Re: Reliable email parsing

[dave0]

The most robust MIME-parsing module on CPAN is probably MIME-tools.

It suffers from about 10 years of accreted edge-cases and bugfixes tacked on top of the original design, so while it isn't nice code by any means, it handles just about anything you can throw at it (RFC-compliant or not).

I currently work for the maintainer of MIME-Tools, so it's on my TODO list to start refactoring some of the 10 years of cruft -- patches are welcome.

[jdtoronto]

I have to agree dave0, I have spent a lot of time over the last 20 years or so writing email clients. Originally in C, then C++ and, horror of horrors, in VB. But the most trouble free has been Perl with Net::SMTP, Net::POP3 and MIME::Tools. About a year ago I took all the email related RFC's, plus all the things like the DBJ documents and bound them into a book about 40mm thick. With all of that as reference material, and the Perl modules, I haven't found a thing I can't handle.

Good luck with your refactoring efforts, I, for one, look forward to seeing the results and the extended lifetime of a great family of modules.

jdtoronto

[mattk]

Yes, the MIME-tools are great. MIME::Entity and Mail::GPG would be your best bet.