PowerBuilder

IMAP Find Emails by Date

See more IMAP Examples

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

integer li_rc
integer li_Success
oleobject loo_Imap
string ls_OnDate
string ls_BetweenDates
integer li_FetchUids
oleobject loo_MessageSet
oleobject loo_Email
integer li_MessageCount
integer i

li_Success = 0

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

loo_Imap = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Imap.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.Imap")
if li_rc < 0 then
    destroy loo_Imap
    MessageBox("Error","Connecting to COM object failed")
    return
end if

// Connect to an IMAP server.
loo_Imap.Ssl = 1
loo_Imap.Port = 993
li_Success = loo_Imap.Connect("imap.example.com")
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Imap.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Imap
    return
end if

// Login
li_Success = loo_Imap.Login("myLogin","myPassword")
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Imap.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Imap
    return
end if

// Select an IMAP mailbox
li_Success = loo_Imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox")
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Imap.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Imap
    return
end if

// 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.
ls_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.
ls_BetweenDates = "SENTSINCE 12-Apr-2024 SENTBEFORE 15-Apr-2024"

// We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
li_FetchUids = 1

loo_MessageSet = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_MessageSet.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.MessageSet")

li_Success = loo_Imap.QueryMbx(ls_BetweenDates,li_FetchUids,loo_MessageSet)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Imap.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Imap
    destroy loo_MessageSet
    return
end if

Write-Debug loo_MessageSet.ToCompactString()

// Download each email in the message set.
loo_Email = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Email.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.Email")

li_MessageCount = loo_MessageSet.Count
i = 0
do while i < li_MessageCount
    li_Success = loo_Imap.FetchEmail(0,loo_MessageSet.GetId(i),li_FetchUids,loo_Email)
    if li_Success = 0 then
        Write-Debug loo_Imap.LastErrorText
        destroy loo_Imap
        destroy loo_MessageSet
        destroy loo_Email
        return
    end if

    Write-Debug loo_Email.Subject
    // ...

    i = i + 1
loop

// Disconnect from the IMAP server.
li_Success = loo_Imap.Disconnect()


destroy loo_Imap
destroy loo_MessageSet
destroy loo_Email