Move the 3k reST doc tree in place.

Doc/library/poplib.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+
+:mod:`poplib` --- POP3 protocol client
+======================================
+
+.. module:: poplib
+   :synopsis: POP3 protocol client (requires sockets).
+
+
+.. index:: pair: POP3; protocol
+
+.. % By Andrew T. Csillag
+.. % Even though I put it into LaTeX, I cannot really claim that I wrote
+.. % it since I just stole most of it from the poplib.py source code and
+.. % the imaplib ``chapter''.
+.. % Revised by ESR, January 2000
+
+This module defines a class, :class:`POP3`, which encapsulates a connection to a
+POP3 server and implements the protocol as defined in :rfc:`1725`.  The
+:class:`POP3` class supports both the minimal and optional command sets.
+Additionally, this module provides a class :class:`POP3_SSL`, which provides
+support for connecting to POP3 servers that use SSL as an underlying protocol
+layer.
+
+Note that POP3, though widely supported, is obsolescent.  The implementation
+quality of POP3 servers varies widely, and too many are quite poor. If your
+mailserver supports IMAP, you would be better off using the
+:class:`imaplib.IMAP4` class, as IMAP servers tend to be better implemented.
+
+A single class is provided by the :mod:`poplib` module:
+
+
+.. class:: POP3(host[, port[, timeout]])
+
+   This class implements the actual POP3 protocol.  The connection is created when
+   the instance is initialized. If *port* is omitted, the standard POP3 port (110)
+   is used. The optional *timeout* parameter specifies a timeout in seconds for the
+   connection attempt (if not specified, or passed as None, the global default
+   timeout setting will be used).
+
+   .. versionchanged:: 2.6
+      *timeout* was added.
+
+
+.. class:: POP3_SSL(host[, port[, keyfile[, certfile]]])
+
+   This is a subclass of :class:`POP3` that connects to the server over an SSL
+   encrypted socket.  If *port* is not specified, 995, the standard POP3-over-SSL
+   port is used.  *keyfile* and *certfile* are also optional - they can contain a
+   PEM formatted private key and certificate chain file for the SSL connection.
+
+   .. versionadded:: 2.4
+
+One exception is defined as an attribute of the :mod:`poplib` module:
+
+
+.. exception:: error_proto
+
+   Exception raised on any errors from this module (errors from :mod:`socket`
+   module are not caught). The reason for the exception is passed to the
+   constructor as a string.
+
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   Module :mod:`imaplib`
+      The standard Python IMAP module.
+
+   `Frequently Asked Questions About Fetchmail <http://www.catb.org/~esr/fetchmail/fetchmail-FAQ.html>`_
+      The FAQ for the :program:`fetchmail` POP/IMAP client collects information on
+      POP3 server variations and RFC noncompliance that may be useful if you need to
+      write an application based on the POP protocol.
+
+
+.. _pop3-objects:
+
+POP3 Objects
+------------
+
+All POP3 commands are represented by methods of the same name, in lower-case;
+most return the response text sent by the server.
+
+An :class:`POP3` instance has the following methods:
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.set_debuglevel(level)
+
+   Set the instance's debugging level.  This controls the amount of debugging
+   output printed.  The default, ``0``, produces no debugging output.  A value of
+   ``1`` produces a moderate amount of debugging output, generally a single line
+   per request.  A value of ``2`` or higher produces the maximum amount of
+   debugging output, logging each line sent and received on the control connection.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.getwelcome()
+
+   Returns the greeting string sent by the POP3 server.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.user(username)
+
+   Send user command, response should indicate that a password is required.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.pass_(password)
+
+   Send password, response includes message count and mailbox size. Note: the
+   mailbox on the server is locked until :meth:`quit` is called.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.apop(user, secret)
+
+   Use the more secure APOP authentication to log into the POP3 server.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.rpop(user)
+
+   Use RPOP authentication (similar to UNIX r-commands) to log into POP3 server.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.stat()
+
+   Get mailbox status.  The result is a tuple of 2 integers: ``(message count,
+   mailbox size)``.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.list([which])
+
+   Request message list, result is in the form ``(response, ['mesg_num octets',
+   ...], octets)``. If *which* is set, it is the message to list.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.retr(which)
+
+   Retrieve whole message number *which*, and set its seen flag. Result is in form
+   ``(response, ['line', ...], octets)``.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.dele(which)
+
+   Flag message number *which* for deletion.  On most servers deletions are not
+   actually performed until QUIT (the major exception is Eudora QPOP, which
+   deliberately violates the RFCs by doing pending deletes on any disconnect).
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.rset()
+
+   Remove any deletion marks for the mailbox.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.noop()
+
+   Do nothing.  Might be used as a keep-alive.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.quit()
+
+   Signoff:  commit changes, unlock mailbox, drop connection.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.top(which, howmuch)
+
+   Retrieves the message header plus *howmuch* lines of the message after the
+   header of message number *which*. Result is in form ``(response, ['line', ...],
+   octets)``.
+
+   The POP3 TOP command this method uses, unlike the RETR command, doesn't set the
+   message's seen flag; unfortunately, TOP is poorly specified in the RFCs and is
+   frequently broken in off-brand servers. Test this method by hand against the
+   POP3 servers you will use before trusting it.
+
+
+.. method:: POP3.uidl([which])
+
+   Return message digest (unique id) list. If *which* is specified, result contains
+   the unique id for that message in the form ``'response mesgnum uid``, otherwise
+   result is list ``(response, ['mesgnum uid', ...], octets)``.
+
+Instances of :class:`POP3_SSL` have no additional methods. The interface of this
+subclass is identical to its parent.
+
+
+.. _pop3-example:
+
+POP3 Example
+------------
+
+Here is a minimal example (without error checking) that opens a mailbox and
+retrieves and prints all messages::
+
+   import getpass, poplib
+
+   M = poplib.POP3('localhost')
+   M.user(getpass.getuser())
+   M.pass_(getpass.getpass())
+   numMessages = len(M.list()[1])
+   for i in range(numMessages):
+       for j in M.retr(i+1)[1]:
+           print j
+
+At the end of the module, there is a test section that contains a more extensive
+example of usage.
+