Documention for: popspec.r
Created by: btiffin
 on: 5-May-2007
Format: text/editable
Downloaded on: 30-Apr-2025

[h1 Usage document for %popspec.r
[contents
[numbering-on
[h2 Introduction to %popspec.r

[p This script is a support script for many of the **rebol.org** 
REBOL email handling scripts.

[h2 popspec At a Glance

[p This script requires some setup to be useful, and cannot be run
right out of the box.  It is not a standalone script at all.  It
is only useful in support of the (potentially incomplete)
list displayed later in this document

[h2 Using %popspec.r

[p There are up to four changes that need to be made for this
supporting **data script**.

[p The **popspec** data can first of all, be specified in two
forms.  Either as a specification in url! format, or
as a block! of port data.  As mentioned in the script,
the block format is a little more general as fields could
be prompted for instead of hardcoded.  This is of particular
use for the password field.

[h3 url! format
[p If using the url! form, remove the commenting semi-colon
and change the string to your email information.  Then you will
need to either move the line to after the block, or place
a **comment { ... }** sequence around the block.

[h3 port! block format
[p If using the block format:

[list
[li leave **scheme** as **'pop**
[li Change the **"user"** to your account username
[li Change the **"pass"** to your account password
[li Uncomment and change the POP server if needed.
list]

[p Notes: You will only need to set the POP host information if it differs
from, or you have not set the information with the SET-NET utility
function.

[h3 Warning about passwords
Saving your password as clear text is **NOT recommended**.

[h3 Alternative to saving passwords
[p One suggested alternative. Use a keyword such as
'ASK for the **pass:** set-word value. Then
in the script that is using **popspec: load %popspec.r**, follow this load
with

[asis
change find popspec 'ASK ask/hide "Password? "
asis]

[p Please note the code that is using **load %popspec.r** may use a 
different variable than **popspec**, use the same variable name
as used for the load in the above change example.

[h2 Where %popspec.r is used in the rebol.org library

[table/style/border:gray+solid/att/border="2px"
[row
[cell/style/border:silver+thin+solid %mailautoreply.r
[cell/style/* This example confirms email received from
friends only. All others will be ignored.
[row
[cell/style/* %mailboxsave.r
[cell/style/* This example reads email and appends it to a standard
mailbox file (which can be read by most email apps).
[row
[cell/style/* %mailfriends.r
[cell/style/* This example displays messages that come from
friends only. All others will be ignored.
[row
[cell/style/* %mailping.r
[cell/style/* Confirm certain email that contains a key word.
[row
[cell/style/* %mailsave.r
[cell/style/* This example reads all email and saves it to a file.
[row
[cell/style/* %mailserver.r
[cell/style/* As simple as a list server gets.
[row
[cell/style/* %maildespam.r
[cell/style/* This is an example of a simple email filter that
removes unwanted junk mail from your mailbox.
[row
[cell/style/* %mailsniff.r
[cell/style/* Example of how to search all incoming email for
particular keywords.
[row
[cell/style/* %remind.r
[cell/style/* Reads a file 'data.txt' containing appointment data,
and sends my cell phone a text message 5 minutes before the appointment.
table]

[h2 What you can learn

[p At least three important learning items from this support script.

[p Sample code with passwords are not usually sophisticated enough.

[p The REBOL open command is **COOL**, accepting either a url! or
a port spec block, among its other abilities.

[p LOAD is used to return the last value from %popspec.r as part
of a set-word sequence.  This is worth more study as you learn REBOL.

[h2 What can break

[p Saving passwords in clear text is **NOT RECOMMENDED** in the long
term.  Used for trial and testing, maybe, but not for the long term.

[p You need access to a POP server.  Most if not all ISPs support
this with your internet connection.  If not, or if you want to 
to use %popspec.r to access webmail, know that some webmail accounts
will require you to use the full email address as the username.
In that case, you will have to use the block format in %popspec.r,
as a full email address (with the @ symbol in it) as a username will
confuse a url! specification.  Not to worry, the block form can handle
this.

[h3 More warning
[p Once again, saving passwords in clear text is **NOT RECOMMENDED**.

[h2 Credits

[table/att/border="1px"
[row [cell %popspec.r [cell Original author: Carl Sassenrath
table]
[list
[li The rebol.org Library Team
[li Usage document by Brian Tiffin, Library Team Apprentice, [date
list]