Building A Web Based Email Client

[BenignVanilla]

My ISP provides a web based email client, but it is not brandable and the
features are not that extensive. I'd like to build my own. Has anyone done
this, or is anyone aware of any tools out there to do this?

BV.

https://www.iheartmypond.com

[Curt_C [MVP]]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client

What is the backend e-mail server?

--
Curt Christianson
Owner/Lead Developer, DF-Software

https://www.Darkfalz.com

"BenignVani lla" <bv@tibetanbeef garden.com> wrote in message
news:N5Wdnagu1u OrOmSi4p2dnA@gi ganews.com...[color=blue]
> My ISP provides a web based email client, but it is not brandable and the
> features are not that extensive. I'd like to build my own. Has anyone done
> this, or is anyone aware of any tools out there to do this?
>
> BV.
> www.iheartmypond.com
>
>[/color]

[Jeff Cochran]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client

On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 13:04:31 -0500, "BenignVani lla"
<bv@tibetanbeef garden.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>My ISP provides a web based email client, but it is not brandable and the
>features are not that extensive. I'd like to build my own. Has anyone done
>this, or is anyone aware of any tools out there to do this?[/color]

Did you try:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=web+based+email+client+asp

Jeff

[BenignVanilla]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client


"Curt_C [MVP]" <software_AT_da rkfalz.com> wrote in message
news:#Efhfp70DH A.556@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> What is the backend e-mail server?
>
> --
> Curt Christianson
> Owner/Lead Developer, DF-Software
> www.Darkfalz.com[/color]
<snip>

I am not sure of the exact platform, but it is POP3/SMTP.

BV.

https://www.iheartmypond.com

[BenignVanilla]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client


"Jeff Cochran" <jcochran.nospa m@naplesgov.com > wrote in message
news:4010b661.2 82204458@msnews .microsoft.com. ..[color=blue]
> On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 13:04:31 -0500, "BenignVani lla"
> <bv@tibetanbeef garden.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
> >My ISP provides a web based email client, but it is not brandable and the
> >features are not that extensive. I'd like to build my own. Has anyone[/color][/color]
done[color=blue][color=green]
> >this, or is anyone aware of any tools out there to do this?[/color]
>
> Did you try:
>
>[/color]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=web+based+email+clien

t+asp

Sure did, and found several packages. I posted here hoping for some
recommendations based on real world experience from those that have done
this.

BV.

https://www.iheartmypond.com

[Roland Hall]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client

"BenignVani lla" wrote:
: "Jeff Cochran" wrote:
: > Did you try:
: >
:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=web+based+email+clien

: t+asp
:
: Sure did, and found several packages. I posted here hoping for some
: recommendations based on real world experience from those that have done
: this.

Hi Benign...

Yes. I am in the process of completing my first of a two part SPAM filter.
I am using a web-based interface for management and currently as a manual
filter so it is actually a web-based mail reader right now.

It doesn't matter which mail server is being used since I'm just connecting
to it via an ASP server component. I'm using one that is supported by the
web host where my site is being hosted. In particular, I'm now writing my
own component because I don't like the component I'm using. It is not
capable of only retrieving the email header without receiving the message
and this is unwanted overhead for my application, with the procedure I'm
using to filter spam. From my perspective, I don't see a need to visit the
message if all you're doing is filtering unwanted email.

I said this was two parts because this one is for personal use. The next
part is a filter for business use. Both have very simple methodologies to
completely eliminate spam but require ongoing maintenance for the user.

However, I have run into several issues in this project that I had not
foreseen.

1. Email headers are not all the same format. This may not be of concern to
you unless you're parsing the header.
2. You will need a base64 decoder if you want to read all messages.
3. Messages can be sent in many formats, plain text, HTML, etc. and if you
wish to display HTML email messages, you will need to display it differently
than text. In my case, I want everything as plain text so I do not render
HTML encoded messages as HTML viewable.

What is unique is that I'm working with 3 email accounts from other domains
than the one I am on. I am not grabbing mail from the account where this ap
p is hosted. All 3 are using different mail server applications but the ASP
component I'm using handles this fine. As you said, it is just POP3.

I am also not currently storing any mail in a database but am in the process
of adding that feature since I will need to archive mail for several
reasons, comparison to new messages (header info, attachment references). I
still use my mail application to retrieve my messages that I want to keep.
I just use the filter to weed out what I don't want prior to downloading it
from the mail server. So, it works with any mail program, any server and
lightens your bandwidth usage because everything will eventually be
performed by the server and when I eliminate downloading the whole message,
that also will decrease bandwidth and server processing.

This will not work with all email servers because Netscape mail servers seem
to only like Netscape mail clients. For a company who complained so loudly
against Microsoft, they seem to be one of the worst companies on the planet
promoting fairness. When Microsoft programmers put in their code, "Netscape
programmers are weenies", they were right but not as I took it at first that
they were incompetent or weak in their skills but rather as the jerks they
are in trying to verbally promote open system while in the background
counting their monies from their corporate greed. (I'm not biased (O:= )

This may not be relevant to you because you will not be trying to read mail
from any other server than what you're using now, possibly. I would not try
to compete with a company who actually wrote their own mail server and
client who unfairly restricts control from competitors. I think this is an
argument being positioned against Microsoft currently (ongoing) for
undocumented features. I don't think this is a true comparison because
Microsoft is not impeding RFC standards as I feel Netscape is doing with
their mail server/client usage.

Hopefully you can read through my rants and come out with some substance and
if not, ask away and perhaps I can reference some specific issues you are
encountering.

--
Roland

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[BenignVanilla]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client


"Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere > wrote in message
news:O7T3FqJ1DH A.2060@TK2MSFTN GP10.phx.gbl...
<snip>[color=blue]
> Hopefully you can read through my rants and come out with some substance[/color]
and[color=blue]
> if not, ask away and perhaps I can reference some specific issues you are
> encountering.[/color]
<snip>

Roland thanks for the response. Sounds like an interesting project. Mine is
a bit simpler. I have a potential project for hosting several hundred email
accounts, and the client wants a customized/branded web client. Our ISP does
not allow for customization, so I am contemplating writing my own.

BV.

https://www.iheartmypond.com

[Roland Hall]

Re: Building A Web Based Email Client

"BenignVani lla" wrote:
: "Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere > wrote in message
: news:O7T3FqJ1DH A.2060@TK2MSFTN GP10.phx.gbl...
: <snip>
: > Hopefully you can read through my rants and come out with some substance
: and
: > if not, ask away and perhaps I can reference some specific issues you
are
: > encountering.
: <snip>
:
: Roland thanks for the response. Sounds like an interesting project. Mine
is
: a bit simpler. I have a potential project for hosting several hundred
email
: accounts, and the client wants a customized/branded web client. Our ISP
does
: not allow for customization, so I am contemplating writing my own.

Benign...

To run it on that host, the host will have to be running a SMTP/POP3 server
component. These could be two separate components.

Roland