Gmail API Python CLI Application

Overview

This is a Python application designed to interact with the Gmail API for various email management tasks. It provides a command-line interface (CLI) to send emails, retrieve email message IDs, and delete emails in bulk. The project uses OAuth2 for authentication and authorization with the Gmail API.

Features

• Send Emails: Send an email by specifying the sender, recipient, subject, and message body.
• Retrieve Email Message IDs: Retrieve email message IDs based on a search query.
• Delete Emails: Delete emails in bulk based on a search query.

Files and Structure

The project is structured into four main Python files:

• authenticator.py:

  • Handles authentication with the Gmail API.
  • Defines the permission scopes needed for the application.
  • Manages the OAuth flow and token storage.

• handler.py:

  • Contains utility functions to interact with the Gmail API.
  • Functions to create, send, retrieve, and delete email messages.

• flow.py:

  • Defines the user interaction flows for sending, deleting, and retrieving email messages.
  • Guides the user through the necessary steps for each operation.

• __main__.py:

  • The main entry point of the application.
  • Manages the main menu and user interactions.
  • Calls the appropriate functions from flow.py based on user input.

authenticator.py, handler.py, and flow.py are located under gmail_manager directory.

Setup and Installation

1. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install google-auth google-auth-oauthlib google-api-python-client

2. Set up Google API credentials: Follow the instructions here

Usage

1. Run the application:

   python __main__.py

2. Follow the on-screen prompts:

   • Main Menu:

     1. Send message.
     2. Delete message(s).
     3. Get message ID(s) and count.
     4. Exit.

   • Send Message:

     • Enter sender email.
     • Enter destination email.
     • Enter subject.
     • Enter message text.

   • Delete Message(s):

     • Enter query (e.g., from: example@gmail.com or subject: <string text>).
     • Confirm deletion.

   • Get Message ID(s) and Count:

     • Enter query (e.g., from: example@gmail.com or subject: <string text>).

Notes

• The application saves the user's access and refresh tokens in a token.json file for future use.
• If the scopes are modified, delete the token.json file and re-authenticate.
• The Gmail API has usage limits and quotas. Ensure your usage complies with Google's policies.

If token is expired/invalid:

• When running the app, if you get an error saying 'token invalid/expired', delete the token.json file and re-run the app.
• It will then open a new tab in the browser (choose your email):
• Click 'continue'.
• Click 'continue', again.
• And finally, you should get a black page with the following notification:

Now you are ready to use the app.