Sample code for 30+ languages & platforms
PHP ActiveX

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

Chilkat PHP ActiveX Downloads

Download Chilkat for PHP ActiveX
PHP ActiveX 
<?php

$success = 0;

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

$http = new COM("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';

$sbResponse = new COM("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)
$htFolderMap = new COM("Chilkat.Hashtable");
$sbMap = new COM("Chilkat.StringBuilder");
$sbMap->LoadFile('qa_data/outlook/folderMap.xml','utf-8');
$htFolderMap->AddFromXmlSb($sbMap);

// Get the ID for the "/Inbox" folder:
$folderId = $htFolderMap->lookupStr('/Inbox');
if ($htFolderMap->LastMethodSuccess != 1) {
    print 'Folder ID not found' . "\n";
    exit;
}

$success = 1;
$json = new COM("Chilkat.JsonObject");
$json->EmitCompact = 0;

$http->SetUrlVar('folder_id',$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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

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

$sbExpression->Append('receivedDateTime ge ');
$dt = new COM("Chilkat.CkDateTime");
$dt->SetFromCurrentSystemTime();
$dt->AddDays(-1);
$sbExpression->Append($dt->getAsTimestamp(0));

$http->SetUrlVar('filter',$sbExpression->getAsString());

$success = $http->QuickGetSb('https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}',$sbResponse);
if (($success != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

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

$sbExpression->Clear();
$sbExpression->Append('(receivedDateTime ge ');
$sbExpression->Append($dt->getAsTimestamp(0));
$sbExpression->Append(') and (receivedDateTime lt ');
$dtObj->Month = 11;
$dt->SetFromDtObj($dtObj);
$sbExpression->Append($dt->getAsTimestamp(0));
$sbExpression->Append(')');

// This is the expression we just built:  (receivedDateTime ge 2016-10-01T00:00:00Z) and (receivedDateTime lt 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z)
print $sbExpression->getAsString() . "\n";

$http->SetUrlVar('filter',$sbExpression->getAsString());

$success = $http->QuickGetSb('https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/{$folder_id}/messages?$filter={$filter}&$select={$select}',$sbResponse);
if (($success != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 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 != 1) and ($http->LastStatus == 0)) {
    print $http->LastErrorText . "\n";
    exit;
}

$json->LoadSb($sbResponse);
print $json->emit() . "\n";

?>