Quick Mail CLI

A command line interface to send mail without any hassle.

Why this tool?

Sending last minute mails using conventional tools can get annoying and tiresome. This CLI helps in such situation since it makes sending mail hassle-free and very quick. Use this tool to send mails quickly without leaving your terminal.

Installation

1. Generate your OAuth client ID and select app type as Desktop App and download the credentials.json file.

2. Install quick-mail from any of the following methods

   • The Python Package Index (PyPi)

      $ pip install quick-mail
     

   • From the source-code

      $ git clone https://github.com/avikumar15/quick-mail-cli
     
      * add line export PYTHONPATH=/path/to/project/quick-email-cli to ~/.bashrc *
     
      $ cd quick-mail-cli/
     
      * activate virtual environment *
     
      $ pip install -r requirements.txt
      $ pip install .
     

   • By creating a docker image

     Clone this repository and add credentials.json to the project root (Same directory as Dockerfile) and run following commands.

      docker build .
      docker run -i -t --network="host" <IMAGE_ID>
      	$ quickmail init credentials.json
      	$ * authenticate using your mail *
      	$ exit
      docker commit <CONTAINER_ID> NEW_IMAGE_NAME:NEW_IMAGE_TAG
     

     and then subsequently just run

      docker run -i -t <NEW_IMAGE_ID>
     

3. Check installation by running

   $ quickmail --version
   

Usage

To use this:

$ quickmail --help

usage: quickmail [-h] [-v] {clear,init,send,template} ...

A command line interface to send mail without any hassle

positional arguments:
  {clear,init,send,template}
    clear               clear the body of message from local or even the token if
                        --justdoit argument is added
    init                initialise token and set your email id
    send                send the mail
    template            manage templates of mail body

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -v, --version         print current cli version

Run the init command to authenticate gmail, and generate token. This command is required to be run only once.

$ quickmail init <path/to/credentials.json>

Now you are all set. Use the send command to send mail.

$ quickmail send --help

usage: quickmail send [-h] -r RECEIVER -sub SUBJECT [-t TEMPLATE] [-b BODY]
                      [-a ATTACHMENT] [-l]

Use the send command to send mail. Body can be passed as an argument, or typed in
a nano shell. Use optional --lessgo command for sending mail without confirmation

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -r RECEIVER, --receiver RECEIVER
                        receiver's email address, eg. '-r "[email protected]"'
  -sub SUBJECT, --subject SUBJECT
                        email's subject, eg. '-sub "XYZ submission"'
  -t TEMPLATE, --template TEMPLATE
                        template of email body, eg. '-t="assignment_template"'
  -b BODY, --body BODY  email's body, eg. '-b "Message Body Comes Here"'
  -a ATTACHMENT, --attachment ATTACHMENT
                        email's attachment path, eg. '~/Desktop/XYZ_Endsem.pdf'
  -l, --lessgo          skip confirmation before sending mail

Body and attachments are optional arguments. Body can be either passed as an argument otherwise it can also be typed in the nano shell (Use -t argument to use a template body). Use the --lessgo (shorthand -l) to skip confirmation of mail, for quicker mail deliveries.

To clear the cli storage, use the clear command. Use --justdoit (shorthand -j) to even remove the credential and token files from project directory, this extra argument would allow you to change your primary email address.

$ quickmail clear --help

usage: quickmail clear [-h] [-j]

Use the clear command to clear all email body that are saved in your home
directories. Additionally, pass --justdoit to remove the credential files as well

optional arguments:
  -h, --help      show this help message and exit
  -j, --justdoit  clear storage including the credentials and token

To manage templates use the template command.

$ quickmail template --help

usage: quickmail template [-h] {add,listall,edit} ...

manage mail templates

positional arguments:
  {add,listall,edit}
    add               add a new template
    listall           list all templates
    edit              edit a particular template

optional arguments:
  -h, --help          show this help message and exit

Following is a recording of the terminal session which records the usage of quickmail from init command till send command.

Improvements and Bugs

Found any bugs? Or have any suggestions, feel free to open an issue.