
=head1 NAME

Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY - access an existing message folder as array

=head1 SYNOPSIS

 use Mail::Box::Manager;
 my $mgr    = Mail::Box::Manager->new;
 my $folder = $mgr->open(folder => 'inbox');

 use Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY;
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY', $folder;

 # deprecated, but works too
 use Mail::Box::Tie;
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie', $folder;

 foreach (@inbox) {print $_->short}
 print $_->print foreach @inbox;
 my $emails = @inbox;

 print $inbox[3];
 print scalar @inbox;
 push @inbox, Mail::Box::Message->new(...);
 delete $inbox[6];
 print $inbox[0]->head->get('status');

 my $folder = tied @inbox;
 untie @inbox;

=head1 DESCRIPTION

Certainly when you look at a folder as a list of messages, it is logical to
access the folder through an array.

Not all operations on arrays are supported.  Actually, most functions which
would reduce the size of the array are modified instead to mark messages for
deletion.

Examples what you I<cannot> do:

 shift/unshift/pop/splice @inbox;

=head1 METHODS

=head2 Initiation

=over 4

=item B<tie> ARRAY, 'Mail::Box::Tie::ARRAY', FOLDER

(not a method) 
Create the tie on an existing folder.

Examples:

 my $mgr   = Mail::Box::Manager->new;
 my $inbox = $mgr->new(folder => $ENV{MAIL});
 tie my(@inbox), 'Mail::Box::Tie::Array', ref $inbox, $inbox;

=back

=head2 Tied Interface

=over 4

=item B<DELETE> 

Flag a message to be removed.  Be warned that the message stays in
the folder, and is not removed before the folder is written.

Examples:

 delete $inbox[5];
 $inbox[5]->delete;   #same

=item B<FETCH> INDEX

Get the message which is at the indicated location in the list of
messages contained in this folder.  Deleted messages will be returned
as C<undef>

Examples:

 print $inbox[3];

=item B<FETCHSIZE> 

Return the total number of messages in a folder.  This is called when
the folder-array is used in scalar context, for instance.

Examples:

 if(@inbox > 10)    # contains more than 10 messages?
 my $nrmsgs = @inbox;

=item B<PUSH> MESSAGES

Add MESSAGES to the end of the folder.

Examples:

    push @inbox, $newmsg;

=item B<STORE> INDEX, MESSAGE

Random message replacement is is not permitted--doing so would disturb threads
etc.  An error occurs if you try to do this. The only thing which is allowed
is to store a message at the first free index at the end of the folder (which
is also achievable with PUSH--see below).

Examples:

 $inbox[$#inbox] = $add;
 push @inbox, $add;

=item B<STORESIZE> LENGTH

Sets all messages behind from LENGTH to the end of folder to be deleted.

=back

=head1 IMPLEMENTATION

This module implements C<TIEARRAY>, C<FETCH>, C<STORE>, C<FETCHSIZE>,
C<STORESIZE>, C<DELETE>, C<PUSH>, and C<DESTROY>.

This module does not implement all other methods as described in
the Tie::Array documentation, because the real array of messages
is not permitted to shrink or be mutilated.

=head1 SEE ALSO

A good start to read is Mail::Box-Overview.
More documentation and a mailinglist are available from the project's
website at L<http://perl.overmeer.net/mailbox/>.

=head1 AUTHOR

Written by Mark Overmeer (L<mark@overmeer.net|mailto:mark@overmeer.net>)
with the help of many.  See the ChangeLog for details.

=head1 VERSION

This code is beta, version 2.037.

Copyright (c) 2001-2003 by the authors. All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the same terms as Perl itself.
