processing email with Python on Windows?

[Beliavsky]

I work for a financial company where we run Windows XP and read email
using Microsoft Outlook 2003. I get daily files that come as email
attachments from various counterparties. I save them as h:\firm_name
\yyyymmdd.csv . Would Python be a good tool to automate the process of
saving reports, or would it be more convenient to use a Microsoft
proprietary language such as VB or C#? Of course one factor is one's
relative competence with the various languages.

[Mike Driscoll]

On Oct 3, 9:01*am, Beliavsky <[e-mail]:

I work for a financial company where we run Windows XP and read email
using Microsoft Outlook 2003. I get daily files that come as email
attachments from various counterparties. I save them as h:\firm_name
\yyyymmdd.csv . Would Python be a good tool to automate the process of
saving reports, or would it be more convenient to use a Microsoft
proprietary language such as VB or C#? Of course one factor is one's
relative competence with the various languages.

Python can do it using the PyWin32 package. You'll probably connect to
it with COM or ctypes and hack at it that way. Do a Google search for
Python and Outlook and you'll find various ideas, such as the ones at
this link:

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/pyt...ly/007857.html

I recommend giving it a try and if you get stuck, post to the PyWin32
user's group:

http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-win32

Mike

[Rob Williscroft]

Beliavsky wrote in news:d579f554-be4b-4066-acec-49a7bafb1046
@t41g2000hsc.googlegroups.com in comp.lang.python:

I work for a financial company where we run Windows XP and read email
using Microsoft Outlook 2003. I get daily files that come as email
attachments from various counterparties. I save them as h:\firm_name
\yyyymmdd.csv . Would Python be a good tool to automate the process of
saving reports, or would it be more convenient to use a Microsoft
proprietary language such as VB or C#? Of course one factor is one's
relative competence with the various languages.

Assuming your Outlook is using Exchange (or at least a IMAP server),
you can use imaplib in the standard library.

This example should list the messages and attachments in you InBox
fot today.

EXCHANGE = '' #<-- YOUR EXCHANGE SERVER HERE
EXCHANGE_PORT = 143 # default
USER = '' #<-- YOUR USERNAME
PWD ='' #<-- YOUR PASSWORD

import imaplib, email
from datetime import date

today = date.today().strftime( '"%d-%b-%Y"' )

imap = imaplib.IMAP4( EXCHANGE, EXCHANGE_PORT )
imap.login( USER, PWD )
imap.select( 'InBox' )

typ, data = imap.search( None, 'SINCE', today )
for num in data[0].split():
typ, data = imap.fetch(num, '(RFC822)')
msg = email.message_from_string(data[0][1])

print ( "%s, %s\n" % ( num, msg['subject'] ) )
for part in msg.walk():
if part.get_filename() is not None:
print ( " %s\n" % part.get_filename() )

imap.close()
imap.logout()

Rob.
--
http://www.victim-prime.dsl.pipex.com/

[Mike Driscoll]

On Oct 3, 4:10*pm, Rob Williscroft <[e-mail]:

Beliavsky wrote in news:d579f554-be4b-4066-acec-49a7bafb1046
@t41g2000hsc.googlegroups.com in comp.lang.python:

I work for a financial company where we run Windows XP and read email
using Microsoft Outlook 2003. I get daily files that come as email
attachments from various counterparties. I save them as h:\firm_name
\yyyymmdd.csv . Would Python be a good tool to automate the process of
saving reports, or would it be more convenient to use a Microsoft
proprietary language such as VB or C#? Of course one factor is one's
relative competence with the various languages.

Assuming your Outlook is using Exchange (or at least a IMAP server),
you can use imaplib in the standard library.

This example should list the messages and attachments in you InBox
fot today.

EXCHANGE = '' #<-- YOUR EXCHANGE SERVER HERE
EXCHANGE_PORT = 143 # default
USER = '' #<-- YOUR USERNAME
PWD ='' #<-- YOUR PASSWORD

import imaplib, email
from datetime import date

today = date.today().strftime( '"%d-%b-%Y"' )

imap = imaplib.IMAP4( EXCHANGE, EXCHANGE_PORT )
imap.login( USER, PWD )
imap.select( 'InBox' )

typ, data = imap.search( None, 'SINCE', today )
for num in data[0].split():
* typ, data = imap.fetch(num, '(RFC822)')
* msg = email.message_from_string(data[0][1])

* print ( "%s, %s\n" % ( num, msg['subject'] ) )
* for part in msg.walk():
* * if part.get_filename() is not None:
* * * print ( " *%s\n" % part.get_filename() )

imap.close()
imap.logout()

Rob.
--http://www.victim-prime.dsl.pipex.com/

As I understand it, Exchange has to be configured specifically to
allow IMAP and POP3, so this method may not work unless his admin has
allowed it. Good idea though!

Mike