An important aspect of the IMAP protocol is the concept of mailboxes. Mailboxes on the server are used to "organize" messages in a way that is functionally equivalent to local folders. When using PowerTCP, most folder manipulation occurs through the use of the Mailbox object, which represents a mailbox on the server, and the MailboxCollection object, which represents a collection of Mailbox objects. The following examples illustrate how mailboxes can be manipulated through the use of these objects.

Log into the server

No mailboxes can be manipulated without first logging into the server.

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// imap1.Login("myserver", "username", "password");

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' Imap1.Login("myserver", "username", "password")

At this point we are logged in and ready to access the mailboxes. Since the Imap.AutoList property is true, the component automatically issued a list, the results of which were used to populate the Imap.Mailboxes collection.

Create a new mailbox

Use the MailboxCollection.Add method to add a new mailbox. Since the MailboxCollection in question is actually Imap.Mailboxes, the mailbox will be a top-level mailbox.

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// imap1.Mailboxes.Add("TheMailbox");

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' Imap1.Mailboxes.Add("TheMailbox")

Create a "nested" mailbox inside of the new mailbox

As demonstrated above, using the MailboxCollection.Add method adds a new top-level mailbox. If you wish to create a mailbox inside of the new mailbox, you must do so by accessing the MailBox.MailBoxes property of the new mailbox.

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// Get the new mailbox into an easy variable name Mailbox box = imap1.Mailboxes["TheMailbox"]; // Create a new mailbox inside of this mailbox box.Mailboxes.Add("TheNestedMailbox");

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' Get the new mailbox into an easy variable name Dim Box As New Mailbox = Imap1.Mailboxes("TheMailbox") ' Create a new mailbox inside of this mailbox Box.Mailboxes.Add("TheNestedMailbox")

Rename the new "nested" mailbox.

There are essentially two scenarios for renaming a mailbox.

1. Renaming within the current mailbox. (ex. rename "company\development\bob" to "company\development\tom"). This is easily done by first accessing the Mailbox object represented by "company\development\bob", then setting the MailBox.Name property to "tom".
2. Renaming from within the current mailbox to a new mailbox. (ex. rename "company\development\bob\" to "archive\bob"). This can only be done by first accessing the Mailbox object represented by "company\development\bob" then setting the Mailbox.FullName property to "archive\bob".

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// Get the new mailbox into an easy variable name Mailbox box = imap1.Mailboxes["TheMailbox"]; // Create a new mailbox inside of this mailbox box.Mailboxes.Add("TheNestedMailbox");

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' Get the new mailbox into an easy variable name Dim Box As New Mailbox = Imap1.Mailboxes("TheMailbox") ' Create a new mailbox inside of this mailbox Box.Mailboxes.Add("TheNestedMailbox")

The scenario we are demonstrating here falls under the first category. We first must access the mailbox to be renamed, then set the name property.

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// Get the nested mailbox box = box.Mailboxes["TheNestedMailbox"]; // Rename the mailbox box.Name = "TheRenamedMailbox";

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' Get the nested mailbox Box = Box.Mailboxes("TheNestedMailbox") ' Rename the mailbox Box.Name = "TheRenamedMailbox"

Subscribing a mailbox.

Subscribing a mailbox basically tells the server to add this mailbox to the "subscribed" list. This is useful because you can get a listing of only subscribed mailboxes, eliminating info on mailboxes you don't care about.

Subscribe to a mailbox by using the MailBox.Subscribe method. In this example, we will subscribe "TheMailbox\RenamedMailbox".

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// Subscribe the mailbox box.Subscribe(); // Get a listing of only subscribed mailboxes. "TheMailbox\RenamedMailbox" should be included. Mailbox[] boxes = Imap.List("", "%", false);

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' Subscribe the mailbox Box.Subscribe() ' Get a listing of only subscribed mailboxes. "TheMailbox\RenamedMailbox" should be included. Dim Boxes as Mailbox() = Imap.List("", "%", False)

Unsubscribing a mailbox.

To unsubscribe a mailbox, simply use the MailBox.Unsubscribe method.

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// Unsubscribe the mailbox box.Unsubscribe();

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' Unsubscribe the mailbox Box.Unsubscribe()

Deleting a mailbox

Finally, to remove a mailbox you can either use the MailBox.Delete method, or use the MailboxCollection.Remove method. This example will demonstrate using the MailboxCollection.Remove method to remove "TheMailbox". Note, because IMAP is not a true hierarchy, the mailbox named "TheMailbox\RenamedMailbox" will still exist.

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// Remove the mailbox box = imap1.Mailboxes["TheMailbox"]; imap1.Mailboxes.Remove(box);

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' Remove the mailbox Box = Imap1.Mailboxes("TheMailbox") Imap1.Mailboxes.Remove(box)