I need a way of checking my mail....

[Mel Bishop]

....just to see if anything is there.

That's it. Nothing else. Just to see if there's anything in my inbox. Don't need to download them. Don't need a spam filter, no anything. Just check the inbox for occupancy.

I looked the forums buy maybe I'm using the wrong search terms.

[Mike Doty]

By Don Dickinson. No source code on this one (not a PB program.)
http://www.greatwebdivide.com/software_popwiz.htm


Mail program using Outlook Express: C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe
Mail program using Incredimail: C:\Program Files\IncrediMail\bin\IncMail.exe
Do NOT enclose path within quotes.

[John Petty]

I forget who was the originator of the following code but it is a simple matter as you do a normal connection to your POP3 server and then log off after just retrieving the number of emails for you. You can go further and get headers ie from and subject if you wish. The following code is the three main functions you should need.

'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Connect to POP3 mail server.
'
FUNCTION Pop3Connect (Pop3Host AS STRING, USER AS STRING, _
                      password AS STRING) AS LONG

    LOCAL nTCP   AS LONG
    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING

    ON ERROR GOTO Pop3Error
    LstErr = "Error opening POP3 server"
    nTCP = FREEFILE

    TCP OPEN "pop3" AT Pop3Host AS nTCP
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "No OK on POP3 open"
        ERROR 151
    END IF

    TCP PRINT nTCP, "USER " + USER
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "Bad mail user name"
        ERROR 152
    END IF

    TCP PRINT nTCP, "PASS " + password
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "Bad mail password"
        ERROR 153
    END IF
    LstErr = ""
    FUNCTION = nTCP
    Pop3ConnErr:
    EXIT FUNCTION

Pop3Error:
    CLOSE nTCP
    FUNCTION = -(ERRCLEAR)
    RESUME Pop3ConnErr

END FUNCTION



'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Disconnect from POP3 mail server
'
FUNCTION Pop3Quit (BYVAL nTCP AS LONG) AS LONG

    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING

    TCP PRINT nTCP, "QUIT"
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer

    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        FUNCTION = -1  'error
    END IF
    CLOSE nTCP
END FUNCTION



'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Get the status of the POP3 account
'
FUNCTION Pop3GetStat (BYVAL nTCP AS LONG, Messages AS LONG, MsgSize AS LONG) AS LONG

    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING

    TCP PRINT nTCP, "STAT"
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer

    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        FUNCTION = -154  'error
        LstErr = "Error getting POP3 STAT"
        EXIT FUNCTION
    END IF

    Messages = VAL(PARSE$(Buffer, " ", 2))
    MsgSize  = VAL(PARSE$(Buffer, " ", 3))
    FUNCTION = 0

END FUNCTION

[Mike Doty]

Tested and it works great

John,
I wrote a test program to display results and it works great!
All that is needed is to supply the 3 parameters.

Displaying the headers or launching your email reader might be next.
Adding a timer to check every so often.

Thanks for supplying this!

[John Petty]

My pleasure but as I said the basic code is not mine, found it here somewhere though the error handling is mine and I see you picked up on the fact that the error numbers should be passed back as negatives. I just cut sections from a dll (called on a timed basis) I use which receives customer orders by email and processes them directly into their accounting package, it has another function similar to windows of GetLastError. I think I still have a copy of the original posters code which includes retrieving the entire email and then deleting it from the server. Will post it if it is of use to you.

[Mike Doty]

It would be of use.
I've added a helper function for calling multiple accounts and entering
the server name, user name and password. I will also post if anyone is interested.

[Mike Doty]

Just supply: popserver$, username$, password$, soundFile$

  #INCLUDE "win32api.inc"
 
  $WaveFile = "gotmail.wav"
  GLOBAL gsResults AS STRING 'optional, combine all results into a string
 
FUNCTION PBMAIN AS LONG
 
  LOCAL sPop3Host,sUser,sPassword  AS STRING
  LOCAL MsgCount,MsgSize,Result    AS LONG
 
  sPop3Host = "pop.net"
  sUser     = "username"
  sPassword = "password"
  Result = Pop(sPop3Host,sUser,sPassword,MsgCount, MsgSize&)
  IF MsgCount THEN PlayIt
 
  sPop3Host = "pop.net"
  sUser     = "username"
  sPassword = "password"
  Result = Pop(sPop3Host,sUser,sPassword,MsgCount, MsgSize&)
  IF MsgCount THEN PlayIt
 
  ? gsResults
 
END FUNCTION
 
SUB PlayIt
  CALL PlaySound($WaveFile, %NULL ,%SND_SYNC) 'use sync so sound file completes
END SUB
 
FUNCTION Pop( sPop3Host        AS STRING , _
              sUser            AS STRING , _
              sPassword        AS STRING , _
              NumberOfMessages AS LONG   , _
              MsgSize          AS LONG ) AS LONG
  LOCAL hTCP, Result AS LONG
  LOCAL sResults AS STRING  'optionally display results
  hTCP = Pop3Connect ( sPop3Host, sUser, sPassword)
  IF hTCP > -1 THEN
    REM Pop account reached
    Result = Pop3GetStat (hTCP&, NumberOfMessages&, MsgSize&)
    IF Result = 0 THEN
      LogIt  "Messages:" + STR$(NumberOfMessages&)
      LogIt  "Length:"   + STR$(MsgSize&)
    ELSE
      LogIt "Error getting POP3 STAT"
    END IF
 
    Result = Pop3Quit (hTCP)
    IF result = -1 THEN
      LogIt "Error occurred closing server"
    ELSE
      LogIt "Bye, no problems"
    END IF
  'error connecting to POP3
  ELSE
    FUNCTION = hTCP
    SELECT CASE hTCP
      CASE -152:LogIt "No OK on POP3 open"
      CASE -152:LogIt "Bad user name"
      CASE -153:LogIt "Bad password"
      CASE ELSE:LogIt "Error connecting to POP3 "+ STR$(hTCP)
    END SELECT
  END IF
END FUNCTION
SUB LogIt(s AS STRING)
  s = s + $CRLF
  gsResults = gsResults + s
END SUB
 
  '------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Connect to POP3 mail server.
'
FUNCTION Pop3Connect (Pop3Host AS STRING, USER AS STRING, _
                      password AS STRING) AS LONG
    LOCAL nTCP   AS LONG
    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING
    'added this
    LOCAL LstErr AS STRING
 
    ON ERROR GOTO Pop3Error
    LstErr = "Error opening POP3 server"
    nTCP = FREEFILE
    TCP OPEN "pop3" AT Pop3Host AS nTCP
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "No OK on POP3 open"
        ERROR 151
    END IF
    TCP PRINT nTCP, "USER " + USER
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "Bad mail user name"
        ERROR 152
    END IF
    TCP PRINT nTCP, "PASS " + password
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        LstErr = "Bad mail password"
        ERROR 153
    END IF
    LstErr = ""
    FUNCTION = nTCP
    Pop3ConnErr:
    EXIT FUNCTION
Pop3Error:
    CLOSE nTCP
    FUNCTION = -(ERRCLEAR)
    RESUME Pop3ConnErr
END FUNCTION
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Disconnect from POP3 mail server
'
FUNCTION Pop3Quit (BYVAL nTCP AS LONG) AS LONG
    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING
    TCP PRINT nTCP, "QUIT"
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        FUNCTION = -1  'error
        REM ? "Error"
    END IF
    CLOSE nTCP
END FUNCTION
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Get the status of the POP3 account
'
FUNCTION Pop3GetStat (BYVAL nTCP AS LONG, Messages AS LONG, MsgSize AS LONG) AS LONG
 
    LOCAL Buffer AS STRING
    'add this
    LOCAL LstErr AS STRING
    TCP PRINT nTCP, "STAT"
    TCP LINE nTCP, Buffer
    IF LEFT$(Buffer, 3) <> "+OK" THEN
        FUNCTION = -154  'error
        LstErr = "Error getting POP3 STAT"
        EXIT FUNCTION
    END IF
    Messages = VAL(PARSE$(Buffer, " ", 2))
    MsgSize  = VAL(PARSE$(Buffer, " ", 3))
    FUNCTION = 0
END FUNCTION

[John Petty]

Mike attached is the full original code.

[Mike Doty]

I'll try to find a way to extract a RAR file. Never had to before.
Thanks, the pop3 checker I have now is multi-threaded and interesting.
It launches my email program and checks multiple pop3 servers and gives
me different sound notifications based upon which account is receiving the mail. I need to put a GUI around it using PB Forms.
I'm having a problem with it keep telling me the email is there until it is read.

Arthur: thank you for converting it!

[Arthur Gomide]

In zip format

[John Petty]

Mike
Apologies, I stopped using Zips because so many people use M$'s email programs and they will block attachments even containing code with a .bas extension, but they don't look inside Rars. Winrar is good.
Your other problem is tricky I guess you need to store the last count in a static or on disk if the program closes, notify when it goes up or reset to zero if it goes down.
A slower but more accurate method would be to download the emails but not delete them from the server as that is a seperate command and only notify if the last one has changed.
John
Added, sending a list command on the highest number and looking for a size change is probably the fastest.

[Mike Doty]

Please only use secure connections checking POP3.

[Dale Yarker]

Fairer statement than in other thread, but still necro-posting

[Mike Doty]

I don't find anything wrong telling people they are at risk using this code (it is not using a secure connection with Pop3.)
I haven't found any evidence that IMAP is more secure checking for email than Pop3 if both are using TLS.
The code above is insecure.