EmailStartIMAPSession (Function)

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Timeout
Connection with two-factor authentication
Gmail: What should I do if a connection to Gmail (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) fails due to a certificate error?

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EmailStartIMAPSession (Function)

In french: EmailOuvreSessionIMAP

Starts a session for receiving and reading emails with the IMAP protocol. You will only be able to read the emails. You have the ability to start a secure IMAP session via SSL.

Note: To open an email session, use the EmailStartSMTPSession function.

Example

// Read an email via the IMAP protocol
IF EmailStartIMAPSession(EDT_USER, EDT_PASSWORD, "imap.mydomain.fr") = True THEN
	ProcessIncomingEmails()
ELSE
	Error("Unable to establish the connection")
END

Syntax

<Result> = EmailStartIMAPSession(<Username> , <Password> , <Server address> [, <Port> [, <Option>]])

<Result>: Boolean

True if the session was started,
False otherwise. To get the details of the error, use ErrorInfo.

<Username>: Character string

Username on the server. This name is supplied by the service provider or by the network administrator. This name will be used to identify the email session in the different functions for email management.

<Password>: Character string or Secret string

User password. This password is given by the service provider or by the network administrator.
New in version 2025
Secret strings: If you use the secret string vault, the type of secret string used for this parameter must be "Ansi or Unicode string".
To learn more about secret strings and how to use the vault, see Secret string vault.
Secret strings are not available for this parameter in Android/Android widget applications.

<Server address>: Character string

Address of email server (incoming protocol). This address is supplied by the service provider or by the network administrator. This address can be specified as follows:
IP address in XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX format (192.168.1.1 for example).
IP address containing the server name (imap.mydomain.fr for example). This syntax is recommended.
IP address returned by NetIPAddress.
Note: The address must be an IPv4 address.

<Port>: Optional integer

Identifies the port used for the IMAP protocol (143 by default).

<Option>: Optional Integer constant

Used to specify whether an SSL connection is required:
emailOptionDefault
(Default value) Non-secure connection.
optionTLS TLS connection required (for a secure IMAP server).
Note The port generally used for a secure IMAP server is 993 (not 143, the default port value).
Before version 28 Update 4, this constant was named optionSSL.

Remarks

Timeout

The timeout can be set using EmailSetTimeOut.

Connection with two-factor authentication

More and more providers offer secure email accounts (SMTP/IMAP) with two-factor authentication.

The principle is as follows:

OAuth connection to the mailbox provider: this connection provides a token..
Use the token to connect to IMAP or SMTP email boxes.

Let's see an example of code that can be used:

// Example of IMAP connection with a Gmail account
// and two-factor authentication
OAuthGoogleCnt is OAuth2Parameters
gMyIMAPSession is emailIMAPSession

// IMAP server parameters
gMyIMAPSession.ServerAddress = "imap.gmail.com"
gMyIMAPSession.Option = optionTLS
MyIMAPSession.Port = "993"

// OAuth connection parameters
OAuthGoogleCnt.ClientID = "Application ID"
OAuthGoogleCnt.ClientSecret = "Secret application ID"
OAuthGoogleCnt.AuthURL = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth"
OAuthGoogleCnt.TokenURL = "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token"
OAuthGoogleCnt.Scope = "https://mail.google.com/"
OAuthGoogleCnt.RedirectionURL = "http://localhost:9000"
OAuthGoogleCnt.ResponseType = "code"

// OAuth authentication
gMyIMAPSession.AuthToken = AuthIdentify(OAuthGoogleCnt)
// If the authentication was successful, log in to email inbox.
IF gMyIMAPSession.AuthToken <> Null THEN
	// prefix syntax of EmailStartSession
	IF gMyIMAPSession.StartSession() THEN
	// Session started
	ELSE
	// Error starting the session.
	END
ELSE
	// Authentication error.
END

Gmail: What should I do if a connection to Gmail (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) fails due to a certificate error?

Since the end of August 2017, Google has deployed a new certificate: Google Internet Authority G3. Unfortunately, the Windows API for checking certificates does not validate this certificate.

Therefore, starting a POP3, IMAP or SMTP session may fail with the error "The certificate string was not issued by a trusted authority".

To validate the certificate, all you have to do is modify the management mode of emails. The WLanguage EmailConfigure function allows you to change this mode and to no longer use the Windows API that locks this certificate. The following code must be added before starting the session via EmailStartIMAPSession:

// Enable the multi-platform implementation
EmailConfigure(emailParameterMode, 1)

Remarks:

As of version 23 Update 1, you no longer need to call the EmailConfigure function: WLanguage automatically uses the email management mode appropriate to the session.
You can handle certificate errors on an SMTP session using the IgnoreError property of a variable of type emailSMTPSession.

Component: wd300com.dll