Dart 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. Dart

import 'package:chilkat/chilkat.dart';

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

  final imap = CkImap();

  // Connect to an IMAP server.
  imap.ssl = true;
  imap.port = 993;
  try {
    imap.connect('imap.example.com');
  } on ChilkatException catch (e) {
    print(e.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  // Login
  try {
    imap.login('myLogin', 'myPassword');
  } on ChilkatException catch (e) {
    print(e.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  // Select an IMAP mailbox
  try {
    imap.selectMailbox('Inbox');
  } on ChilkatException catch (e) {
    print(e.lastErrorText);
    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.
  final 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.
  final betweenDates = 'SENTSINCE 12-Apr-2024 SENTBEFORE 15-Apr-2024';

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

  final messageSet = CkMessageSet();
  try {
    imap.queryMbx(betweenDates, fetchUids, messageSet);
  } on ChilkatException catch (e) {
    print(e.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  print(messageSet.toCompactString());

  // Download each email in the message set.
  final email = CkEmail();
  final messageCount = messageSet.count;
  var i = 0;
  while (i < messageCount) {
    try {
      imap.fetchEmail(false, messageSet.getId(i), fetchUids, email);
    } on ChilkatException catch (e) {
      print(e.lastErrorText);
      return;
    }

    print(email.subject);
    // ...

    i++;
  }

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