ssl can be used to establish to a
secure connection via TSL/SSL if set to true. In this case default
connection port defaults to 993.
Note: For connecting via SSL the Tcl module tls must be
already loaded otherwise an error is raised.
package require tls ; # must be loaded for TLS/SSL
set ::imap4::use_ssl 1 ; # request a secure connection
set chan [::imap4::open $server] ; # default port is now 993
- ::imap4::login chan user pass
-
Login using the IMAP LOGIN command, 0 is returned on successful login.
chan - imap channel
user - username
pass - password
- ::imap4::folders chan ?-inline? ?mboxref?
?mboxname?
-
Get list of matching folders, 0 is returned on success.
Wildcards '*' as '%' are allowed for mboxref and mboxname,
command ::imap4::folderinfo can be used to retrieve folder
information.
chan - imap channel
mboxref - mailbox reference, defaults to ""
mboxname - mailbox name, defaults to "*"
If -inline is specified a compact folderlist is returned instead of
the result code. All flags are converted to lowercase and leading special
characters are removed.
{{Arc08 noselect} {Arc08/Private {noinferiors unmarked}} {INBOX noinferiors}}
- ::imap4::select chan ?mailbox?
-
Select a mailbox, 0 is returned on success.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - Path of the mailbox, defaults to INBOX
Prior to examine/select an open mailbox must be closed - see:
::imap4::close.
- ::imap4::examine chan ?mailbox?
-
"Examines" a mailbox, read-only equivalent of
::imap4::select.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - mailbox name or path to mailbox, defaults to INBOX
Prior to examine/select an open mailbox must be closed - see:
::imap4::close.
- ::imap4::fetch chan range ?-inline? ?attr
...?
-
Fetch attributes from messages.
The attributes are fetched and stored in the internal state which can be
retrieved with command ::imap4::msginfo, 0 is returned on success.
If -inline is specified, alle records are returned as list in order
as defined in the attr argument.
chan - imap channel
range - message index in format FROM:TO
attr - imap attributes to fetch
Note: If FROM is omitted, the 1st message is assumed, if
TO is ommitted the last message is assumed. All message index
ranges are 1-based.
- ::imap4::noop chan
- Send NOOP command to server. May get information as untagged data.
chan - imap channel
- ::imap4::check chan
- Send CHECK command to server. Flush to disk.
chan - imap channel
- ::imap4::folderinfo chan ?info?
-
Get information on the recently selected folderlist. If the info
argument is omitted or a null string, the full list of information
available for the mailbox is returned.
If the required information name is suffixed with a ? character, the command
returns true if the information is available, or false if it is not.
chan - imap channel
info - folderlist options to retrieve
Currently supported options: delim - hierarchy delimiter only,
match - ref and mbox search patterns (see ::imap4::folders),
names - list of folder names only, flags - list of folder
names with flags in format { {name {flags}} ... } (see also compact
format in function ::imap4::folders).
{{Arc08 {{\NoSelect}}} {Arc08/Private {{\NoInferiors} {\UnMarked}}} {INBOX {\NoInferiors}}}
- ::imap4::msginfo chan msgid ?info?
?defval?
-
Get information (from previously collected using fetch) from a given
msgid. If the 'info' argument is omitted or a null string, the list
of available information options for the given message is returned.
If the required information name is suffixed with a ? character, the command
returns true if the information is available, or false if it is not.
chan - imap channel
msgid - message number
info - imap keyword to retrieve
defval - default value, returned if info is empty
Note: All message index ranges are 1-based.
- ::imap4::mboxinfo chan ?info?
-
Get information on the currently selected mailbox. If the info
argument is omitted or a null string, the list of available information
options for the mailbox is returned.
If the required information name is suffixed with a ? character, the command
returns true if the information is available, or false if it is not.
chan - imap channel
opt - mailbox option to retrieve
Currently supported options: EXISTS (noof msgs), RECENT (noof
'recent' flagged msgs), FLAGS
In conjunction with OK: PERMFLAGS, UIDNEXT, UIDVAL,
UNSEEN
Div. states: CURRENT, FOUND, PERM.
::imap4::select $chan INBOX
puts "[::imap4::mboxinfo $chan exists] mails in INBOX"
- ::imap4::isableto chan ?capability?
-
Test for capability. It returns 1 if requested capability is supported, 0
otherwise. If capability is omitted all capability imap codes are
retured as list.
chan - imap channel
info - imap keyword to retrieve
Note: Use the capability command to ask the server if not already
done by the user.
- ::imap4::create chan mailbox
-
Create a new mailbox.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - mailbox name
- ::imap4::delete chan mailbox
-
Delete a new mailbox.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - mailbox name
- ::imap4::rename chan oldname newname
-
Rename a new mailbox.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - old mailbox name
mailbox - new mailbox name
- ::imap4::subscribe chan mailbox
-
Subscribe a new mailbox.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - mailbox name
- ::imap4::unsubscribe chan mailbox
-
Unsubscribe a new mailbox.
chan - imap channel
mailbox - mailbox name
- ::imap4::search chan expr ?...?
-
Search for mails matching search criterions, 0 is returned on success.
chan - imap channel
expr - imap search expression
Notes: Currently the following search expressions are handled:
Mail header flags: all mail header entries (ending with a colon
":"), like "From:", "Bcc:", ...
Imap message search flags: ANSWERED, DELETED, DRAFT, FLAGGED,
RECENT, SEEN, NEW, OLD, UNANSWERED, UNDELETED, UNDRAFT, UNFLAGGED, UNSEEN,
ALL
Imap header search flags: BODY, CC, FROM, SUBJECT, TEXT, KEYWORD,
BCC
Imap conditional search flags: SMALLER, LARGER, ON, SENTBEFORE,
SENTON, SENTSINCE, SINCE, BEFORE (not implemented), UID (not implemented)
Logical search conditions: OR, NOT
::imap4::search $chan larger 4000 seen
puts "Found messages: [::imap4::mboxinfo $chan found]"
Found messages: 1 3 6 7 8 9 13 14 15 19 20
- ::imap4::close chan
-
Close the mailbox. Permanently removes \Deleted messages and return to the
AUTH state.
chan - imap channel
- ::imap4::cleanup chan
-
Destroy an IMAP connection and free the used space. Close the mailbox.
Permanently removes \Deleted messages and return to the AUTH state.
chan - imap channel
- ::imap4::debugmode chan ?errormsg?
- Switch client into command line debug mode.
This is a developers mode only that pass the control to the programmer.
Every line entered is sent verbatim to the server (after the addition of
the request identifier). The ::imap4::debug variable is automatically set
to '1' on enter.
It's possible to execute Tcl commands starting the line with a slash.
chan - imap channel
errormsg - optional error message to display
- ::imap4::store chan range data
flaglist
-
Alters data associated with a message in the selected mailbox.
chan - imap channel
range - message index in format FROM:TO
flaglist - Flags the data operates on.
data - The currently defined data items that can be stored
are shown below. Note that all of these data types may also be
suffixed with ".SILENT" to suppress the untagged FETCH
response.
- FLAGS
- Replace the flags for the message (other than \Recent) with the
flaglist.
- +FLAGS
- Add the flags in flaglist to the existing flags for the
message.
- -FLAGS
- Remove the flags in flaglist to the existing flags for the
message.
- For example:
::imap4::store $chan $start_msgid:$end_msgid +FLAGS "Deleted"
- ::imap4::expunge chan
-
Permanently removes all messages that have the \Deleted flag set from the
currently selected mailbox, without the need to close the connection.
chan - imap channel
- ::imap4::copy chan msgid mailbox
-
Copies the specified message (identified by its message number) to the named
mailbox, i.e. imap folder.
chan - imap channel
msgid - message number
mailbox - mailbox name
- ::imap4::logout chan
-
Informs the server that the client is done with the connection and closes
the network connection. Permanently removes \Deleted messages.
A new connection will need to be established to login once more.
chan - imap channel
EXAMPLES¶
set user myusername
set pass xtremescrt
set server imap.test.tld
set FOLDER INBOX
# Connect to server
set imap [::imap4::open $server]
::imap4::login $imap $user $pass
::imap4::select $imap $FOLDER
# Output all the information about that mailbox
foreach info [::imap4::mboxinfo $imap] {
puts "$info -> [::imap4::mboxinfo $imap $info]"
}
# fetch 3 records inline
set fields {from: to: subject: size}
foreach rec [::imap4::fetch $imap :3 -inline {*}$fields] {
puts -nonewline "#[incr idx])"
for {set j 0} {$j<[llength $fields]} {incr j} {
puts "\t[lindex $fields $j] [lindex $rec $j]"
}
}
# Show all the information available about the message ID 1
puts "Available info about message 1: [::imap4::msginfo $imap 1]"
# Use the capability stuff
puts "Capabilities: [::imap4::isableto $imap]"
puts "Is able to imap4rev1? [::imap4::isableto $imap imap4rev1]"
# Cleanup
::imap4::cleanup $imap
REFERENCES¶
Mark R. Crispin, "INTERNET MESSAGE ACCESS PROTOCOL - VERSION 4rev1",
RFC 3501, March 2003,
http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3501.txt
OpenSSL,
http://www.openssl.org/
BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK¶
This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain bugs and
other problems. Please report such in the category
imap4 of the
Tcllib Trackers [
http://core.tcl.tk/tcllib/reportlist]. Please also
report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or
documentation. Only a small part of rfc3501 implemented.
SEE ALSO¶
ftp, http, imap, mime, pop3, tls
KEYWORDS¶
email, imap, internet, mail, net, rfc3501, ssl, tls