Operation

What is it?

This page describes how to run the SMArt Email utility (smartemail.exe) from the command line after the configuration has been updated and the credentials have been set with the --credentials operation. It documents the operation syntax and the full set of supported arguments.

Use this page when you:

• Schedule SMArt Email through an OpCon job that runs the executable directly.
• Run SMArt Email manually to verify configuration changes.
• Refresh or replace an MSAL token.

Prerequisites

Before running SMArt Email in normal operation, make sure that:

• The --credentials operation has been run once to encrypt the mailbox and OpCon credentials in the INI file. See Set the credentials.
• The [Mail], [General], and [Configuration#] sections of SMArtEmail.ini are populated.

For detailed setup, see Configuration.

Operation syntax

SMArt Email runs in one of three modes.

Normal run:

smartemail.exe (-inifile:[value]) --[pop|imap|msal] (-server:[value]) (-port:[value]) (--[ssl2|ssl|tls1|tls1_1|tls1_2]) (--[delete|deleteall]) (--sort)

Set credentials — see Set or modify credentials:

smartemail.exe --credentials -user:[value] -password:[value] -opconuser:[value] -opconpassword:[value] (-inifile:[value])

Renew an MSAL token:

smartemail.exe --msal --renewMsalToken (--[renewTokenSilent|doNotSaveAccount]) (-inifile:[value])

:::info Note

( ) indicates an optional parameter. [|] indicates mutually exclusive options.

:::

POP / IMAP examples

Connect to an IMAP server with TLS 1.2:

smartemail.exe -server:imap.example.com -port:993 --imap --tls1_2

Connect to a POP server with TLS 1.2 and delete matching emails after processing:

smartemail.exe -server:pop.example.com -port:995 --pop --tls1_2 --delete

MSAL examples

Run normally against a Microsoft-hosted mailbox using a previously stored token:

smartemail.exe --msal

Interactively acquire a new MSAL token:

smartemail.exe --msal --renewMsalToken

Refresh an existing MSAL token silently (useful when SMArt Email runs infrequently):

smartemail.exe --msal --renewMsalToken --renewTokenSilent

Acquire a token without storing the account on the local machine:

smartemail.exe --msal --renewMsalToken --doNotSaveAccount

Operation arguments

The SMArt Email (smartemail.exe) utility supports the following arguments, grouped by purpose.

Protocol

Specify exactly one protocol, either as an argument or as EmailProtocol in the configuration file. Supplying both --pop and --imap ends the run with exit code 1.

Argument	Description
--imap	Use IMAP as the email protocol.
--pop	Use POP as the email protocol.
--msal	Use MSAL as the email protocol. Microsoft-hosted mailboxes only.

:::info Note

For IMAP, SMArt Email monitors the Inbox. Other mailbox folders are not monitored.

:::

Connection

These arguments do not apply to --msal, which resolves the mailbox from the stored token.

Argument	Required?	Description
-server	Y	Email server IP address or hostname. Can be set as Server in the configuration file instead.
-port	Y	Port number for the email server. Can be set as Port in the configuration file instead. See note below.
-inifile	N	Full path to the configuration file to read. Defaults to SMArtEmail.ini in the SMArt Email program data directory.

caution

There is no default port. Supply -port on the command line or set Port in the configuration file. Conventional values are 143 for IMAP, 993 for IMAP over TLS, 110 for POP, and 995 for POP over TLS, but SMArt Email does not apply any of them for you.

Encryption

Optional. Each option sets the minimum protocol version SMArt Email accepts, not an exact version. The port number must be compatible with the protocol; otherwise, the connection is not established. Can be set as SecurityProtocol in the configuration file instead.

Argument	Accepted protocol versions
--ssl2	SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2
--ssl	SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2
--tls1	TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2
--tls1_1	TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2
--tls1_2	TLS 1.2 only

If you omit the encryption argument and SecurityProtocol is not set, SMArt Email connects without applying a protocol restriction.

Message handling

Optional.

Argument	Description
--delete	Delete emails that matched a configuration, after processing. Applies to POP, IMAP, and MSAL.
--deleteall	Delete every email retrieved, whether or not it matched a configuration. Cannot be combined with --delete.
--sort	IMAP only. Retrieve emails sorted by date.

danger

--deleteall removes every email the run retrieves, including emails that matched no configuration. Deletion is permanent and SMArt Email cannot recover the messages. Confirm the mailbox holds nothing you need before scheduling a job that uses this argument.

Supplying both --delete and --deleteall ends the run with exit code 1.

MSAL token

Used with --renewMsalToken.

Argument	Description
--renewMsalToken	Interactively acquire a new token, or assign a different account to be used by SMArt Email.
--renewTokenSilent	Refresh the token without opening a browser. Requires Tenant and User to be set in the configuration file already. See MSAL troubleshooting.
--doNotSaveAccount	Prevents storing a token to an account on this machine. Typically used to prevent saving an access token to an Administrator's email.

Set the credentials

The --credentials operation encrypts the mailbox and OpCon credentials into the configuration file, and must be run once before the first normal run. For the syntax and its arguments, see Set or modify credentials.

FAQs

Can --delete be used with POP? Yes. --delete removes matching emails on POP, IMAP, and MSAL alike. The protocol does not change whether the option takes effect.

What is the difference between --delete and --deleteall? --delete removes only the emails that matched one of the [Configuration#] sections. --deleteall removes every email the run retrieved, including emails that matched nothing. The two cannot be combined.

Can -server and -port be set in the configuration file instead of the command line? Yes. Both can be set in the configuration file. Command-line values take precedence at runtime.

Does -port have a default? No. Supply it on the command line or set Port in the configuration file. SMArt Email does not fall back to a conventional port for the selected protocol.

Which encryption flag should I use? Use the highest TLS option supported by your email server. --tls1_2 is preferred because it is the only option that does not also permit older protocol versions. The encryption flag must be compatible with the port number for the connection to succeed.

Which folder does SMArt Email monitor? For IMAP, the Inbox. Other folders are not monitored.