Reply to a Message Thread with Slack API on New Email from IMAP API

Pipedream makes it easy to connect APIs for Slack, IMAP and 2,000+ other apps remarkably fast.

Trigger workflow on

New Email from the IMAP API

Next, do this

Reply to a Message Thread with the Slack API

No credit card required

▶

Watch us build a workflow

8 min

Watch now ➜

Trusted by 800,000+ developers from startups to Fortune 500 companies

Developers ♥ Pipedream

Getting Started#

This integration creates a workflow with a IMAP trigger and Slack action. When you configure and deploy the workflow, it will run on Pipedream's servers 24x7 for free.

Select this integration
Configure the New Email trigger
1. Connect your IMAP account
2. Configure Polling interval
3. Select a Mailbox
Configure the Reply to a Message Thread action
1. Connect your Slack account
2. Configure Thread Timestamp
3. Optional- Configure Reply Broadcasts
4. Select a Channel
5. Configure Text
6. Optional- Configure Send text as Slack mrkdwn
7. Optional- Configure Send as User
8. Optional- Configure Bot Username
9. Optional- Select a Icon (emoji)
10. Optional- Configure Icon (image URL)
11. Optional- Configure Schedule message
12. Optional- Configure Include link to workflow
13. Optional- Configure Metadata Event Type
14. Optional- Configure Metadata Event Payload
Deploy the workflow
Send a test event to validate your setup
Turn on the trigger

Details#

This integration uses pre-built, source-available components from Pipedream's GitHub repo. These components are developed by Pipedream and the community, and verified and maintained by Pipedream.

To contribute an update to an existing component or create a new component, create a PR on GitHub. If you're new to Pipedream component development, you can start with quickstarts for trigger span and action development, and then review the component API reference.

Trigger#

New Email on IMAP

Description:Emit new event for each new email in a mailbox

Version:0.0.4

Key:imap-new-email

View on GitHub

IMAP Overview#

Using Pipedream's IMAP API, developers can automate interactions with their email inbox, enabling serverless workflows that perform actions based on incoming emails. This could include parsing email contents, triggering events upon receiving emails from specific senders, attaching labels, and much more. By leveraging IMAP, Pipedream can act as a bridge between your email and other services, streamlining processes that would otherwise require manual intervention.

Trigger Code#

import imap from "../../imap.app.mjs";
import { DEFAULT_POLLING_SOURCE_TIMER_INTERVAL } from "@pipedream/platform";

/**
 * Creates an IMAP server connection and emits emails added to a mailbox after the last emitted
 * email.
 */
export default {
  key: "imap-new-email",
  name: "New Email",
  description: "Emit new event for each new email in a mailbox",
  version: "0.0.4",
  type: "source",
  dedupe: "unique",
  props: {
    imap,
    db: "$.service.db",
    timer: {
      label: "Polling interval",
      description:
        "Pipedream will poll the IMAP server for new emails at this interval",
      type: "$.interface.timer",
      default: {
        intervalSeconds: DEFAULT_POLLING_SOURCE_TIMER_INTERVAL,
      },
    },
    mailbox: {
      propDefinition: [
        imap,
        "mailbox",
      ],
    },
  },
  methods: {
    _getLastUid(mailbox) {
      return this.db.get(`lastUid-${mailbox}`);
    },
    _setLastUid(mailbox, lastUid) {
      this.db.set(`lastUid-${mailbox}`, lastUid);
    },
    _getUidValidity(mailbox) {
      return this.db.get(`uidValidity-${mailbox}`);
    },
    _setUidValidity(mailbox, uidValidity) {
      this.db.set(`uidValidity-${mailbox}`, uidValidity);
    },
    _handleUidValidityChange(mailbox, uidValidity) {
      this._setUidValidity(mailbox, uidValidity);
      this._setLastUid(mailbox, null);
    },
    hasNewMessages(box) {
      const lastUid = this._getLastUid(box.name);
      return !lastUid || box.uidnext > lastUid + 1;
    },
    generateMeta(message) {
      const date = message.attributes?.date ?? new Date();
      const ts = Date.parse(date);
      return {
        id: `${message.attributes?.uid}-${ts}`,
        ts,
        summary: message.mail?.subject,
      };
    },
    processMessage(message) {
      const lastUid = message.attributes?.uid ?? lastUid;
      this._setLastUid(this.mailbox, lastUid);
      this.$emit(message.mail, this.generateMeta(message));
    },
    async processMessageStream(stream) {
      for await (const message of stream) {
        this.processMessage(message);
      }
    },
    async getHistoricalEvents() {
      const { mailbox } = this;
      const connection = await this.imap.getConnection();
      try {
        const box = await this.imap.openMailbox(connection, mailbox);
        const startSeqno = box.messages.total > 25
          ? box.messages.total - 24
          : 1;
        const messageStream = this.imap.fetchMessages(connection, {
          startSeqno,
        });
        await this.processMessageStream(messageStream);
      } finally {
        await this.imap.closeConnection(connection);
      }
    },
  },
  hooks: {
    async deploy() {
      await this.getHistoricalEvents();
    },
  },
  async run() {
    const { mailbox } = this;
    const connection = await this.imap.getConnection();

    try {
      const box = await this.imap.openMailbox(connection, mailbox);

      const uidValidity = this._getUidValidity(box.name);
      if (uidValidity !== box.uidvalidity) {
        this._handleUidValidityChange(box.name, box.uidvalidity);
      }

      if (!this.hasNewMessages(box)) {
        console.log("No new messages since last run");
        return;
      }

      const lastUid = this._getLastUid(box.name);

      // Fetch messages after lastUid if it exists, or most recent message otherwise
      const messageStream = this.imap.fetchMessages(connection, {
        startUid: lastUid && lastUid + 1,
        startSeqno: box.messages.total,
      });
      await this.processMessageStream(messageStream);
    } finally {
      await this.imap.closeConnection(connection);
    }
  },
};

Trigger Configuration#

This component may be configured based on the props defined in the component code. Pipedream automatically prompts for input values in the UI and CLI.

Label	Prop	Type	Description
IMAP	`imap`	`app`	This component uses the IMAP app.
N/A	`db`	`$.service.db`	This component uses `$.service.db` to maintain state between executions.
Polling interval	`timer`	`$.interface.timer`	Pipedream will poll the IMAP server for new emails at this interval
Mailbox	`mailbox`	`string`	Select a value from the drop down menu.

Trigger Authentication#

IMAP uses API keys for authentication. When you connect your IMAP account, Pipedream securely stores the keys so you can easily authenticate to IMAP APIs in both code and no-code steps.

Below are the required fields to connect your IMAP account to Pipedream:

host: Enter the host Pipedream should connect to. Refer to your email provider's IMAP instructions if you aren't sure what to enter.
email: Enter the email address you use to sign in to the account you'd like to connect.
password: This is the password you use to sign in to your email account. Note: in order to connect a Gmail account, you must use an App Password.
port: Specify the port number, either 143 (default) or 993. Refer to your email provider's IMAP instructions if you aren't sure which to use.

For Gmail accounts, refer to these instructions.

About IMAP#

Connect Pipedream to any IMAP email provider to trigger custom workflows.

Action#

Reply to a Message Thread on Slack

Description:Send a message as a threaded reply. See [postMessage](https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.postMessage) or [scheduleMessage](https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.scheduleMessage) docs here

Version:0.1.19

Key:slack-reply-to-a-message

View on GitHub

Slack Overview#

The Pipedream Slack app enables you to build event-driven workflows that interact with the Slack API. Once you authorize the Pipedream app's access to your workspace, you can use Pipedream workflows to perform common Slack actions or write your own code against the Slack API.

The Pipedream Slack app is not a typical app. You don't interact with it directly as a bot, and it doesn't add custom functionality to your workspace out of the box. It makes it easier to automate anything you'd typically use the Slack API for, using Pipedream workflows.

Automate posting updates to your team channels
Create a bot to answer common questions
Integrate with your existing tools and services
And much more!

Action Code#

import slack from "../../slack.app.mjs";
import common from "../common/send-message.mjs";

export default {
  ...common,
  key: "slack-reply-to-a-message",
  name: "Reply to a Message Thread",
  description: "Send a message as a threaded reply. See [postMessage](https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.postMessage) or [scheduleMessage](https://api.slack.com/methods/chat.scheduleMessage) docs here",
  version: "0.1.19",
  type: "action",
  props: {
    slack: common.props.slack,
    thread_ts: {
      propDefinition: [
        slack,
        "thread_ts",
      ],
      optional: false,
    },
    reply_broadcast: {
      propDefinition: [
        slack,
        "reply_broadcast",
      ],
    },
    conversation: {
      propDefinition: [
        slack,
        "conversation",
      ],
      optional: false,
    },
    text: {
      propDefinition: [
        slack,
        "text",
      ],
      optional: false,
    },
    mrkdwn: {
      propDefinition: [
        slack,
        "mrkdwn",
      ],
    },
    ...common.props,
  },
};

Action Configuration#

This component may be configured based on the props defined in the component code. Pipedream automatically prompts for input values in the UI.

Label	Prop	Type	Description
Slack	`slack`	`app`	This component uses the Slack app.
Thread Timestamp	`thread_ts`	`string`	Provide another message's `ts` value to make this message a reply (e.g., if triggering on new Slack messages, enter `{{event.ts}}`). Avoid using a reply's `ts` value; use its parent instead.
Reply Broadcasts	`reply_broadcast`	`boolean`	Used in conjunction with thread_ts and indicates whether reply should be made visible to everyone in the channel or conversation. Defaults to false.
Channel	`conversation`	`string`	Select a value from the drop down menu.
Text	`text`	`string`	Text of the message to send (see Slack's formatting docs). This field is usually necessary, unless you're providing only attachments instead.
Send text as Slack mrkdwn	`mrkdwn`	`boolean`	`TRUE` by default. Pass `FALSE` to disable Slack markup parsing. See docs here
Send as User	`as_user`	`boolean`	Optionally pass `TRUE` to post the message as the authed user, instead of as a bot. Defaults to `FALSE`.
Bot Username	`username`	`string`	Optionally customize your bot's user name (default is `Pipedream`). Must be used in conjunction with `as_user` set to false, otherwise ignored.
Icon (emoji)	`icon_emoji`	`string`	Select a value from the drop down menu.
Icon (image URL)	`icon_url`	`string`	Optionally provide an image URL to use as the icon for this message. Must be used in conjunction with `as_user` set to `false`, otherwise ignored.
Schedule message	`post_at`	`integer`	Messages can only be scheduled up to 120 days in advance, and cannot be scheduled for the past. The datetime format should be a unix timestamp (e.g., `1650507616`, see here for help with this format).
Include link to workflow	`include_sent_via_pipedream_flag`	`boolean`	Defaults to `true`, includes a link to the workflow at the end of your Slack message.
Metadata Event Type	`metadata_event_type`	`string`	The name of the metadata event
Metadata Event Payload	`metadata_event_payload`	`string`	The payload of the metadata event. Must be a JSON string e.g. `{"key": "value"}`

Action Authentication#

Slack uses OAuth authentication. When you connect your Slack account, Pipedream will open a popup window where you can sign into Slack and grant Pipedream permission to connect to your account. Pipedream securely stores and automatically refreshes the OAuth tokens so you can easily authenticate any Slack API.

Pipedream requests the following authorization scopes when you connect your account:

bookmarks:writecalls:readcalls:writechannels:historychannels:readchannels:writednd:readdnd:writeemoji:readfiles:readgroups:historygroups:readgroups:writeim:historyim:readim:writelinks:readlinks:writempim:historympim:readmpim:writepins:readpins:writereactions:readreactions:writereminders:readreminders:writeremote_files:readremote_files:sharestars:readstars:writeteam:readusergroups:readusergroups:writeusers:readusers:read.emailusers:writechat:write:botchat:write:usercommandsfiles:write:userusers.profile:writeusers.profile:readsearch:read

About Slack#

Slack is a channel-based messaging platform. With Slack, people can work together more effectively, connect all their software tools and services, and find the information they need to do their best work — all within a secure, enterprise-grade environment.

More Ways to Connect Slack + IMAP#

Other Popular Integrations#

Add Star with Slack API on New Email from IMAP API

IMAP + Slack

Reply to a Message Thread with Slack API on New Email from IMAP API

Pipedream makes it easy to connect APIs for Slack, IMAP and 2,000+ other apps remarkably fast.

Trusted by 800,000+ developers from startups to Fortune 500 companies

Developers ♥ Pipedream

1-24of2,000+apps by most popular

1
-
24
of
2,000+
apps by most popular