Libraries Used:
googleapis:
Purpose: The googleapis library is used for working with various Google APIs. Usage in the Program: It is primarily used to interact with the Gmail API. The library provides methods for sending emails, fetching messages, modifying labels, and other Gmail-related operations.
readline-promise:
Purpose: The readline-promise library is an extension of the built-in readline module in Node.js. It simplifies working with readline by providing a promise-based interface. Usage in the Program: It is used to prompt the user for input, specifically to get the authorization code from the user during the OAuth2 authentication process.
node-schedule:
Purpose: The node-schedule library is used for scheduling recurring tasks in Node.js applications. Usage in the Program: It is employed to schedule the processEmails function at random intervals between 45 to 120 seconds. This helps simulate checking for new emails sporadically.
Buffer (built-in Node.js module):
Purpose: The Buffer module provides a way of handling binary data directly in Node.js. Usage in the Program: It is used to encode the email content in base64 before sending it via the Gmail API.
oauth2Client (from google-auth-library):
Purpose: The oauth2Client is created using the google-auth-library and represents the OAuth2 client used for authenticating with Google services. Usage in the Program: It is used to obtain and set access tokens for making authenticated requests to the Gmail API.
Other Built-in Node.js Modules:
fs (File System): Used to read the credentials.json file containing OAuth2 credentials. console: Used for logging messages to the console.
Summary: The program utilizes a set of libraries to interact with the Gmail API, manage user input, schedule tasks, and handle binary data. The Gmail API is central to the application, enabling functionalities such as sending replies, labeling emails, and checking for new messages. The scheduling library adds a randomization factor to the frequency of email processing, mimicking real-world scenarios. Overall, these libraries collectively empower the application to automate email-related tasks in a dynamic and responsive manner.
Further improvement:
- More error handling mechanism
- Currently messageids are cached to keep track of replied messages. Find better sustainable solution.
- Code modularity
- Get Authorization code on own instead of manually entering# vacation-mailer