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module Netaddress

: sig

Parsing of mail addresses

Addresses indicate the senders and recipients of messages and correspond to either an individual mailbox or a group of mailboxes.

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type local_part = string

Usually the user name

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type domain = string

The domain of the mailbox

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type addr_spec = local_part * domain option

The pair local_part@domain as O'Caml type. The domain may be missing.

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class mailbox : ?name:string option -> string list -> addr_spec ->
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method name : string

The name of the mailbox. Raises Not_found if not set

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method route : string list

The route to the mailbox

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method spec : addr_spec

The formal address specification

A mailbox has a name, optionally a route (not used nowadays), and a formal address specification.

Create a mailbox with

new mailbox ~name route addr_spec

Pass route = [] if not used (formerly, routes were used to specify the way the mail should take from the sender to the receiver, and contained a list of hostnames/IP addresses).

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class group : string -> mailbox list ->
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method name : string

The name of the group

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method mailboxes : mailbox list

The member mailboxes

A group has a name, and consists of a number of mailboxes.

Create a group with new group name mailboxes.

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type t = [
| `Mailbox of mailbox
| `Group of group
]

The union of mailbox and group

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exception Parse_error of int * string

A parsing error. The int is the position in the parsed string

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val parse : string -> t list

Parse a list of addresses in string representation, and return them as list of mailboxes or groups.

Examples:

  • parse "gerd@gerd-stolpmann.de" returns a single mailbox without name and route, and the given spec
  • parse "Gerd Stolpmann <gerd@gerd-stolpmann.de>" returns a single mailbox with name and spec, but without route
  • parse "abc@def.net, ghi" returns two mailboxes without name and route, and the two specs. The second address only has a local part, but no domain.
  • parse "g:abc@def.net, Me <me@domain.net>;, gs@npc.de" returns one group g with members abc@def.net and me@domain.net, and another mailbox gs@npc.de.

Old-style naming of mailboxes is not supported (e.g. "gerd@gerd-stolpmann.de (Gerd Stolpmann)" - the part in parentheses is simply ignored.

end