
=head1 NAME

Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY - access an existing message folder as array



=head1 SYNOPSIS

 use Mail::Box::Manager;
 my $mgr    = Mail::Box::Manager->new;
 my $folder = $mgr->open(folder => 'inbox');

 use Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY;
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY', $folder;

 # deprecated, but works too
 use Mail::Box::Tie;
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie', $folder;

 foreach (@inbox) {print $_->short}
 print $_->print foreach @inbox;
 my $emails = @inbox;

 print $inbox[3];
 print scalar @inbox;
 push @inbox, Mail::Box::Message->new(...);
 delete $inbox[6];
 print $inbox[0]->head->get('status');

 my $folder = tied @inbox;
 untie @inbox;


=head1 DESCRIPTION

Certainly when you look at a folder as a list of messages, it is logical to
access the folder through an array.

Not all operations on arrays are supported.  Actually, most functions which
would reduce the size of the array are modified instead to mark messages for
deletion.

Examples what you I<cannot> do:

 shift/unshift/pop/splice @inbox;



=head1 METHODS


=head2 Constructors


B<TIEARRAY>('Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY', FOLDER)

=over 4

Create the tie on an existing folder.

I<Example:> tie an array to a folder


 my $mgr   = Mail::Box::Manager->new;
 my $inbox = $mgr->new(folder => $ENV{MAIL});
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie::Array', ref $inbox, $inbox;

=back

=head2 Tied Interface


$obj-E<gt>B<DELETE>

=over 4

Flag a message to be removed.  Be warned that the message stays in
the folder, and is not removed before the folder is written.

I<Example:> 

 delete $inbox[5];
 $inbox[5]->delete;   #same

=back

$obj-E<gt>B<FETCH>(INDEX)

=over 4

Get the message which is at the indicated location in the list of
messages contained in this folder.  Deleted messages will be returned
as C<undef>.

I<Example:> 

 print $inbox[3];     # 4th message in the folder
 print @inbox[3,0];   # 4th and first of the folder
 print $inbox[-1];    # last message

=back

$obj-E<gt>B<FETCHSIZE>

=over 4

Return the total number of messages in a folder.  This is called when
the folder-array is used in scalar context, for instance.

I<Example:> 

 if(@inbox > 10)    # contains more than 10 messages?
 my $nrmsgs = @inbox;

=back

$obj-E<gt>B<PUSH>(MESSAGES)

=over 4

Add MESSAGES to the end of the folder.

I<Example:> 

    push @inbox, $newmsg;

=back

$obj-E<gt>B<STORE>(INDEX, MESSAGE)

=over 4

Random message replacement is not permitted --doing so would disturb threads
etc.  An error occurs if you try to do this. The only thing which is allowed
is to store a message at the first free index at the end of the folder (which
is also achievable with L<PUSH()|Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY/"Tied Interface">).

I<Example:> 

 $inbox[8] = $add;
 $inbox[-1] = $add;
 push @inbox, $add;

=back

$obj-E<gt>B<STORESIZE>(LENGTH)

=over 4

Sets all messages behind from LENGTH to the end of folder to be deleted.

=back




=head1 DETAILS


=head2 Folder tied as array


=head3 Limitations

This module implements C<TIEARRAY>, C<FETCH>, C<STORE>, C<FETCHSIZE>,
C<STORESIZE>, C<DELETE>, C<PUSH>, and C<DESTROY>.

This module does not implement all other methods as described in
the Tie::Array documentation, because the real array of messages
is not permitted to shrink or be mutilated.





=head1 REFERENCES

See the MailBox website at L<http://perl.overmeer.net/mailbox/> for more details.

=head1 COPYRIGHTS

Distribution version 2.055.
Written by Mark Overmeer (mark@overmeer.net).  See the ChangeLog for
other contributors.

Copyright (c) 2001-2003 by the author(s). All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself.


