imap_fetch_overview

(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)

imap_fetch_overview — Read an overview of the information in the headers of the given message

Description

imap_fetch_overview(IMAP\Connection $imap, string $sequence, int $flags = 0): array|false

This function fetches mail headers for the given sequence and returns an overview of their contents.

Parameters

imap: An IMAP\Connection instance.
sequence: A message sequence description. You can enumerate desired messages with the X,Y syntax, or retrieve all messages within an interval with the X:Y syntax
flags: sequence will contain a sequence of message indices or UIDs, if this parameter is set to FT_UID.

Return Values

Returns an array of objects describing one message header each. The object will only define a property if it exists. The possible properties are:

subject - the messages subject
from - who sent it
to - recipient
date - when was it sent
message_id - Message-ID
references - is a reference to this message id
in_reply_to - is a reply to this message id
size - size in bytes
uid - UID the message has in the mailbox
msgno - message sequence number in the mailbox
recent - this message is flagged as recent
flagged - this message is flagged
answered - this message is flagged as answered
deleted - this message is flagged for deletion
seen - this message is flagged as already read
draft - this message is flagged as being a draft
udate - the UNIX timestamp of the arrival date

The function returns false on failure.

Changelog

Version	Description
8.1.0	The `imap` parameter expects an IMAP\Connection instance now; previously, a valid `imap` resource was expected.

Examples

Example #1 imap_fetch_overview() example

<?php
$mbox = imap_open("{imap.example.org:143}INBOX", "username", "password")
     or die("can't connect: " . imap_last_error());

$MC = imap_check($mbox);

// Fetch an overview for all messages in INBOX
$result = imap_fetch_overview($mbox,"1:{$MC->Nmsgs}",0);
foreach ($result as $overview) {
    echo "#{$overview->msgno} ({$overview->date}) - From: {$overview->from}
{$overview->subject}\n";
}
imap_close($mbox);
?>

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User Contributed Notes 18 notes

down

raja at aonic dot net ¶

17 years ago

Here is a function to get messages from IMAP and sort them for pagination.

<?php
/**
     * Return array of IMAP messages for pagination
     *
     * @param   int     $page       page number to get
     * @param   int     $per_page   number of results per page
     * @param   array   $sort       array('subject', 'asc') etc
     * 
     * @return  mixed   array containing imap_fetch_overview, pages, and total rows if successful, false if an error occurred
     * @author  Raja K
     */
public function listMessages($page = 1, $per_page = 25, $sort = null) {
$limit = ($per_page * $page);
$start = ($limit - $per_page) + 1;
$start = ($start < 1) ? 1 : $start;
$limit = (($limit - $start) != ($per_page-1)) ? ($start + ($per_page-1)) : $limit;
$info = imap_check($this->_imap_stream);
$limit = ($info->Nmsgs < $limit) ? $info->Nmsgs : $limit;

        if(true === is_array($sort)) {
$sorting = array(
'direction' => array(   'asc' => 0, 
'desc' => 1),

'by'        => array(   'date' => SORTDATE,
'arrival' => SORTARRIVAL,
'from' => SORTFROM,
'subject' => SORTSUBJECT,
'size' => SORTSIZE));
$by = (true === is_int($by = $sorting['by'][$sort[0]])) 
                            ? $by 
: $sorting['by']['date'];
$direction = (true === is_int($direction = $sorting['direction'][$sort[1]])) 
                            ? $direction 
: $sorting['direction']['desc'];

$sorted = imap_sort($this->_imap_stream, $by, $direction);

$msgs = array_chunk($sorted, $per_page);
$msgs = $msgs[$page-1];
        }
        else 
$msgs = range($start, $limit); //just to keep it consistent

$result = imap_fetch_overview($this->_imap_stream, implode($msgs, ','), 0);
        if(false === is_array($result)) return false;

//sorting!
if(true === is_array($sorted)) {
$tmp_result = array();
            foreach($result as $r)
$tmp_result[$r->msgno] = $r;

$result = array();
            foreach($msgs as $msgno) {
$result[] = $tmp_result[$msgno];
            }
        }

$return = array('res' => $result,
'start' => $start,
'limit' => $limit,
'sorting' => array('by' => $sort[0], 'direction' => $sort[1]),
'total' => imap_num_msg($this->_imap_stream));
$return['pages'] = ceil($return['total'] / $per_page);
        return $return;
    }
?>

down

Nitrogen ¶

9 years ago

Judging from the comments here, it appears like people are forgetting the basics to already-available PHP sorting functions. Use usort(); and the tiniest custom function ever to compare them all.

Change the arguments to imap_fetch_overview to your own, obviously.

<?php
$result = imap_fetch_overview($imap_stream, '1:10', 0);

usort($result, function($a, $b) {
  return($b->udate-$a->udate);
});
?>

This usort function will look at each overview and order them in the exact latest to oldest message order as determined by the "udate" value for each message. This works. I'm using it. They're sorted in the exact order they appear in my actual inbox. Why obfuscate it any more?

down

thinice at gmail dot com ¶

13 years ago

Hopefully someone will find this a jumpstarter for a sortable, paginated list:


<?php

public function listMessages($nStart=0, $nCnt=10) {


    if (!$this->loaded) {

        return NULL;

    }


    if (($nStart+$nCnt) > $this->getNum()) {

$nCnt = $this->getNum()-$nStart;

    }


$aMsgs = imap_fetch_overview($this->rCon, ($nStart+1).':'.($nStart+$nCnt));

$aRet = array();

    if ($aMsgs) {

        foreach ($aMsgs as $msg) {

$aRet[$msg->udate] = $msg;

        }

    }


krsort($aRet);


var_dump($aRet);

}

?>

down

undernetangel at gmail dot com ¶

7 years ago

There is a typo in the manual. The correct return value for arrival time is: udate not update.

down

Ap.Muthu ¶

8 years ago

The use of the $range parameter is explained in the example at: http://www.phpdig.net/ref/rn31re596.html

<?php
$imap = imap_open("{localhost}INBOX","graeme","inferno");

// fetch message information for message 2
// and messages 4 to 6
$info = imap_fetch_overview($imap, "2,4:6");

?>

<table border=1>
<tr><th>Read</th><th>From</th><th>Date</th><th>Subject</th></tr>

<?php
// loop through the array
foreach ($info as $msg) {
   echo "<tr>";

// display the seen property nicely
if ($msg->seen == 1) {
$read = "Yes";
   } else {
$read = "No";
   }

// print other message information
printf("<td>%s</td>", $read);
printf("<td>%s</td>", $msg->from);
printf("<td>%s</td>", $msg->date);
printf("<td>%s</td>", $msg->subject);
}

imap_close($imap);
?>

down

info at djdb dot be ¶

11 years ago

If you lost a mail use this

<?php

public function READallUnreadmail(){

        if ($headers = imap_check($this->msgbox)){

$lastnr = $headers->Nmsgs;

            if ($mails=imap_fetch_overview($this->msgbox,"1:".$lastnr,0)){

                while (list($key, $val) = each($mails)) {

                   if (++$key>=0&&$header= imap_header($this->msgbox, $key)){

                        if($header->Unseen=='U'||$header->Recent=='R'){

                            echo "<br>".$val->msgno." - ".$val->date." - ".$val->subject."\n<br>";

                            print "IREAD".$header->Msgno;

//$this->getattachmentof($header->Msgno);

}

                    }

                }

            }

        }

    }

?>

down

steve at stevenchalker dot net ¶

22 years ago

I think if you go like a list, you can list your "hotmail" messages.

<?php

$mbox=imap_open("{imap.server.com}","user","pass");

$MC=imap_check($mbox);

$MN=$MC->Nmsgs;

$overview=imap_fetch_overview($mbox,"1:$MN",0);

$size=sizeof($overview);

for($i=$size-1;$i>=0;$i--){

$val=$overview[$i];

$msg=$val->msgno;

$from=$val->from;

$date=$val->date;

$subj=$val->subject;

echo "#$msg: From:'$from' Date:'$date' Subject:'$subj'<BR>";

imap_close($mbox);

?>

down

mails at slueoend dot ch ¶

20 years ago

Not that this function and all other imap_fetch*-functions will download the whole message and not just the header information.

down

damien at dipisoft dot com ¶

3 years ago

This is not documented but I just found out that with the FT_UID flag you can use "-1" in sequence as the last identifier. Example:

<?php
[...]
$result = imap_fetch_overview($mbox, "$first_uid:-1", FT_UID);
    [...]
?>

down

jeff at newscloud dot com ¶

10 years ago

The Remote class here (https://github.com/newscloud/mail_filter/blob/master/app/protected/models/Remote.php) has a lot of examples of processing mailbox folders with imap-fetch-overview:

        $this->open($account_id,$this->path_inbox);
         $recent_messages = @imap_search($this->stream, 'SINCE "'.date("j F Y",$tstamp).'"',SE_UID); // 30 November 2013
         if ($recent_messages===false) continue; // to do - continue into next account
         $result = imap_fetch_overview($this->stream, implode(',',array_slice($recent_messages,0,$message_limit)),FT_UID);
         foreach ($result as $item) {         
           $msg = $this->parseHeader($item);

down

will ¶

15 years ago

This seems to retrieve incomplete values for headers, instead of getting the entire value, it gets the first. for example, this is a valid To: header


To: foo1@example.com,foo2@example.com

     foo3@example.com


but imap_fetch_overview will only return:

foo1@example.com

down

Group-Office Developer ¶

20 years ago

About the sequence sorting again.
I've found that there's a significant speed improvement by preparing the sequence and then fetch them at once with large mailboxes. On small mailboxes wyou will not notice a speed difference.

But then there's the sorting problem. I've spent all night fiuring out how to do this myself. I found the solution!

Prepare an array of messages with imap_sort. Create a second array that maps the message numbers to the actuall place in the fetched array.
You know it will be in numeric order so you can make an array map with the sort() function sorting it from high to low.
Then you can proces the array fetched with imap_fetch_overview with the array_map and you will have them sorted. If you need an example look in the Group-Office code classes/imap.class.inc in a version later then 2.04.

down

trionon at mail dot ru ¶

22 years ago

This performance hint is useful if you need to print the result of imap_sort():

It's faster to prepare large string with UIDs and then to call imap_fetchoverview once than calling imap_fetchoverview in a loop.

down

-1

rueda dot raul at gmail dot com ¶

10 years ago

English:
I've found that for some messages, this function and also function imap_headerinfo(), can't decode the message_id information and returns an ID like "<xxxxxxxxx@unknownmsgid>" 

In these cases, I use the following to get the correct messageid:

$header=imap_rfc822_parse_headers(imap_fetchheader($mbox,$msgno))

Spanish:
Con algunos mensajes, esta funcion, al igual que la funcion imap_headerinfo(), no pueden decodificar correctamente la información del ID de mensaje y devuelven un ID como este "<xxxxxxxxx@unknownmsgid>" 

En esos casos, uso lo siguiente para obtener el ID de mensaje correcto:

$header=imap_rfc822_parse_headers(imap_fetchheader($mbox,$msgno))

down

-1

se at designlinks dot net ¶

21 years ago

To further explain 'warrenfalk's comment, the following sequences are exactly the same, and always returns messages with lowest UID to highest UID:

1:5
5:1
1,2,3,4,5
5,4,3,2,1
3,2,5,1,4

(always returned as 1,2,3,4,5)

down

-2

suurenbroekNoSpam at ov35 dot NoSpam dot nl ¶

21 years ago

Note that these object-variables only exist when they are actually in the mail.

This means that if a mail has no subject, the property $val->subject will not exist.

Calling $val->subject will generate an notice:
Notice: Undefined property: subject in /home/html/inc/Mbox.php on line xxx

Use this to check it:
if (array_key_exists( "subject", get_object_vars($val)))
   $subj=$val->subject; 
else
   $subj="";

down

-2

dognose ¶

15 years ago

That's right: 

calling imap_fetch_overview() once is faster, than calling it
in a loop.

But if you want to get a "day sorted" list, you need to call it in a loop, cause if you enter a "string" of UIDs, they are always sorted by UID, not by the order you entered it.

Heres a little example how to get a date-sorted list:

<?php
/*Sort all msgs by Arrival Date. Newest = 0, oldest = Array Count*/
/*returns an array, containing the UIDs of messages*/
$SortedArray = imap_sort($Handle,SORTARRIVAL,1,SE_UID);

For ($i = $Start; $i< $Start + $Limit; $i++){
/*Read UID from Sorted Array*/
$UID = $SortedArray[$i];

/*Get Detailed MSG Infos*/
$Overview = imap_fetch_overview($Handle, $UID, FT_UID);

      [...]
}
?>

down

-3

xhack at web dot de ¶

17 years ago

you want a sortet list of mails, but you get always the same order? your c-client seems to cause this. i realized this with linux libc6-2.3.6 and php-5.2.0

try this little code:

# here you try to sort by your criteria
$sort=@imap_sort($mbox,SORTDATE,1,SE_UID); 

# here the order of the messages to fetch should be recognised, but it isn't

$tmp=@imap_fetch_overview($mbox,implode(',',$sort),FT_UID);
# so try to work around simply:
for($i=0;$i<count($tmp);$i++)
{ $liste[$i]=$tmp[array_search($tmp[$i]->uid,$sort)]; }

so now you can use the sort by date, address, and so on.

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imap_fetch_overview

Description

Parameters

Return Values

Changelog

Examples

See Also

Improve This Page

User Contributed Notes 18 notes