(Tcl) IMAP Find Emails by Date

See more IMAP Examples

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

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load ./chilkat.dll

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

set imap [new_CkImap]

# Connect to an IMAP server.
CkImap_put_Ssl $imap 1
CkImap_put_Port $imap 993
set success [CkImap_Connect $imap "imap.example.com"]
if {$success != 1} then {
    puts [CkImap_lastErrorText $imap]
    delete_CkImap $imap
    exit
}

# Login
set success [CkImap_Login $imap "myLogin" "myPassword"]
if {$success != 1} then {
    puts [CkImap_lastErrorText $imap]
    delete_CkImap $imap
    exit
}

# Select an IMAP mailbox
set success [CkImap_SelectMailbox $imap "Inbox"]
if {$success != 1} then {
    puts [CkImap_lastErrorText $imap]
    delete_CkImap $imap
    exit
}

# 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.
set 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.
set betweenDates "SENTSINCE 12-Apr-2024 SENTBEFORE 15-Apr-2024"

# We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
set fetchUids 1
# messageSet is a CkMessageSet
set messageSet [CkImap_Search $imap $betweenDates $fetchUids]
if {[CkImap_get_LastMethodSuccess $imap] == 0} then {
    puts [CkImap_lastErrorText $imap]
    delete_CkImap $imap
    exit
}

puts [CkMessageSet_toCompactString $messageSet]

# Download each email in the message set.
# email is a CkEmail

set messageCount [CkMessageSet_get_Count $messageSet]
set i 0
while {$i < $messageCount} {
    set email [CkImap_FetchSingle $imap [CkMessageSet_GetId $messageSet $i] $fetchUids]
    if {[CkImap_get_LastMethodSuccess $imap] == 0} then {
        puts [CkImap_lastErrorText $imap]
        delete_CkMessageSet $messageSet

        delete_CkImap $imap
        exit
    }

    puts [CkEmail_subject $email]
    # ...
    delete_CkEmail $email

    set i [expr $i + 1]
}

# Disconnect from the IMAP server.
set success [CkImap_Disconnect $imap]

delete_CkMessageSet $messageSet


delete_CkImap $imap