(VB.NET) IMAP Find Emails by Date

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

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

Dim imap As New Chilkat.Imap

' Connect to an IMAP server.
imap.Ssl = True
imap.Port = 993
Dim success As Boolean = imap.Connect("imap.example.com")
If (success <> True) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


' Login
success = imap.Login("myLogin","myPassword")
If (success <> True) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


' Select an IMAP mailbox
success = imap.SelectMailbox("Inbox")
If (success <> True) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
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.
Dim onDate As String = "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.
Dim betweenDates As String = "SENTSINCE 12-Apr-2024 SENTBEFORE 15-Apr-2024"


' We can choose to fetch UIDs or sequence numbers.
Dim fetchUids As Boolean = True
Dim messageSet As Chilkat.MessageSet = imap.Search(betweenDates,fetchUids)
If (imap.LastMethodSuccess = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


Debug.WriteLine(messageSet.ToCompactString())

' Download each email in the message set.
Dim email As Chilkat.Email
Dim messageCount As Integer = messageSet.Count
Dim i As Integer = 0
While i < messageCount
    email = imap.FetchSingle(messageSet.GetId(i),fetchUids)
    If (imap.LastMethodSuccess = False) Then
        Debug.WriteLine(imap.LastErrorText)

        Exit Sub
    End If

    Debug.WriteLine(email.Subject)
    ' ...

    i = i + 1
End While

' Disconnect from the IMAP server.
success = imap.Disconnect()