This script checks a POP3 email server for new messages. It logs in with the specified username and password, uses the STAT command to get the number of emails, logs out, and optionally displays a popup notification with the number of new messages or prints a message to stdout. The script uses variables that can be set directly or via a configuration file to customize the POP3 server, username, password, and notification image.

1. #!/bin/bash
# Tue Feb 17 17:36:38 EST 2004
# NAME: pop3stat
# Copyright 2004, Chris F.A. Johnson
# Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License
# check POP3 server for e-mail
## set these variables to appropriate values
pop=pop.your-isp.com
user=$USER
pass=password
image=$HOME/mail.png
## or put them into the config file
configfile=$HOME/.pop3statrc
pop3stat() {
exec 3<>/dev/tcp/$pop/110
popcmd user $user || return 1
popcmd pass $pass || return 2
popcmd stat || return 3
popcmd quit || return 4
}
popcmd() {
local IFS=${IFS}$'r'
cmd=$*
echo $cmd >&3
read ok num x <&3
[ $verbose -ge 1 ] && printf "%sn" "$1: $ok $num $x"
[ "$ok" = "+OK" ]
}
popupicon() {
set -- $(ps awwwxo user,pid,command | grep "$USER.*[m]ail-notify.*$image")
[ -n "$2" ] && kill $2
[ $num -gt 0 ] && {
display -geometry +1+1 -name mail-notify -comment "$num" $image &
}
}
[ -s "$configfile" ] && . "$configfile"
verbose=0
while getopts vc: var
do
case $var in
c) configfile=$OPTARG ;;
v) verbose=$(( $verbose + 1 )) ;;
esac
done
shift $(( $OPTIND - 1 ))
pop3stat || { echo "popcmd "$cmd" failed"; exit 5; }
case ${1:-t} in
g) popupicon ;;
t) [ $num -eq 1 ] && _PL= || _PL=s
echo "You have $num message$_PL"
;;
esac