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inbox seventy-two thousand; email2vcard

Typically my spare time today was spent in the folllowing proportions: 2 hours allotted to emptying my inbox; 3 minutes spent actually emptying my inbox; 1 hour, 57 minutes spent writing a program to theoretically “help” me empty my inbox.

Spreading the procrastination around, here’s that code. It’s for the millions of people who, like me, use good old command line mutt and a graphical contact manager on Unix (although I think it may have more uses than that). It takes a standard email, pulls out the name and email of the person the mail is from, generates a vCard, and then attempts to open that vCard in your nearby contact manager. It uses vobject, hewn from the glowing pits of Chandler, which you can install with easy_install vobject or apt-get install python-vobject. Hours of entertainment.

Things you might be able to glean from this:

my vaguely okay wrapper for command line python utilities, concealed in the Main() class.
vobject is pretty good for handling vCard and iCal objects. I’ve used it a few times.
if you ever want to open a file using the correct handler under GNOME/KDE, xdg-open is your friend.
my ingenious solution for not knowing when the contact handler (in my case, Kontact) will actually pick up the vCard, which is stored in a temporary file that I delete at the end of my program — just wait five seconds, and then delete it. How hacky is that?
that python’s subprocess module badly needs more helper utilities, IMHO. That subprocess.Popen stuff is just Python’s new way of saying “run a shell command”, and it should be clearer than that.

#!/usr/bin/env python
##
# email2vcf.py
###
"""email2vcf.py

"""

__version__ = "0.1"
__author__ = "Danny O'Brien <http://www.spesh.com/danny/>"
__license__ = "GPL v3"

import vobject
import email
from email.Utils import parseaddr
import tempfile, os, subprocess, time


class VcardableMessage(email.Message.Message):
    def toVcard(self):
        r"""
        >>> from  StringIO import StringIO as st
        >>> em = "To: me <me@spesh.com\nSubject: a test\nFrom: Testy McTest <test@spesh.com>\n\nThis is my phone numner: +1 555 134 5678\nThanks!\n\nd."
        >>> p = email.Parser.Parser(VcardableMessage)
        >>> m = p.parse(st(em))
        >>> v = m.toVcard()
        >>> print v.n
        <N{} McTest  Testy >
        >>> print v.fn
        <FN{}Testy McTest>
        >>> print v.email
        <EMAIL{}test@spesh.com>
        >>> print v.note.value
        From email message-id: Unknown
        Dated: Unknown
        Subject: a test
        """
        v = vobject.vCard()
        (name, email)  = parseaddr(self['From'])
        family = None
        givenname = None
        if ',' in name:
            (family, givenname) = name.split(',')
        if ' ' in name:
            (family, givenname) = name.rsplit(' ', 1)
        if not family:
            givenname = name
        v.add('fn').value  = name
        v.add('n').value = vobject.vcard.Name(family = family, given = givenname)
        v.add('email').value = email
        mid = self.get('message-id', 'Unknown')
        dt = self.get('date', 'Unknown')
        sub = self.get('subject','Unknown')
        v.add('note').value = 'From email message-id: %s\nDated: %s\nSubject: %s' % (mid, dt, sub)
        return v

def main(args):
    """ Convert mail to vcard, then kick up systems' vcard handler"""
    if len(args) == 0:
        st = sys.stdin
    if len(args) == 1:
        st = file(args[0],'r')
    p = email.Parser.Parser(VcardableMessage)
    m = p.parse(st)
    v = m.toVcard()
    f = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(prefix="email2vcf", suffix=".vcf")
    f.write(v.serialize())
    f.flush()
    p= subprocess.Popen("xdg-open" + " " + f.name, shell=True)
    sts = os.waitpid(p.pid, 0)
    time.sleep(5) # give app long enough to import the data
    f.close()

import sys, getopt
class Main():
    """ Encapsulates option handling. Subclass to add new options,
        add 'handle_x' method for an -x option,
        add 'handle_xlong' method for an --xlong option
        help (-h, --help) should be automatically created from module
        docstring and handler docstrings.
        test (-t, --test) will run all docstring and unittests it finds
        """
    class Usage(Exception):
        def __init__(self, msg):
            self.msg = msg
    def __init__(self):
        handlers  = [i[7:] for i in dir(self) if i.startswith('handle_') ]
        self.shortopts = ''.join([i for i in handlers if len(i) == 1])
        self.longopts = [i for i in handlers if (len(i) > 1)]
    def handler(self,option):
        i = 'handle_%s' % option.lstrip('-')
        if hasattr(self, i):
           return getattr(self, i)
    def default_main(self, args):
        print sys.argv[0]," called with ", args
    def handle_help(self, v):
        """ Shows this message """
        print sys.modules.get(__name__).__doc__
        descriptions = {}
        for i in list(self.shortopts) + self.longopts:
            d=self.handler(i).__doc__
            if d in descriptions:
               descriptions[d].append(i)
            else:
               descriptions[d] = [i]
        for d, o in descriptions.iteritems():
            for i in o:
                if len(i) == 1:
                    print '-%s' % i,
                else:
                    print '--%s' % i,
            print 
            print d
        sys.exit(0)
    handle_h=handle_help

    def handle_test(self, v):
        """ Runs test suite for file """
        import doctest
        import unittest
        suite = unittest.defaultTestLoader.loadTestsFromModule(sys.modules.get(__name__))
        suite.addTest(doctest.DocTestSuite())
        runner = unittest.TextTestRunner()
        runner.run(suite)
        sys.exit(0)
    handle_t=handle_test

    def run(self, main= None, argv=None):
        """ Execute main function, having stripped out options and called the
        responsible handler functions within the class. Main defaults to
        listing the remaining arguments.
        """
        if not callable(main):
            main = self.default_main
        if argv is None:
            argv = sys.argv
        try:
            try:
                opts, args = getopt.getopt(argv[1:], self.shortopts, self.longopts)
            except getopt.error, msg:
                raise self.Usage(msg)
            for o, a in opts:
                (self.handler(o))(a)
            return main(args) 
        except self.Usage, err:
            print >>sys.stderr, err.msg
            self.handle_help(None)
            return 2

if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(Main().run(main) or 0)

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#!/usr/bin/env python

# email2vcf.py

###

"""email2vcf.py

"""

__version__ = "0.1"

__author__ = "Danny O'Brien <http://www.spesh.com/danny/>"

__license__ = "GPL v3"

import vobject

import email

from email.Utils import parseaddr

import tempfile, os, subprocess, time

class VcardableMessage(email.Message.Message):

def toVcard(self):

r"""

>>> from StringIO import StringIO as st

>>> em = "To: me <me@spesh.com\nSubject: a test\nFrom: Testy McTest <test@spesh.com>\n\nThis is my phone numner: +1 555 134 5678\nThanks!\n\nd."

>>> p = email.Parser.Parser(VcardableMessage)

>>> m = p.parse(st(em))

>>> v = m.toVcard()

>>> print v.n

<N{} McTest Testy >

>>> print v.fn

<FN{}Testy McTest>

>>> print v.email

<EMAIL{}test@spesh.com>

>>> print v.note.value

From email message-id: Unknown

Dated: Unknown

Subject: a test

"""

v = vobject.vCard()

(name, email) = parseaddr(self['From'])

family = None

givenname = None

if ',' in name:

(family, givenname) = name.split(',')

if ' ' in name:

(family, givenname) = name.rsplit(' ', 1)

if not family:

givenname = name

v.add('fn').value = name

v.add('n').value = vobject.vcard.Name(family = family, given = givenname)

v.add('email').value = email

mid = self.get('message-id', 'Unknown')

dt = self.get('date', 'Unknown')

sub = self.get('subject','Unknown')

v.add('note').value = 'From email message-id: %s\nDated: %s\nSubject: %s' % (mid, dt, sub)

return v

def main(args):

""" Convert mail to vcard, then kick up systems' vcard handler"""

if len(args) == 0:

st = sys.stdin

if len(args) == 1:

st = file(args[0],'r')

p = email.Parser.Parser(VcardableMessage)

m = p.parse(st)

v = m.toVcard()

f = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(prefix="email2vcf", suffix=".vcf")

f.write(v.serialize())

f.flush()

p= subprocess.Popen("xdg-open" + " " + f.name, shell=True)

sts = os.waitpid(p.pid, 0)

time.sleep(5) # give app long enough to import the data

f.close()

import sys, getopt

class Main():

""" Encapsulates option handling. Subclass to add new options,

add 'handle_x' method for an -x option,

add 'handle_xlong' method for an --xlong option

help (-h, --help) should be automatically created from module

docstring and handler docstrings.

test (-t, --test) will run all docstring and unittests it finds

"""

class Usage(Exception):

def __init__(self, msg):

self.msg = msg

def __init__(self):

handlers = [i[7:] for i in dir(self) if i.startswith('handle_') ]

self.shortopts = ''.join([i for i in handlers if len(i) == 1])

self.longopts = [i for i in handlers if (len(i) > 1)]

def handler(self,option):

i = 'handle_%s' % option.lstrip('-')

if hasattr(self, i):

return getattr(self, i)

def default_main(self, args):

print sys.argv[0]," called with ", args

def handle_help(self, v):

""" Shows this message """

print sys.modules.get(__name__).__doc__

descriptions = {}

for i in list(self.shortopts) + self.longopts:

d=self.handler(i).__doc__

if d in descriptions:

descriptions[d].append(i)

else:

descriptions[d] = [i]

for d, o in descriptions.iteritems():

for i in o:

if len(i) == 1:

print '-%s' % i,

else:

print '--%s' % i,

print d

sys.exit(0)

handle_h=handle_help

def handle_test(self, v):

""" Runs test suite for file """

import doctest

import unittest

suite = unittest.defaultTestLoader.loadTestsFromModule(sys.modules.get(__name__))

suite.addTest(doctest.DocTestSuite())

runner = unittest.TextTestRunner()

runner.run(suite)

sys.exit(0)

handle_t=handle_test

def run(self, main= None, argv=None):

""" Execute main function, having stripped out options and called the

responsible handler functions within the class. Main defaults to

listing the remaining arguments.

"""

if not callable(main):

main = self.default_main

if argv is None:

argv = sys.argv

try:

opts, args = getopt.getopt(argv[1:], self.shortopts, self.longopts)

except getopt.error, msg:

raise self.Usage(msg)

for o, a in opts:

(self.handler(o))(a)

return main(args)

except self.Usage, err:

print >>sys.stderr, err.msg

self.handle_help(None)

return 2

if __name__ == "__main__":

sys.exit(Main().run(main) or 0)

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 12:16 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS/Atom feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “inbox seventy-two thousand; email2vcard”

M-.-n Says:
August 18th, 2008 at 5:31 am
nice lifehack.. now you have an empty mailbox and a contact manager full of junk ? :)

I found the best way to clean my inbox (if I ever feel like it) is to order it first by subject and then by sender. You’d be amazed how everything is linked together and bulk of mails stand out ready for deletion.Wurkz !
Danny O'Brien Says:
August 18th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
sadly, i don’t think i even used it on the mail that I wanted to use it on…

yes, that is a good tip! i’ve heard that from Cory too!
Danny O'Brien Says:
August 19th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Oh, there’s a slight bug there, too

Python

if ',' in name: (family, givenname) = name.split(',')

1
2

if ',' in name:
(family, givenname) = name.split(',')

should be

Python

if ',' in name: (givenname, family) = name.split(',')

1
2

if ',' in name:
(givenname, family) = name.split(',')

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3 Responses to “inbox seventy-two thousand; email2vcard”