imap_open throws \ErrorException and masks real error

[underdpt]

Environment (please complete the following information):

• PHP IMAP version: 4.1.0
• PHP Version: 7.4.11 & 7.4.13
• Type of execution: CLI

Your Text
A little context: I'm woking with Laravel, and am facing this issue when debuggin connection to Gmail accounts.

Whenever there's a credentials error, I get the next error:

imap_open(): Couldn't open stream {imap.gmail.com:993/ssl/novalidate-cert}

Trying to debug this, if catch that error and run imap_last_error():

[AUTHENTICATIONFAILED] Invalid credentials (Failure)

It seems that imap_open() is throwing an \ErrorException that is undocumented (it should simply return false) and this exception is masking the real error.

I think we could catch \ErrorException on PhpImap:702 and add the exception message as additional info to $lastError as a workaround. I can submit a PR if that seems ok.

[Sebbo94BY]

PR are very welcome! Let us see, which change you expect. Please also provide a current and after example, that we can see from which behaviour it would change to which new one.

[augustusbuckman]

I wan to know if there is any progress on this issue?

[dartrax]

I get warnings from imap_open() from time to time, I assume something is temporarly out of service while it tries to connect.

PHP Warning:  imap_open(): Couldn't open stream {xxxxxxxx.biz:993/imap/ssl/novalidate-cert}INBOX in /var/www/vhosts/xxxxxxxx.biz/xxxxxxxx.biz/vendor/php-imap/php-imap/src/PhpImap/Imap.php on line 702
PHP Notice:  Unknown: No such host as xxxxxxxx.biz (errflg=2) in Unknown on line 0

I wonder if imap_open() should just return false like said before. Since it doesn't, wouldn't

catch \ErrorException on PhpImap:702 and add the exception message as additional info to $lastError as a workaround. I can submit a PR if that seems ok.

help here, too?

[Sebbo94BY]

Does this issue still exist in the latest release 4.3.0?

[underdpt]

Yes, it's still there. I'm sorry I don't have much time for this. I did a little tinkering with 4.3.0 today, simply trying to connect to a gmail account with invalid credentials.

On imap_last_error() I get Too many login failures, but there's an underlying error:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught ErrorException: Unknown: [ALERT] Application-specific password required: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833 (Failure) (errflg=1) in Unknown:0

Debuggin a little more, I think the issue relies in the imap errors management on function open on src/PhpImap/Imap.php:689. If it tries to connect 3 times, and then gives up with Too many login failures, then in imap_errors() we have:

array:4 [
  0 => "[ALERT] Application-specific password required: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833 (Failure)"
  1 => "[ALERT] Application-specific password required: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833 (Failure)"
  2 => "[ALERT] Application-specific password required: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833 (Failure)"
  3 => "Too many login failures"
]

But then on line 710 we first check the last error (which we throw) and there's another check that throws all errors but we never got to it:

public static function open(
    string $mailbox,
    string $username,
    string $password,
    int $options = 0,
    int $n_retries = 0,
    array $params = []
) {
    if (\preg_match("/^\{.*\}(.*)$/", $mailbox, $matches)) {
        $mailbox_name = $matches[1] ?? '';

        if (!\mb_detect_encoding($mailbox_name, 'ASCII', true)) {
            $mailbox = static::encodeStringToUtf7Imap($mailbox);
        }
    }

    \imap_errors(); // flush errors

    $result = @\imap_open($mailbox, $username, $password, $options, $n_retries, $params);

    if (!$result) {
        $lastError = \imap_last_error();

        if ((\is_string($lastError)) && ('' !== \trim($lastError))) {
            throw new UnexpectedValueException('IMAP error:'.$lastError);
        }

        throw new UnexpectedValueException('Could not open mailbox!', 0, self::HandleErrors(\imap_errors(), 'imap_open'));
    }

    return $result;
}

Given that before trying to connect we cleared all the imap_errors, then all errors should be related to the ongoing connection so shouldn't it just output all the errors. That would be as easy as removing lines 710 to 715:

public static function open(
    string $mailbox,
    string $username,
    string $password,
    int $options = 0,
    int $n_retries = 0,
    array $params = []
) {
    if (\preg_match("/^\{.*\}(.*)$/", $mailbox, $matches)) {
        $mailbox_name = $matches[1] ?? '';

        if (!\mb_detect_encoding($mailbox_name, 'ASCII', true)) {
            $mailbox = static::encodeStringToUtf7Imap($mailbox);
        }
    }

    \imap_errors(); // flush errors

    $result = @\imap_open($mailbox, $username, $password, $options, $n_retries, $params);

    if (!$result) {
        throw new UnexpectedValueException('Could not open mailbox!', 0, self::HandleErrors(\imap_errors(), 'imap_open'));
    }

    return $result;
}

[Sebbo94BY]

You don't have that much time, but provide that much and useful information. Thank you! :D

I'll re-check, investigate, test and fix this as soon as possible.

[Sebbo94BY]

I've changed the behaviour. Please take a look at the respective merge request #652 for further information.

The change is on the master branch, but not yet released/tagged.

You can check test it by using the current master code:

composer require php-imap/php-imap:dev-master

I hope, this solves your issue here. :)

[Sebbo94BY]

Changes have been released in version 4.4.0.