mbox2eml: Convert Mbox to EML Files Easily

mbox2eml is a Python utility for converting .mbox files (used by many email clients to store messages) into individual .eml files. This tool is perfect for anyone needing to export or process emails from .mbox archives.

Features

• Converts .mbox files into multiple .eml files.
• Automatically creates the output directory if it doesn't exist.
• Handles single-part and multi-part email messages.
• Validates .mbox file format before conversion.
• Provides detailed error handling for corrupted or inaccessible files.
• Supports Unicode and special characters in email headers and content.

Installation

pip install mbox2eml

Usage

The utility provides a command-line interface (CLI) for easy usage.

Command-line Arguments

• --file, -f: Path to the input .mbox file (required).
• --output_dir, -o: Path to the output directory where .eml files will be saved (required).

Example

Convert an .mbox file to .eml files:

mbox2eml --file path/to/input.mbox --output_dir path/to/output/

After running the command, all emails in the .mbox file will be converted to .eml files in the specified output directory.

Code Example (Programmatic Use)

You can also use the utility programmatically in Python:

from mbox2eml import convert_mbox_to_eml

mbox_file = "path/to/input.mbox"
output_dir = "path/to/output"

success, fail = convert_mbox_to_eml(mbox_file, output_dir)
print(f"Conversion completed: {success} succeeded, {fail} failed")

Error Handling

The tool gracefully handles various edge cases:

• File Not Found: Raises FileNotFoundError if the .mbox file doesn't exist.
• Permission Issues: Raises PermissionError if the .mbox file or output directory is not accessible.
• Invalid Output Path: Raises IsADirectoryError if the output directory path is a file.
• Empty Mbox: Outputs a message if the .mbox file is empty but does not treat it as an error.
• Corrupted Mbox: Skips invalid messages while continuing to process others.

Development

Clone the repository to contribute or run the utility locally:

git clone https://github.com/yangeok/mbox2eml.git
cd mbox2eml

Install dependencies and run the script:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python mbox2eml.py --file path/to/input.mbox --output_dir path/to/output/

Tests

The package includes a comprehensive test suite to ensure stability and handle edge cases.

Run the test suite with pytest:

Run the tests in watch mode:

poetry run test-watch

Run the tests normally:

poetry run test

Run tests in debug mode:

poetry run test-debug

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue to report bugs or request features.

Author

Developed by Yangwook Ian Jeong. For inquiries, please contact [email protected].