(Delphi ActiveX) Search IMAP Mailbox for Email Matching Criteria

Searching an IMAP mailbox for messages that match search criteria.

Chilkat for Delphi Downloads Chilkat ActiveX DLL for Delphi Chilkat non-ActiveX DLL for Delphi * The examples here use the ActiveX DLL.

uses
    Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
    Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Chilkat_TLB;

...

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
imap: TChilkatImap;
success: Integer;
messageSet: IMessageSet;
fetchUids: Integer;
allMsgs: WideString;
answered: WideString;
onDate: WideString;
betweenDates: WideString;
complexSearch1: WideString;
bodySearch: WideString;
orSearch: WideString;
fromSearch: WideString;
johnSearch: WideString;
recentSearch: WideString;
notRecentSearch: WideString;
oldSearch: WideString;
markedForDeleteSearch: WideString;
headerSearch: WideString;
headerExistsSearch: WideString;
newSearch: WideString;
sizeLargerSearch: WideString;
seenSearch: WideString;
notSeenSearch: WideString;
toSearch: WideString;
toSearch2: WideString;
smallerSearch: WideString;
fullSubstringSearch: WideString;
bundle: IChilkatEmailBundle;
i: Integer;
email: IChilkatEmail;

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

imap := TChilkatImap.Create(Self);

// Connect to an IMAP server.
// Use TLS
imap.Ssl := 1;
imap.Port := 993;
success := imap.Connect('imap.someMailServer.com');
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Login
success := imap.Login('myLogin','myPassword');
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Select an IMAP mailbox
success := imap.SelectMailbox('Inbox');
if (success <> 1) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
fetchUids := 1;

// Here are examples of different search criteria:

// Return all messages.
allMsgs := 'ALL';

// Search for already-answered emails.
answered := 'ANSWERED';

// 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.
onDate := 'SENTON 05-Mar-2007';

// 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.
betweenDates := 'SENTSINCE 01-Mar-2007 SENTBEFORE 05-Mar-2007';

// Another example of AND: find all unanswered emails
// sent after 04-Mar-2007 with "Problem" in the subject:
complexSearch1 := 'UNANSWERED SENTSINCE 04-Mar-2007 Subject "Problem"';

// Find messages with a specific string in the body:
bodySearch := 'BODY "problem solved"';

// Using OR.  The syntax is OR <criteria1> <criteria2>. 
// The "OR" comes first, followed by each criteria.
// For example, to match all emails with "Help" or "Question" in the subject.
// You'll notice that literal strings may be quoted or unquoted.
// If a literal contains SPACE characters, quote it:
orSearch := 'OR SUBJECT Help SUBJECT Question';

// ----------------------------------------------
// Strings are case-insensitive when searching....
// ----------------------------------------------

// Find all emails sent from yahoo.com addresses:
fromSearch := 'FROM yahoo.com';
// Find all emails sent from anyone with "John" in their name:
johnSearch := 'FROM John';

// Find emails with the RECENT flag set:
recentSearch := 'RECENT';

// Find emails that don't have the recent flag set:
notRecentSearch := 'NOT RECENT';
// This is synonymous with "OLD":
oldSearch := 'OLD';

// Find all emails marked for deletion:
markedForDeleteSearch := 'DELETED';

// Find all emails having a specified header field with a value
// containing a substring:
headerSearch := 'HEADER DomainKey-Signature paypal.com';

// Find any emails having a specific header field.  If the 
// 2nd argument to the "HEADER" criteria is an empty string,
// any email having the header field is returned regardless
// of the header field's content.
// Find any emails with a DomainKey-Signature field:
headerExistsSearch := 'HEADER DomainKey-Signature ""';

// Find NEW emails: these are emails that have the RECENT flag
// set, but not the SEEN flag:
newSearch := 'NEW';

// Find emails larger than a certain number of bytes:
sizeLargerSearch := 'LARGER 500000';

// Find emails marked as seen or not already seen:
seenSearch := 'SEEN';
notSeenSearch := 'NOT SEEN';

// Find emails having a given substring in the TO header field:
toSearch := 'TO support@chilkatsoft.com';
// A more long-winded way to do the same thing:
toSearch2 := 'HEADER TO support@chilkatsoft.com';

// Find emails smaller than a size in bytes:
smallerSearch := 'SMALLER 30000';

// Find emails that have a substring anywhere in the header
// or body:
fullSubstringSearch := 'TEXT "Zip Component"';

// Pass any of the above strings here to test a search:
messageSet := imap.Search(orSearch,fetchUids);
if (imap.LastMethodSuccess = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Fetch the email headers into a bundle object:

bundle := imap.FetchHeaders(messageSet);
if (imap.LastMethodSuccess = 0) then
  begin

    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

// Display the Subject and From of each email.
i := 0;
while i < bundle.MessageCount do
  begin

    email := bundle.GetEmail(i);

    Memo1.Lines.Add(email.GetHeaderField('Date'));
    Memo1.Lines.Add(email.Subject);
    Memo1.Lines.Add(email.From);
    Memo1.Lines.Add('--');

    i := i + 1;
  end;

// Disconnect from the IMAP server.
success := imap.Disconnect();
end;