Chapter 15. WEBBOTS THAT READ EMAIL

When a webbot can read email, it's easier for it to communicate with the outside world.[49] Webbots capable of reading email can take instruction via email commands, share data with handheld devices like BlackBerries and Palm PDAs, and filter messages for content.

For example, if package-tracking information is sent to an email account that a webbot can access, the webbot can parse incoming email from the carrier to track delivery status. Such a webbot could also send email warnings when shipments are late, communicate shipping charges to your corporate accounting software, or create reports that analyze a company's use of overnight shipping.

The POP3 Protocol

Of the many protocols for reading email from mail ...

Get Webbots, Spiders, and Screen Scrapers now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.