Java Requires Chilkat v11.0.0+

IMAP Find Emails by Date

See more IMAP Examples

Explains how to find emails by date using the IMAP protocol. Chilkat2 Java

import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.ChilkatException;
import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.Email;
import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.Imap;
import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.MessageSet;

public class ChilkatExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
        // See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

        Imap imap = new Imap();

        // Connect to an IMAP server.
        imap.setSsl(true);
        imap.setPort(993);
        try {
            imap.connect("imap.example.com");

            // Login
            imap.login("myLogin", "myPassword");

            // Select an IMAP mailbox
            imap.selectMailbox("Inbox");
        } catch (ChilkatException e) {
            System.out.println(e.getLastErrorText());
            return;
        }

        // In the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) protocol, criteria strings are used to search for emails matching specific criteria on the mail server.
        // When searching for emails by date, you can use criteria strings to specify the date range you're interested in.
        //
        // IMAP provides several options for searching emails by date using criteria strings. Here are the commonly used ones:
        //
        // 1. BEFORE: Searches for emails sent before a specific date.
        //    Example: BEFORE 01-Apr-2022
        //
        // 2. ON: Searches for emails sent on a specific date.
        //    Example: ON 01-Apr-2022
        //
        // 3. SINCE: Searches for emails sent after a specific date.
        //    Example: SINCE 01-Apr-2022
        //
        // 4. SENTBEFORE: Searches for emails whose date header (sent date) is before a specific date.
        //    Example: SENTBEFORE 01-Apr-2022
        //
        // 5. SENTON: Searches for emails whose date header (sent date) is on a specific date.
        //    Example: SENTON 01-Apr-2022
        //
        // 6. SENTSINCE: Searches for emails whose date header (sent date) is after a specific date.
        //    Example: SENTSINCE 01-Apr-2022
        //

        // The date format used in IMAP criteria strings is typically a specific format like "DD-Mon-YYYY" (e.g., "01-Apr-2022"), but some servers may also accept other formats
        // such as "YYYY-MM-DD". It's essential to check the documentation or specifications of the IMAP server you're working with to ensure compatibility with the
        // date format you're using.
        //
        // By combining these date criteria strings with other search criteria (such as sender, recipient, subject, etc.),
        // you can effectively filter and retrieve emails based on various conditions.
        //

        // Search for messages on a specific date.
        // The date string is DD-Month-YYYY where Month is
        // Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, or Dec.
        String onDate = "SENTON 15-Apr-2024";

        // Search for messages between two dates.  SENTBEFORE
        // finds emails sent before a date, and SENTSINCE finds
        // email sent on or after a date.  The "AND" operation
        // is implied by joining criteria, separated by spaces.
        String betweenDates = "SENTSINCE 12-Apr-2024 SENTBEFORE 15-Apr-2024";

        // We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
        boolean fetchUids = true;

        MessageSet messageSet = new MessageSet();
        try {
            imap.queryMbx(betweenDates, fetchUids, messageSet);
        } catch (ChilkatException e) {
            System.out.println(e.getLastErrorText());
            return;
        }

        System.out.println(messageSet.toCompactString());

        // Download each email in the message set.
        Email email = new Email();
        int messageCount = messageSet.getCount();
        int i = 0;
        while (i < messageCount) {
            try {
                imap.fetchEmail(false, messageSet.getId(i), fetchUids, email);
            } catch (ChilkatException e) {
                System.out.println(e.getLastErrorText());
                return;
            }

            System.out.println(email.getSubject());
            // ...

            i = i + 1;
        }

        // Disconnect from the IMAP server.
        imap.disconnect();
    }
}