Email Export and Archiving Script Documentation

Overview

This script provides functionality to:

1. Export emails from Microsoft Outlook to a CSV file.
2. Move old emails (older than 12 months) to an Online Archive within Outlook.

The script is divided into three main components:

• main.py: The entry point where the user selects between exporting emails or archiving old emails.
• export_emails.py: Handles exporting emails to a CSV file.
• archive_emails.py: Manages moving old emails to an Online Archive.

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Prerequisites

Required Python Packages:

• pywin32 (for interacting with Outlook)

To install the required package, run:

pip install pywin32

Permissions:

• The script must be run with an Outlook profile configured.
• The user must have access to the mailboxes they want to process.

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main.py

This script acts as the control panel for selecting different operations:

1. Export emails to CSV
2. Move old emails to Online Archive

Usage:

Run the script and select the desired option:

python main.py

Example output:

Choose an action:
1. Export emails to CSV
2. Move old emails to Online Archive
Select an option (1 or 2):

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export_emails.py

Functionality:

• Lists available Outlook mailboxes.
• Exports email details (subject, date received, size, folder) to a CSV file.
• Processes both main folders and subfolders recursively.
• Displays statistics after export.

Key Functions:

• list_outlook_mailboxes(): Lists available Outlook mailboxes.
• export_outlook_emails(output_file, root_folder_name): Exports emails from a selected folder.
• process_folder(folder, writer, base_folder, counter, last_log_time): Recursively processes folders and saves email details.
• print_exported_folder_stats(output_file): Displays statistics about exported emails.

Example Output:

Available mailboxes:
1. user@example.com
2. shared@example.com
Select mailbox number: 1
Export completed. Total emails processed: 1200. File saved as: ./export/user@example.com/2024_06_01_12_30.csv

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archive_emails.py

Functionality:

• Lists Outlook mailboxes.
• Identifies corresponding Online Archive for selected mailboxes.
• Moves emails older than 12 months from selected folders (including subfolders) to an Online Archive.
• Provides a dry-run mode to preview how many emails and total size would be moved.

Key Functions:

• find_online_archive(mailboxes, selected_mailbox): Finds the corresponding Online Archive for a mailbox.
• list_main_folders(mailbox_name): Lists main folders for a selected mailbox.
• process_folder(folder, archive_folder, run_type, depth): Recursively processes a folder and its subfolders, counting or moving emails.
• main_archive(): The main function that orchestrates mailbox selection and processing.

Example Output:

Available mailboxes:
1. user@example.com
2. shared@example.com
Select mailbox number: 1
Main folders:
1. Inbox
2. Sent Items
3. Archive
Select folders by number (comma-separated, e.g., 1,3,6): 2
Do you want to perform a dry-run or actually move emails? (dry-run/move): dry-run
Processing folder: Sent Items
Folder 'Sent Items': 520 emails (105.4 MB) would be moved.
Dry-run complete. No emails were moved.

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Error Handling

Common Issues:

• Missing Online Archive: If the script cannot locate the Online Archive, it exits with an error.
• Folder Access Issues: If a folder cannot be accessed or created, the script logs an error and continues.
• Invalid Selections: If an invalid mailbox or folder is selected, the script prompts the user and exits.

Debugging:

• Enable logging by adding print() statements in the script.
• Run the script in dry-run mode before actual execution.

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Future Improvements

• Logging System: Implement a structured logging system instead of print().
• GUI Version: Create a graphical interface for easier navigation.
• Selective Email Archiving: Allow users to define custom retention periods.

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Conclusion

This script automates the process of exporting and archiving emails in Outlook. It provides a simple way to manage large volumes of emails while maintaining efficiency.

For any issues or improvements, feel free to contribute or modify the script!