How can I use the Conditional OR to search emails with imap_search - PHP IMAP library

Question

I need to use an OR statement in an imap_search() command.

I found that a condition OR is not supported in this library. Imap_search Bug Report Link There has to be a w

Answer 1

Your SEARCH syntax is wrong, as the operators are prefix and not infix. The correct search string should be 'SINCE "08-Mar-2011" OR BODY "bobby" OR BODY "robert" BODY "bob"'.

But if PHP simply doesn't support OR in imap_search -- and your link indicates that they don't, despite c-client support for it for almost 10 years -- then you'll have to do the conditional OR in your application. Run

$box_bobby  = imap_search($connection, 'SINCE "08-Mar-2011" BODY "bobby"');
$box_robert = imap_search($connection, 'SINCE "08-Mar-2011" BODY "robert"');
$box_bob    = imap_search($connection, 'SINCE "08-Mar-2011" BODY "bob"');

and then merge the three result sets.

Answer 2

or use instead an array_merge to join the results in a single array:

//search codes: 1 -> FROM, 2 -> SUBJECT
array_push($filtri, array(1,"no-reply@accounts.google.com"));
array_push($filtri, array(1,"Tophost"));
array_push($filtri, array(2,"promemoria"));

$yesterday = date("Y-m-d", strtotime ("-1 days"));

foreach($filtri as $filtro){
    if ($filtro[0] == 1) $addFiltri = ' FROM "'.$filtro[1].'" ';
    if ($filtro[0] == 2) $addFiltri = ' SUBJECT "'.$filtro[1].'" ';
    $temp = imap_search($inbox,'SINCE "'.$yesterday.'" '.$addFiltri);
    $emails = array_merge($emails , $temp); 

}