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Email Import

Overview

This article describes the types of protocols and security configurations Ephesoft Transact supports to connect with email services. Email import is one of the various ways to provide input files for processing in Ephesoft Transact.

An administrator can configure an email account for a batch class in Email Import. Ephesoft Transact monitors the configured email folder of that email account to retrieve and process any new mail coming to that folder. Ephesoft Transact marks the email as “read” after it is imported into the system for processing.

Refer to Email Configuration for more information.

Supported Protocols

Ephesoft Transact supports the following three protocols to connect with email servers:

Post Office Protocol 3

Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) is a standard mail protocol used to fetch emails from a remote email server to a local email client. Almost all modern email servers and clients support POP3.

POP3 works by contacting an email service and downloading all new messages from it. Once they are downloaded onto the client machine, they are deleted from the email server automatically. This means that after the email is downloaded, it can only be accessed using the same email client. If you try to access email from a different device, the downloaded messages won’t be visible.

Note: The Folder column is not editable with POP3, as POP3 only supports the Inbox folder.

POP3 Workflow

  1. POP3 connects to the mail server on port 110 (port 995 for secure connections);
  2. Retrieves email messages;
  3. Deletes copies of the messages stored on the server;
  4. Disconnects from the server.

The following figure is an example of the email configuration fields for POP3.

Figure 1. Email Import with POP3

Internet Message Access Protocol

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a standard protocol for accessing email on a remote server from a local client. It is an application layer internet protocol using the underlying transport layer protocols to establish host-to-host communication services for applications.

Most modern email servers and clients support IMAP.

Note: IMAP can also be used to connect with a Microsoft Exchange on-premises server. To do so, you will need to enable the IMAP protocol on the Microsoft Exchange server.

IMAP Workflow

  1. IMAP connects to the mail server on port 143 (port 993 for SSL/TLS connections);
  2. Retrieves email messages;
  3. Stays connected until the mail client app is closed and downloads messages on demand.

Note: With IMAP, messages are not automatically deleted on the server.

The following image is an example of the email configuration fields for IMAP.

Figure 2. Email Import with IMAP

Exchange Web Services

Exchange Web Services (EWS) is an application program interface (API) that allows third-party programs access to Microsoft Exchange emails.

Note: With EWS as the server type, Ephesoft Transact does not support attachments in .msg format, and the Email Headers feature is not available.

To configure email import with Microsoft Exchange, you will need your EWS URL.

Figure 3. Email Import with EWS

How to Find Your EWS URL

  • EWS URL for Microsoft Exchange Online or Office 365

https://<ONLINE_URL>/EWS/Exchange.asmx

  • EWS URL for Microsoft Exchange (on-premises)

https://<EXCHANGE_SERVER_HOSTNAME>/EWS/Exchange.asmx

Note: Microsoft Exchange servers come with IMAP and POP3 protocols disabled by default. EWS is an alternative email import service for users who do not want to enable IMAP or POP3 on their Microsoft Exchange server.

Security Types

Ephesoft Transact supports the following security types:

Figure 4. Email Configuration Security Types

PLAINTEXT

In this mode, communication between an email server and Ephesoft Transact will be in plain text (not encrypted). This is not a recommended option, as communications will not be secure.

SECURED

In this mode, communication between an email server and Ephesoft Transact will be encrypted. This method of communication is used for most servers.

Important: If SECURED is selected as the security type and the mail server does not support secure mode, an error will occur at the application end while authenticating the connection.

STARTTLS

STARTTLS is an email protocol command which tells an email server that the email client wants to turn an insecure connection into a secure one.

This is done using the first email sent between servers, which acts as a basic setup process (known as a “handshake”). The email client uses Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) via the transport layer to tell the email server which security settings and compression methods it wants to use.

The email server then verifies its identity by sending a certificate to the email client. Once the client knows it can trust the server, they exchange a “key”, which allows future exchanged messages to be encrypted.

Server Table Configurations

Server Type Security Type Port Notes
IMAP PLAINTEXT 143 Supported
SECURED (SSL/TLS) 993 Supported
STARTTLS 143 Supported

Note: Gmail does not support IMAP with STARTTLS

POP3 PLAINTEXT 110 Supported
SECURED (SSL/TLS) 995 Supported
STARTTLS 110 Supported
EWS EWS URL is used. Security Type and Port are disabled.

Open Authentication 2.0 (OAuth2)

Open Authentication 2.0 is an open standard for authentication that allows for email import in Ephesoft Transact.

Note: This security type is only for the Exchange Online service offered through Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription plans. Gmail OAuth support is expected to be available in the near future.

The following figure is an example of the email configuration fields for OAuth2.


Figure 5. Email Configuration with OAuth2

To configure email import with OAuth2, the following fields are required. This information is generated by Azure Active Directory application registration for the tenant on the Azure portal. Refer to Configuring Microsoft Email Services with OAuth2 for steps to obtain these credentials.

  • Client ID
  • Client Secret

OAuth2 Workflow

  1. Ephesoft Transact will receive the token for authentication;
  2. Use the token to read emails using Microsoft Graph API from the configured email folder;
  3. Mark the email as read and collect the attachments;
  4. Place the emails and attachments in a folder.

Conclusion

This completes the overview of the protocols and security configurations Ephesoft Transact supports to connect with email services.