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IMAP

Connect to IMAP servers to manage emails and mailboxes

Overview

This node connects to an IMAP email server to manage emails and mailboxes. It supports various operations such as listing emails, retrieving a specific email, searching emails, moving emails between folders, marking emails (e.g., read/unread), deleting emails, and downloading attachments.

The Download Attachment operation specifically allows users to download a particular attachment from an email identified by its unique ID within a specified mailbox folder.

Practical scenarios include:

  • Automating the retrieval of invoice PDFs or reports sent via email.
  • Extracting attachments for further processing or storage in other systems.
  • Integrating email attachment downloads into workflows without manual intervention.

Properties

Name Meaning
Folder The email folder to work with. Can be selected from a list of available folders or entered manually (e.g., "INBOX").
Email UID The unique identifier of the email from which to download the attachment.
Attachment Index The zero-based index of the attachment to download from the specified email.

Output

The node outputs an array of items where each item contains a json property representing the result of the operation.

For the Download Attachment operation, the output includes the downloaded attachment data. If the attachment is binary (such as a PDF, image, or document), it will be provided in the binary data part of the output item, allowing subsequent nodes to process or save the file.

Dependencies

  • Requires connection credentials to an IMAP server: host, port, security settings, username, and password.
  • Uses the imapflow library internally to handle IMAP protocol communication.
  • Needs proper network access to the IMAP server.
  • The node expects valid email UIDs and folder names to function correctly.

Troubleshooting

  • Connection issues: Errors connecting to the IMAP server may occur due to incorrect host, port, or authentication details. Verify credentials and network accessibility.
  • Invalid folder or email UID: Specifying a non-existent folder or an invalid email UID will cause errors. Ensure the folder exists and the email UID is correct.
  • Attachment index out of range: If the attachment index exceeds the number of attachments in the email, the node will fail. Confirm the index corresponds to an existing attachment.
  • Timeouts during logout: The node attempts to logout gracefully but has a timeout fallback. Network instability might cause forced closure warnings, which are generally safe to ignore.
  • Continue on Fail: If enabled, the node will continue processing remaining items even if one fails, returning error details in the output JSON.

Links and References

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