PHP & MySQL® Web Development All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies®

5.2. Accessing IMAP and mBox Mailboxes

Sending mail is useful, but you can also go one step further and give your users a full Web mail experience like those provided by Hotmail or Gmail. There are three primary protocols used to allow a user access to their mailbox:

• POP3: Post Office Protocol, version 3. Primarily used for sending and downloading e-mails to a local client such as Microsoft Outlook. POP3 is what's used by the mail() function discussed in the previous sections.

• IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol. This is meant for users who will access their mailboxes online and will store their messages on the server.

• mBox: The Unix-style mailbox. Originally designed to be a local mailbox that users would access directly by logging onto the server, mBox mailboxes are still used, so you might need to support them.

5.2.1. Using the Mail_IMAP extension

The Mail_IMAP extension contains a long list of functions, but for everyday use, you need only a few of them. We've included code examples for each function. These examples assume you have a Mail_IMAP object called $imap:

• connect(): Opens the user's mailbox as shown in the following code snippet:

  $imap->connect(imap://user:password@mail.
  example.com:143/INBOX);

• close(): Disconnects from the user's mailbox

  $imap->close();

• getHeaders(): Retrieves the headers of messages in the user's mailbox

  $imap->getHeaders($message_id);

• getBody(): Retrieves the message body

  $imap->getBody($message_id);

• messageCount(): Displays the number of messages ...