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Creating a basic PHP/MySQL email script, what's involved?

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:08 pm
by JAB Creations
I'm going to have to eventually create a basic email system sooner or later. Right now I've diverted my live site's email to Google (700MB of literally almost nothing but total crap that just kept piling up over the past half year). I'm not planning on doing anything more then creating a web GUI for seeing a list of emails for a specific account and of course reading them when I do get around to it. However if it's not that difficult I wouldn't mind taking on the challenge now or relatively soon.

First what do I need to share about my server/website's settings (if anything) to help get a better game plan mapped out? I know for example that email was being stored in a directory below the public_html directory for my site as tiny little files. I never bothered to read many of them because the vast majority of them were spam (badly targeted spam at that!) I can easily allow the mail to come back to the host instead of directing it to Google though I'll also have to set something up to delete all the email going to non-existent accounts...is that rather difficult to do as well? Do I have to mess with any cronjobs? :mrgreen:

...I'm posting in this forum mostly because I'm currently pondering doing this and I'm mostly interested in a visual such as...

Step 1 --> Step 2 --> Step 3 --> Step 4 --> Step 5 --> Step 6 --> Step 7...etc.

What else might I have to take in to consideration for setting up a basic email reader for my site?

Re: Creating a basic PHP/MySQL email script, what's involved?

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:55 pm
by alex.barylski
I'm not sure what your after sounds like a simple IMAP application. Maybe you could look at RoundCube to get a better idea as to what is involved:

http://roundcube.net/

Re: Creating a basic PHP/MySQL email script, what's involved?

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:11 am
by JAB Creations
Do you know the default username and password for RoundCube? I find their installation very user unfriendly.

Re: Creating a basic PHP/MySQL email script, what's involved?

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:12 pm
by alex.barylski
Open Source is always so deceiving that way. :P

The screenshots looked professional and first impressions are everything...I tried installing it the other day too and thought MY GOD what a peice of crap. Unfortunately it's probably the best software for handling email.

Of course you could also use http://sourceforge.net/project/screensh ... oup_id=311

Personally I hate that application...you could also use something like SugarCRM/vTiger and their built in email clients (I use the latter) but they both kind of suck too.

Re: Creating a basic PHP/MySQL email script, what's involved?

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:39 pm
by JAB Creations
I'm actually working on my own basic email client and this thing will be upload the file, sign in, and it will just work.

There is no problem with an application expecting you to know X Y and/or Z but if it doesn't clarify points in regards to what it needs and just says error...well then that's a very useless program. Watch the critique forums, I'll probably post what I have sometime this week. :D