Python Imaplib Module
The imaplib module defines three classes, IMAP4, IMAP4_SSL and IMAP4_stream, which encapsulate a connection to an IMAP4 server and implement the IMAP4rev1 client protocol as defined in RFC 2060. It is used to access emails on a mail server.
Importing the Module
import imaplibConnecting to a Server
To connect to an IMAP server securely, use IMAP4_SSL.
import imaplib
# Connect to the server (default port 993 for SSL)
mail = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL('imap.gmail.com')Authentication
mail.login('your_email@gmail.com', 'your_password')Selecting a Mailbox
Before searching or fetching, you must select a mailbox (folder).
# Select the inbox
status, messages = mail.select('INBOX')
print(f"Status: {status}, Total Messages: {messages[0].decode('utf-8')}")Searching for Emails
You can search for emails using criteria like 'ALL', 'UNSEEN', 'FROM', etc.
# Search for all emails
typ, data = mail.search(None, 'ALL')
# Get the list of email IDs
mail_ids = data[0].split()
print(f"Found {len(mail_ids)} emails")Fetching Emails
To retrieve the content of an email, use the fetch() method.
if mail_ids:
# Fetch the latest email (last ID in the list)
latest_email_id = mail_ids[-1]
# Fetch the email body (RFC822)
typ, data = mail.fetch(latest_email_id, '(RFC822)')
# The data is a list of tuples. The email content is in the second element of the tuple.
for response_part in data:
if isinstance(response_part, tuple):
print(response_part[1].decode('utf-8'))Closing the Connection
mail.close()
mail.logout()