Fetch email and extract photos
Programming Snapshot – Go Mail Client
In this month's column, Mike Schilli writes a special mail client in Go and delves into the depths of the IMAP protocol in order to archive photos from incoming emails.
Popular email clients such as Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook make it very easy to automatically filter and forward incoming messages. I recently had the idea of sending freshly taken photos to my account by email, from where my desktop computer would automatically retrieve them at regular intervals, extract the photos from the email body, and proceed to archive them (Figure 1). How difficult would it be to fetch emails from the provider with a DIY Go program and extract the photos embedded in MIME format in order to store them on my hard disk? Luckily, Go libraries make quick work of such problems!
Transport Logistics
In order for turnkey email clients to gain access to your choice of provider's mail server, they require three parameters: the IMAP server including the port, the username, and the password. Besides this, you are always asked for the SMTP server and port, possibly along with any other credentials you might have there. The reason for this is that two completely different technologies are used to collect and send email, and they usually run on different servers.
Protocols such as IMAP (or maybe POP3) check whether a user on the mail server has mail. To do this, the email client contacts the server and asks how many messages there are. The client can then either download the messages individually and store them in folders or even delete them.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Endless OS 6 has Arrived
After more than a year since the last update, the latest release of Endless OS is now available for general usage.
-
Fedora Asahi 40 Remix Available for Macs with Apple Silicon
If you've been anticipating KDE's Plasma 6 for your Apple Silicon-powered Mac, then you're in luck.
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.