imap_open

Open an IMAP stream to a mailbox

&reftitle.description; ``IMAP\Connection``false```imap_open` `string` `mailbox` `string` `user` `string` `password` `int` `flags` 0 `int` `retries` 0 `array` `options`[]

Opens an IMAP stream to a `mailbox`.

This function can also be used to open streams to POP3 and NNTP servers, but some functions and features are only available on IMAP servers.

&reftitle.parameters;

`mailbox`

- A mailbox name consists of a server and a mailbox path on this server. The special name `INBOX` stands for the current users personal mailbox. Mailbox names that contain international characters besides those in the printable ASCII space have to be encoded with `imap_utf7_encode`.

  &imap.mailboxname.insecure;

  The server part, which is enclosed in '{' and '}', consists of the servers name or ip address, an optional port (prefixed by ':'), and an optional protocol specification (prefixed by '/').

  The server part is mandatory in all mailbox parameters.

  All names which start with `{` are remote names, and are in the form `"{" remote_system_name [":" port] [flags] "}" [mailbox_name]` where:

  - `remote_system_name` - Internet domain name or bracketed IP address of server.

  - `port` - optional TCP port number, default is the default port for that service

  - `flags` - optional flags, see following table.

  - `mailbox_name` - remote mailbox name, default is INBOX

  ## Optional flags for names

  Flag | Description
  `/service=`service | mailbox access service, default is "imap"
  `/user=`user | remote user name for login on the server
  `/authuser=`user | remote authentication user; if specified this is the user name whose password is used (e.g. administrator)
  `/anonymous` | remote access as anonymous user
  `/debug` | record protocol telemetry in application's debug log
  `/secure` | do not transmit a plaintext password over the network
  `/imap`, `/imap2`, `/imap2bis`, `/imap4`, `/imap4rev1` | equivalent to `/service=imap`
  `/pop3` | equivalent to `/service=pop3`
  `/nntp` | equivalent to `/service=nntp`
  `/norsh` | do not use rsh or ssh to establish a preauthenticated IMAP session
  `/ssl` | use the `Secure Socket Layer` to encrypt the session
  `/validate-cert` | validate certificates from TLS/SSL server (this is the default behavior)
  `/novalidate-cert` | do not validate certificates from TLS/SSL server, needed if server uses self-signed certificates
  `/tls` | force use of `start-TLS` to encrypt the session, and reject connection to servers that do not support it
  `/notls` | do not do `start-TLS` to encrypt the session, even with servers that support it
  `/readonly` | request read-only mailbox open (IMAP only; ignored on NNTP, and an error with SMTP and POP3)

`user`

- The user name

`password`

- The password associated with the `user`

`flags`

- The `flags` are a bit mask with one or more of the following:

  - `OP_READONLY` - Open mailbox read-only

  - `OP_ANONYMOUS` - Don't use or update a `.newsrc` for news (NNTP only)

  - `OP_HALFOPEN` - For IMAP and NNTP names, open a connection but don't open a mailbox.

  - `CL_EXPUNGE` - Expunge mailbox automatically upon mailbox close (see also `imap_delete` and `imap_expunge`)

  - `OP_DEBUG` - Debug protocol negotiations

  - `OP_SHORTCACHE` - Short (`elt`-only) caching

  - `OP_SILENT` - Don't pass up events (internal use)

  - `OP_PROTOTYPE` - Return driver prototype

  - `OP_SECURE` - Don't do non-secure authentication

`retries`

- Number of maximum connect attempts

`options`

- Connection parameters, the following (string) keys maybe used to set one or more connection parameters:

  - `DISABLE_AUTHENTICATOR` - Disable authentication properties

&reftitle.returnvalues;

Returns an `IMAP\Connection` instance on success,&return.falseforfailure;.

&reftitle.changelog;

&Version; | &Description;
8.1.0 | Returns an `IMAP\Connection` instance now; previously, a &resource; was returned.

&reftitle.examples;

### Different use of `imap_open`

    <?php
    // To connect to an IMAP server running on port 143 on the local machine,
    // do the following:
    $mbox = imap_open("{localhost:143}INBOX", "user_id", "password");

    // To connect to a POP3 server on port 110 on the local server, use:
    $mbox = imap_open ("{localhost:110/pop3}INBOX", "user_id", "password");

    // To connect to an SSL IMAP or POP3 server, add /ssl after the protocol
    // specification:
    $mbox = imap_open ("{localhost:993/imap/ssl}INBOX", "user_id", "password");

    // To connect to an SSL IMAP or POP3 server with a self-signed certificate,
    // add /ssl/novalidate-cert after the protocol specification:
    $mbox = imap_open ("{localhost:995/pop3/ssl/novalidate-cert}", "user_id", "password");

    // To connect to an NNTP server on port 119 on the local server, use:
    $nntp = imap_open ("{localhost:119/nntp}comp.test", "", "");
    // To connect to a remote server replace "localhost" with the name or the
    // IP address of the server you want to connect to.
    ?>

### `imap_open` example

    <?php
    $mbox = imap_open("{imap.example.org:143}", "username", "password");

    echo "<h1>Mailboxes</h1>\n";
    $folders = imap_listmailbox($mbox, "{imap.example.org:143}", "*");

    if ($folders == false) {
        echo "Call failed<br />\n";
    } else {
        foreach ($folders as $val) {
            echo $val . "<br />\n";
        }
    }

    echo "<h1>Headers in INBOX</h1>\n";
    $headers = imap_headers($mbox);

    if ($headers == false) {
        echo "Call failed<br />\n";
    } else {
        foreach ($headers as $val) {
            echo $val . "<br />\n";
        }
    }

    imap_close($mbox);
    ?>

&reftitle.seealso;

- `imap_close`