This module defines two classes, :class:`Mailbox` and :class:`Message`, for
accessing and manipulating on-disk mailboxes and the messages they contain.
-:class:`Mailbox` offers a dictionary-like mapping from keys to messages.
-:class:`Message` extends the :mod:`email.message` module's
+:class:`!Mailbox` offers a dictionary-like mapping from keys to messages.
+:class:`!Message` extends the :mod:`email.message` module's
:class:`~email.message.Message` class with format-specific state and behavior.
Supported mailbox formats are Maildir, mbox, MH, Babyl, and MMDF.
.. _mailbox-objects:
-:class:`Mailbox` objects
-------------------------
+:class:`!Mailbox` objects
+-------------------------
.. class:: Mailbox
A mailbox, which may be inspected and modified.
- The :class:`Mailbox` class defines an interface and is not intended to be
+ The :class:`!Mailbox` class defines an interface and is not intended to be
instantiated. Instead, format-specific subclasses should inherit from
- :class:`Mailbox` and your code should instantiate a particular subclass.
+ :class:`!Mailbox` and your code should instantiate a particular subclass.
- The :class:`Mailbox` interface is dictionary-like, with small keys
- corresponding to messages. Keys are issued by the :class:`Mailbox` instance
- with which they will be used and are only meaningful to that :class:`Mailbox`
+ The :class:`!Mailbox` interface is dictionary-like, with small keys
+ corresponding to messages. Keys are issued by the :class:`!Mailbox` instance
+ with which they will be used and are only meaningful to that :class:`!Mailbox`
instance. A key continues to identify a message even if the corresponding
message is modified, such as by replacing it with another message.
- Messages may be added to a :class:`Mailbox` instance using the set-like
+ Messages may be added to a :class:`!Mailbox` instance using the set-like
method :meth:`add` and removed using a ``del`` statement or the set-like
methods :meth:`remove` and :meth:`discard`.
- :class:`Mailbox` interface semantics differ from dictionary semantics in some
+ :class:`!Mailbox` interface semantics differ from dictionary semantics in some
noteworthy ways. Each time a message is requested, a new representation
(typically a :class:`Message` instance) is generated based upon the current
state of the mailbox. Similarly, when a message is added to a
- :class:`Mailbox` instance, the provided message representation's contents are
+ :class:`!Mailbox` instance, the provided message representation's contents are
copied. In neither case is a reference to the message representation kept by
- the :class:`Mailbox` instance.
+ the :class:`!Mailbox` instance.
- The default :class:`Mailbox` iterator iterates over message representations,
- not keys as the default dictionary iterator does. Moreover, modification of a
+ The default :class:`!Mailbox` :term:`iterator` iterates over message
+ representations, not keys as the default :class:`dictionary <dict>`
+ iterator does. Moreover, modification of a
mailbox during iteration is safe and well-defined. Messages added to the
mailbox after an iterator is created will not be seen by the
iterator. Messages removed from the mailbox before the iterator yields them
Be very cautious when modifying mailboxes that might be simultaneously
changed by some other process. The safest mailbox format to use for such
- tasks is Maildir; try to avoid using single-file formats such as mbox for
+ tasks is :class:`Maildir`; try to avoid using single-file formats such as
+ :class:`mbox` for
concurrent writing. If you're modifying a mailbox, you *must* lock it by
calling the :meth:`lock` and :meth:`unlock` methods *before* reading any
messages in the file or making any changes by adding or deleting a
message. Failing to lock the mailbox runs the risk of losing messages or
corrupting the entire mailbox.
- :class:`Mailbox` instances have the following methods:
+ :class:`!Mailbox` instances have the following methods:
.. method:: add(message)
.. method:: iterkeys()
- keys()
- Return an iterator over all keys if called as :meth:`iterkeys` or return a
- list of keys if called as :meth:`keys`.
+ Return an :term:`iterator` over all keys
+
+
+ .. method:: keys()
+
+ The same as :meth:`iterkeys`, except that a :class:`list` is returned
+ rather than an :term:`iterator`
.. method:: itervalues()
__iter__()
- values()
- Return an iterator over representations of all messages if called as
- :meth:`itervalues` or :meth:`__iter__` or return a list of such
- representations if called as :meth:`values`. The messages are represented
+ Return an :term:`iterator` over representations of all messages.
+ The messages are represented
as instances of the appropriate format-specific :class:`Message` subclass
- unless a custom message factory was specified when the :class:`Mailbox`
+ unless a custom message factory was specified when the :class:`!Mailbox`
instance was initialized.
.. note::
iterate over keys.
+ .. method:: values()
+
+ The same as :meth:`itervalues`, except that a :class:`list` is returned
+ rather than an :term:`iterator`
+
+
.. method:: iteritems()
- items()
- Return an iterator over (*key*, *message*) pairs, where *key* is a key and
- *message* is a message representation, if called as :meth:`iteritems` or
- return a list of such pairs if called as :meth:`items`. The messages are
+ Return an :term:`iterator` over (*key*, *message*) pairs, where *key* is
+ a key and *message* is a message representation. The messages are
represented as instances of the appropriate format-specific
:class:`Message` subclass unless a custom message factory was specified
- when the :class:`Mailbox` instance was initialized.
+ when the :class:`!Mailbox` instance was initialized.
+
+
+ .. method:: items()
+
+ The same as :meth:`iteritems`, except that a :class:`list` of pairs is
+ returned rather than an :term:`iterator` of pairs.
.. method:: get(key, default=None)
Return a representation of the message corresponding to *key*. If no such
message exists, *default* is returned if the method was called as
:meth:`get` and a :exc:`KeyError` exception is raised if the method was
- called as :meth:`~object.__getitem__`. The message is represented as an instance
+ called as :meth:`!__getitem__`. The message is represented as an instance
of the appropriate format-specific :class:`Message` subclass unless a
- custom message factory was specified when the :class:`Mailbox` instance
+ custom message factory was specified when the :class:`!Mailbox` instance
was initialized.
.. method:: get_file(key)
- Return a file-like representation of the message corresponding to *key*,
+ Return a :term:`file-like <file-like object>` representation of the
+ message corresponding to *key*,
or raise a :exc:`KeyError` exception if no such message exists. The
file-like object behaves as if open in binary mode. This file should be
closed once it is no longer needed.
.. versionchanged:: 3.2
- The file object really is a binary file; previously it was incorrectly
- returned in text mode. Also, the file-like object now supports the
- context management protocol: you can use a :keyword:`with` statement to
- automatically close it.
+ The file object really is a :term:`binary file`; previously it was
+ incorrectly returned in text mode. Also, the :term:`file-like object`
+ now supports the :term:`context manager` protocol: you can use a
+ :keyword:`with` statement to automatically close it.
.. note::
- Unlike other representations of messages, file-like representations are
- not necessarily independent of the :class:`Mailbox` instance that
+ Unlike other representations of messages,
+ :term:`file-like <file-like object>` representations are not
+ necessarily independent of the :class:`!Mailbox` instance that
created them or of the underlying mailbox. More specific documentation
is provided by each subclass.
the message. If no such message exists, return *default*. The message is
represented as an instance of the appropriate format-specific
:class:`Message` subclass unless a custom message factory was specified
- when the :class:`Mailbox` instance was initialized.
+ when the :class:`!Mailbox` instance was initialized.
.. method:: popitem()
message. If the mailbox is empty, raise a :exc:`KeyError` exception. The
message is represented as an instance of the appropriate format-specific
:class:`Message` subclass unless a custom message factory was specified
- when the :class:`Mailbox` instance was initialized.
+ when the :class:`!Mailbox` instance was initialized.
.. method:: update(arg)
*message* as if by using :meth:`__setitem__`. As with :meth:`__setitem__`,
each *key* must already correspond to a message in the mailbox or else a
:exc:`KeyError` exception will be raised, so in general it is incorrect
- for *arg* to be a :class:`Mailbox` instance.
+ for *arg* to be a :class:`!Mailbox` instance.
.. note::
.. method:: flush()
Write any pending changes to the filesystem. For some :class:`Mailbox`
- subclasses, changes are always written immediately and :meth:`flush` does
+ subclasses, changes are always written immediately and :meth:`!flush` does
nothing, but you should still make a habit of calling this method.
.. method:: close()
Flush the mailbox, unlock it if necessary, and close any open files. For
- some :class:`Mailbox` subclasses, this method does nothing.
+ some :class:`!Mailbox` subclasses, this method does nothing.
.. _mailbox-maildir:
-:class:`Maildir`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!Maildir` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: Maildir(dirname, factory=None, create=True)
Folders of the style introduced by the Courier mail transfer agent are also
supported. Any subdirectory of the main mailbox is considered a folder if
``'.'`` is the first character in its name. Folder names are represented by
- :class:`Maildir` without the leading ``'.'``. Each folder is itself a Maildir
+ :class:`!Maildir` without the leading ``'.'``. Each folder is itself a Maildir
mailbox but should not contain other folders. Instead, a logical nesting is
indicated using ``'.'`` to delimit levels, e.g., "Archived.2005.07".
- .. note::
+ .. attribute:: Maildir.colon
The Maildir specification requires the use of a colon (``':'``) in certain
message file names. However, some operating systems do not permit this
import mailbox
mailbox.Maildir.colon = '!'
- The :attr:`colon` attribute may also be set on a per-instance basis.
+ The :attr:`!colon` attribute may also be set on a per-instance basis.
- :class:`Maildir` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in
+ :class:`!Maildir` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in
addition to the following:
.. method:: get_folder(folder)
- Return a :class:`Maildir` instance representing the folder whose name is
+ Return a :class:`!Maildir` instance representing the folder whose name is
*folder*. A :exc:`NoSuchMailboxError` exception is raised if the folder
does not exist.
.. method:: add_folder(folder)
- Create a folder whose name is *folder* and return a :class:`Maildir`
+ Create a folder whose name is *folder* and return a :class:`!Maildir`
instance representing it.
.. versionadded:: 3.13
- Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`Maildir` deserve special
+ Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`!Maildir` deserve special
remarks:
.. method:: close()
- :class:`Maildir` instances do not keep any open files and the underlying
+ :class:`!Maildir` instances do not keep any open files and the underlying
mailboxes do not support locking, so this method does nothing.
.. _mailbox-mbox:
-:class:`mbox`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!mbox` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: mbox(path, factory=None, create=True)
each message indicated by a line whose first five characters are "From ".
Several variations of the mbox format exist to address perceived shortcomings in
- the original. In the interest of compatibility, :class:`mbox` implements the
+ the original. In the interest of compatibility, :class:`!mbox` implements the
original format, which is sometimes referred to as :dfn:`mboxo`. This means that
the :mailheader:`Content-Length` header, if present, is ignored and that any
occurrences of "From " at the beginning of a line in a message body are
transformed to ">From " when storing the message, although occurrences of ">From
" are not transformed to "From " when reading the message.
- Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`mbox` deserve special
+ Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`!mbox` deserve special
remarks:
.. method:: get_file(key)
- Using the file after calling :meth:`flush` or :meth:`close` on the
- :class:`mbox` instance may yield unpredictable results or raise an
- exception.
+ Using the file after calling :meth:`~Mailbox.flush` or
+ :meth:`~Mailbox.close` on the :class:`!mbox` instance may yield
+ unpredictable results or raise an exception.
.. method:: lock()
.. _mailbox-mh:
-:class:`MH`
-^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!MH` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: MH(path, factory=None, create=True)
messages without moving them to sub-folders. Sequences are defined in a file
called :file:`.mh_sequences` in each folder.
- The :class:`MH` class manipulates MH mailboxes, but it does not attempt to
+ The :class:`!MH` class manipulates MH mailboxes, but it does not attempt to
emulate all of :program:`mh`'s behaviors. In particular, it does not modify
and is not affected by the :file:`context` or :file:`.mh_profile` files that
are used by :program:`mh` to store its state and configuration.
- :class:`MH` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in addition
+ :class:`!MH` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in addition
to the following:
.. method:: get_folder(folder)
- Return an :class:`MH` instance representing the folder whose name is
+ Return an :class:`!MH` instance representing the folder whose name is
*folder*. A :exc:`NoSuchMailboxError` exception is raised if the folder
does not exist.
.. method:: add_folder(folder)
- Create a folder whose name is *folder* and return an :class:`MH` instance
+ Create a folder whose name is *folder* and return an :class:`!MH` instance
representing it.
Already-issued keys are invalidated by this operation and should not be
subsequently used.
- Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`MH` deserve special
+ Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`!MH` deserve special
remarks:
.. method:: close()
- :class:`MH` instances do not keep any open files, so this method is
+ :class:`!MH` instances do not keep any open files, so this method is
equivalent to :meth:`unlock`.
.. _mailbox-babyl:
-:class:`Babyl`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!Babyl` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: Babyl(path, factory=None, create=True)
message, and a list of all user-defined labels found in the mailbox is kept
in the Babyl options section.
- :class:`Babyl` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in
+ :class:`!Babyl` instances have all of the methods of :class:`Mailbox` in
addition to the following:
options section, but the Babyl section is updated whenever the mailbox
is modified.
- Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`Babyl` deserve special
+ Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`!Babyl` deserve special
remarks:
.. _mailbox-mmdf:
-:class:`MMDF`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!MMDF` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: MMDF(path, factory=None, create=True)
">From " when storing messages because the extra message separator lines
prevent mistaking such occurrences for the starts of subsequent messages.
- Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`MMDF` deserve special
+ Some :class:`Mailbox` methods implemented by :class:`!MMDF` deserve special
remarks:
.. method:: get_file(key)
- Using the file after calling :meth:`flush` or :meth:`close` on the
- :class:`MMDF` instance may yield unpredictable results or raise an
- exception.
+ Using the file after calling :meth:`~Mailbox.flush` or
+ :meth:`~Mailbox.close` on the :class:`!MMDF` instance may yield
+ unpredictable results or raise an exception.
.. method:: lock()
.. _mailbox-message-objects:
-:class:`Message` objects
-------------------------
+:class:`!Message` objects
+-------------------------
.. class:: Message(message=None)
A subclass of the :mod:`email.message` module's
- :class:`~email.message.Message`. Subclasses of :class:`mailbox.Message` add
+ :class:`~email.message.Message`. Subclasses of :class:`!mailbox.Message` add
mailbox-format-specific state and behavior.
If *message* is omitted, the new instance is created in a default, empty state.
If *message* is an :class:`email.message.Message` instance, its contents are
copied; furthermore, any format-specific information is converted insofar as
- possible if *message* is a :class:`Message` instance. If *message* is a string,
+ possible if *message* is a :class:`!Message` instance. If *message* is a string,
a byte string,
or a file, it should contain an :rfc:`2822`\ -compliant message, which is read
and parsed. Files should be open in binary mode, but text mode files
such as whether a message has been read by the user or marked as important is
retained, because it applies to the message itself.
- There is no requirement that :class:`Message` instances be used to represent
+ There is no requirement that :class:`!Message` instances be used to represent
messages retrieved using :class:`Mailbox` instances. In some situations, the
- time and memory required to generate :class:`Message` representations might
- not be acceptable. For such situations, :class:`Mailbox` instances also
+ time and memory required to generate :class:`!Message` representations might
+ not be acceptable. For such situations, :class:`!Mailbox` instances also
offer string and file-like representations, and a custom message factory may
- be specified when a :class:`Mailbox` instance is initialized.
+ be specified when a :class:`!Mailbox` instance is initialized.
.. _mailbox-maildirmessage:
-:class:`MaildirMessage`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!MaildirMessage` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: MaildirMessage(message=None)
| T | Trashed | Marked for subsequent deletion |
+------+---------+--------------------------------+
- :class:`MaildirMessage` instances offer the following methods:
+ :class:`!MaildirMessage` instances offer the following methods:
.. method:: get_subdir()
Set "info" to *info*, which should be a string.
-When a :class:`MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When a :class:`!MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`mboxMessage` or :class:`MMDFMessage` instance, the :mailheader:`Status`
and :mailheader:`X-Status` headers are omitted and the following conversions
take place:
| T flag | D flag |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------------+
-When a :class:`MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When a :class:`!MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`MHMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------------------+--------------------------+
| R flag | "replied" sequence |
+-------------------------------+--------------------------+
-When a :class:`MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When a :class:`!MaildirMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`BabylMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
.. _mailbox-mboxmessage:
-:class:`mboxMessage`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!mboxMessage` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: mboxMessage(message=None)
"D", "F", and "A" flags are stored in the :mailheader:`X-Status` header. The
flags and headers typically appear in the order mentioned.
- :class:`mboxMessage` instances offer the following methods:
+ :class:`!mboxMessage` instances offer the following methods:
.. method:: get_from()
remove more than one flag at a time, *flag* maybe a string of more than
one character.
-When an :class:`mboxMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!mboxMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance, a "From " line is generated based upon the
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance's delivery date, and the following conversions
take place:
| A flag | R flag |
+-----------------+-------------------------------+
-When an :class:`mboxMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When an :class:`!mboxMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`MHMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------+--------------------------+
| A flag | "replied" sequence |
+-------------------+--------------------------+
-When an :class:`mboxMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!mboxMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`BabylMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| A flag | "answered" label |
+-------------------+-----------------------------+
-When a :class:`Message` instance is created based upon an :class:`MMDFMessage`
+When a :class:`!mboxMessage` instance is created based upon an
+:class:`MMDFMessage`
instance, the "From " line is copied and all flags directly correspond:
+-----------------+----------------------------+
.. _mailbox-mhmessage:
-:class:`MHMessage`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!MHMessage` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: MHMessage(message=None)
| flagged | Marked as important |
+----------+------------------------------------------+
- :class:`MHMessage` instances offer the following methods:
+ :class:`!MHMessage` instances offer the following methods:
.. method:: get_sequences()
Remove *sequence* from the list of sequences that include this message.
-When an :class:`MHMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!MHMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+--------------------+-------------------------------+
| "flagged" sequence | F flag |
+--------------------+-------------------------------+
-When an :class:`MHMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When an :class:`!MHMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`mboxMessage` or :class:`MMDFMessage` instance, the :mailheader:`Status`
and :mailheader:`X-Status` headers are omitted and the following conversions
take place:
| "flagged" sequence | F flag |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------------+
-When an :class:`MHMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!MHMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`BabylMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+--------------------+-----------------------------+
.. _mailbox-babylmessage:
-:class:`BabylMessage`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!BabylMessage` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: BabylMessage(message=None)
| resent | Resent |
+-----------+------------------------------------------+
- By default, Rmail displays only visible headers. The :class:`BabylMessage`
+ By default, Rmail displays only visible headers. The :class:`!BabylMessage`
class, though, uses the original headers because they are more
complete. Visible headers may be accessed explicitly if desired.
- :class:`BabylMessage` instances offer the following methods:
+ :class:`!BabylMessage` instances offer the following methods:
.. method:: get_labels()
.. method:: update_visible()
- When a :class:`BabylMessage` instance's original headers are modified, the
+ When a :class:`!BabylMessage` instance's original headers are modified, the
visible headers are not automatically modified to correspond. This method
updates the visible headers as follows: each visible header with a
corresponding original header is set to the value of the original header,
present in the original headers but not the visible headers are added to
the visible headers.
-When a :class:`BabylMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When a :class:`!BabylMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------+-------------------------------+
| "forwarded" label | P flag |
+-------------------+-------------------------------+
-When a :class:`BabylMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When a :class:`!BabylMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`mboxMessage` or :class:`MMDFMessage` instance, the :mailheader:`Status`
and :mailheader:`X-Status` headers are omitted and the following conversions
take place:
| "answered" label | A flag |
+------------------+----------------------------------------------+
-When a :class:`BabylMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When a :class:`!BabylMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`MHMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+------------------+--------------------------+
.. _mailbox-mmdfmessage:
-:class:`MMDFMessage`
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:class:`!MMDFMessage` objects
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. class:: MMDFMessage(message=None)
"D", "F", and "A" flags are stored in the :mailheader:`X-Status` header. The
flags and headers typically appear in the order mentioned.
- :class:`MMDFMessage` instances offer the following methods, which are
+ :class:`!MMDFMessage` instances offer the following methods, which are
identical to those offered by :class:`mboxMessage`:
remove more than one flag at a time, *flag* maybe a string of more than
one character.
-When an :class:`MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance, a "From " line is generated based upon the
:class:`MaildirMessage` instance's delivery date, and the following conversions
take place:
| A flag | R flag |
+-----------------+-------------------------------+
-When an :class:`MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When an :class:`!MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`MHMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------+--------------------------+
| A flag | "replied" sequence |
+-------------------+--------------------------+
-When an :class:`MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon a
+When an :class:`!MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon a
:class:`BabylMessage` instance, the following conversions take place:
+-------------------+-----------------------------+
| A flag | "answered" label |
+-------------------+-----------------------------+
-When an :class:`MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon an
+When an :class:`!MMDFMessage` instance is created based upon an
:class:`mboxMessage` instance, the "From " line is copied and all flags directly
correspond:
Exceptions
----------
-The following exception classes are defined in the :mod:`mailbox` module:
+The following exception classes are defined in the :mod:`!mailbox` module:
.. exception:: Error()
projects / thirdparty / Python / cpython.git / commitdiff
