I’m trying to set up a Python script that instantly receives notifications when new emails arrive in my Gmail account. Right now, I’m using imaplib, but it seems I have to keep checking for new messages manually. This creates a delay I’d like to avoid.
I’ve heard about something called the IDLE command in IMAP that might help, but I can’t find any info about it in the imaplib documentation. Does anyone know if it’s possible to use imaplib for real-time notifications? Or is there a better way to do this?
I’m really hoping to process new emails as soon as they arrive, without any waiting time between checks. Any suggestions or code examples would be super helpful! Thanks in advance for your input.
While imaplib is a standard library, it’s not ideal for real-time notifications. I’ve found success using the aioimaplib library, which supports asynchronous operations and the IDLE command. This allows for near-instantaneous notifications without constant polling.
To implement this, you’d set up an async function to connect to Gmail’s IMAP server, then use the IDLE command to wait for new messages. When a new email arrives, the server notifies your script immediately.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to handle connection timeouts and potential network issues. Also, ensure you’re following Gmail’s usage limits and best practices to avoid any account restrictions. If you need help with the implementation, I can provide some code snippets to get you started.
I’ve encountered a similar challenge in one of my projects. While imaplib provides basic functionality for interacting with an IMAP server, it lacks direct support for the IDLE command essential for real-time notifications. Instead of having to constantly poll the server, I switched to using a library called imapclient. This library wraps around imaplib and includes support for IDLE, letting the connection wait for new messages. In my experience, using imapclient reduced delays significantly, although you do need to handle connection timeouts and potential reconnections.
hey man, imaplib’s not great for real-time stuff. i’ve used the imap_tools library before and it works pretty good. it’s got IDLE support and makes handling emails way easier. you might wanna check it out. just remember to handle timeouts and disconnects, cuz those can be a pain in the butt.