"Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig."
-- Marcus Aurelius


MyPopInfo is an XML Web Service that interfaces with your POP3 mailboxes and returns the number of messages in your boxes.

This web service integrates with MyPopchecker, a web-based application for checking e-mail. In order to use this web service, you need a MyPopchecker account -- absolutely free and secure. Once you have a MyPopchecker account, this web service can monitor the account for e-mail messages.

To interact with the web service (including SOAP info), click here.
To view the WSDL schema, click here.

Methods
GetInfo Returns an XML string containing the number of messages in each MyPopchecker account.

Example XML response:

<MyPopInfo>
  <message>Success</message>
  <account name="MyFirstAccount" count="3" ms="329" />
  <account name="MySecondAccount" count="0" ms="120" />
  <account name="MyThirdAccount" count="2" ms="250" />
</MyPopInfo>

Parameters
Username (Required) MyPopchecker Username
Password (Required) MyPopchecker Password

The XML Response

The XML response will always contain a <message> element. If the connection is made, and the login is accepted, the message element will contain "Success." Otherwise, if there is a login problem, the message element will contain the details of the error.

Each MyPopchecker account will generate an <account> element, which contains three attributes: the account name (given by the user when setting up the account), the message count currently on the POP3 server, and the time, in milliseconds, the operation took.

Why an XML Web Service?

How can this web service be useful? If you're a MyPopchecker user, you probably have a need to check your e-mail accounts from various locations. Sometimes, it's nice to know when you have new messages waiting -- similar to how Microsoft Exchange and Outlook integrate to display an email icon in the system tray when new messages arrive.

A web service allows you to integrate this functionality within your own application, whether it be an desktop application, web application, or any other type of application.

For a good starting point, check out the MyPopwatcher windows application written to consume the MyPopInfo web service.