(Tcl) Reading Unread POP3 Email

The POP3 protocol does not provide the ability to ask the server which emails are "unread". Furthermore, a pure POP3 server does not even keep this information. Some servers, such as Exchange Server, expose both POP3 and IMAP interfaces. In these cases, information about read/unread status exists on the server, but it is only available via the IMAP protocol. Email clients such as Outlook and Thunderbird keep read/unread information on the client computer. This example demonstrates how UIDLs can be saved to track and read "unread" email.

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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.

# The mailman object is used for receiving (POP3) 
# and sending (SMTP) email.
set mailman [new_CkMailMan]

# Set the POP3 server's hostname
CkMailMan_put_MailHost $mailman "pop.someMailServer.com"

# Set the POP3 login/password.
CkMailMan_put_PopUsername $mailman "***"
CkMailMan_put_PopPassword $mailman "***"

# You may keep a list of already-seen UIDLs in a text file:
# If this is the first time you're running this example,
# create an empty text file named "seenUidls.txt"
set saSeenUidls [new_CkStringArray]

set success [CkStringArray_LoadFromFile $saSeenUidls "seenUidls.txt"]
if {$success != 1} then {
    puts "failed to load seenUidls.txt"
    delete_CkMailMan $mailman
    delete_CkStringArray $saSeenUidls
    exit
}

# Get the complete list of UIDLs on the mail server.
# saUidls is a CkStringArray
set saUidls [CkMailMan_GetUidls $mailman]
if {[CkMailMan_get_LastMethodSuccess $mailman] == 0} then {
    puts [CkMailMan_lastErrorText $mailman]
    delete_CkMailMan $mailman
    delete_CkStringArray $saSeenUidls
    exit
}

# Create a new string array object (it's an object, not an actual array)
# and add the UIDLs from saUidls that aren't already seen.
set saUnseenUidls [new_CkStringArray]

set i 0
set n [CkStringArray_get_Count $saUidls]
while {$i < $n} {
    if {[CkStringArray_Contains $saSeenUidls [CkStringArray_getString $saUidls $i]] != 1} then {
        set success [CkStringArray_Append $saUnseenUidls [CkStringArray_getString $saUidls $i]]
    }

    set i [expr $i + 1]
}

if {[CkStringArray_get_Count $saUnseenUidls] == 0} then {
    puts "No unseen emails!"
    delete_CkStringArray $saUidls

    delete_CkMailMan $mailman
    delete_CkStringArray $saSeenUidls
    delete_CkStringArray $saUnseenUidls
    exit
}

# Download in full the unseen emails:
# bundle is a CkEmailBundle
set bundle [CkMailMan_FetchMultiple $mailman $saUnseenUidls]
if {[CkMailMan_get_LastMethodSuccess $mailman] == 0} then {
    puts [CkMailMan_lastErrorText $mailman]
    delete_CkStringArray $saUidls

    delete_CkMailMan $mailman
    delete_CkStringArray $saSeenUidls
    delete_CkStringArray $saUnseenUidls
    exit
}

# email is a CkEmail

set i 0
while {$i < [CkEmailBundle_get_MessageCount $bundle]} {
    set email [CkEmailBundle_GetEmail $bundle $i]
    puts [CkEmail_from $email]
    puts [CkEmail_subject $email]
    puts "----"
    delete_CkEmail $email

    set i [expr $i + 1]
}

# Save saUidls to "seenUidls.txt"
set success [CkStringArray_SaveToFile $saUidls "seenUidls.txt"]

delete_CkStringArray $saUidls


delete_CkMailMan $mailman
delete_CkStringArray $saSeenUidls
delete_CkStringArray $saUnseenUidls