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C#

Outlook -- Search Messages in a Particular Folder

See more Outlook Examples

Demonstrates search the messages in a particular Outlook mailbox folder.

This uses the OData $filter and $search system query options. See OData System Query Options for general information.

Also see OData URL Conventions for information about $filter, $search and other query options.

This example demonstrates the following searches:

  • Find emails from a particular email address.
  • Find emails where the subject contains a particular word or phrase.
  • Using an "AND" expression.
  • Find emails received in the last 24 hours.
  • Find emails received in October 2016
  • Find unread emails
  • Find emails containing a particular phrase in the body.
  • Free-text search of a keyword or phrase.
  • Free-text search of an email address.
Note: This example requires Chilkat v9.5.0.68 or greater.

This example applies to: Exchange Online | Office 365 | Hotmail.com | Live.com | MSN.com | Outlook.com | Passport.com

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C#
bool success = false;

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

Chilkat.Http http = new Chilkat.Http();

// Use your previously obtained access token here:
// See the following examples for getting an access token:
//    Get Microsoft Graph OAuth2 Access Token (Azure AD v2.0 Endpoint).
//    Get Microsoft Graph OAuth2 Access Token (Azure AD Endpoint).
//    Refresh Access Token (Azure AD v2.0 Endpoint).
//    Refresh Access Token (Azure AD Endpoint).

http.AuthToken = "MICROSOFT_GRAPH_ACCESS_TOKEN";

Chilkat.StringBuilder sbResponse = new Chilkat.StringBuilder();

// In this example, we'd like to get the messages in the folder "/Inbox",
// but we must specify the corresponding folder_id.  The best way to do this is to create
// a local map of folderPaths-to-folderIds.
// This example does it:  Create Outlook Folder Map)
Chilkat.Hashtable htFolderMap = new Chilkat.Hashtable();
Chilkat.StringBuilder sbMap = new Chilkat.StringBuilder();
sbMap.LoadFile("qa_data/outlook/folderMap.xml","utf-8");
htFolderMap.AddFromXmlSb(sbMap);

// Get the ID for the "/Inbox" folder:
string folderId = htFolderMap.LookupStr("/Inbox");
if (htFolderMap.LastMethodSuccess != true) {
    Debug.WriteLine("Folder ID not found");
    return;
}

success = true;
Chilkat.JsonObject json = new Chilkat.JsonObject();
json.EmitCompact = false;

http.SetUrlVar("folder_id",folderId);
http.SetUrlVar("select","subject,from");

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Only return emails from "chilkat.support@gmail.com"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","from/emailAddress/address eq 'chilkat.support@gmail.com'");

// To return the full content of each email, omit the "&select=..." part of the URL.
success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Only return emails where the subject contains "Amazon"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","contains(subject,'Amazon')");

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Only return emails where the subject starts with "this email" and the from address is support@chilkatsoft.com
// (the startswith function is case insensitive)
http.SetUrlVar("filter","startswith(subject,'this email') and (from/emailAddress/address eq 'support@chilkatsoft.com')");

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Only return emails received within the last 24 hours
Chilkat.StringBuilder sbExpression = new Chilkat.StringBuilder();

sbExpression.Append("receivedDateTime ge ");
Chilkat.CkDateTime dt = new Chilkat.CkDateTime();
dt.SetFromCurrentSystemTime();
dt.AddDays(-1);
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(false));

http.SetUrlVar("filter",sbExpression.GetAsString());

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Only return emails received in October 2016
Chilkat.DtObj dtObj = new Chilkat.DtObj();
dtObj.Year = 2016;
dtObj.Month = 10;
dtObj.Day = 1;
dtObj.Utc = true;
dt.SetFromDtObj(dtObj);

sbExpression.Clear();
sbExpression.Append("(receivedDateTime ge ");
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(false));
sbExpression.Append(") and (receivedDateTime lt ");
dtObj.Month = 11;
dt.SetFromDtObj(dtObj);
sbExpression.Append(dt.GetAsTimestamp(false));
sbExpression.Append(")");

// This is the expression we just built:  (receivedDateTime ge 2016-10-01T00:00:00Z) and (receivedDateTime lt 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z)
Debug.WriteLine(sbExpression.GetAsString());

http.SetUrlVar("filter",sbExpression.GetAsString());

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Return unread emails
http.SetUrlVar("filter","isRead eq false");

// success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Return emails with a plain-text or HTML body containing the phrase "Outlook 365"
http.SetUrlVar("filter","contains(body/content,'Outlook 365')");

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Use the $search query option instead of $filter.
// $search is a free-text search over whatever fields the server deems appropriate, such as in the subject,
// body, address fields, etc.

// Search for the word Amazon
http.SetUrlVar("search","Amazon");

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$search={$search}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Search for chilkatsoft.com
// Some chars, such as the "." make it necessary to enclose the search expression in double-quotes.
http.SetUrlVar("search","\"chilkatsoft.com\"");

success = http.QuickGetSb("https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$search={$search}&$select={$select}",sbResponse);
if ((success != true) && (http.LastStatus == 0)) {
    Debug.WriteLine(http.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

json.LoadSb(sbResponse);
Debug.WriteLine(json.Emit());