From: brabuhr@...
Date: 2011-11-27T12:41:58+09:00
Subject: Re: check email accounts with a ruby script

On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 10:02 PM, Michael Cuggy <mcuggy@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've seen a Ruby script that could check web-based email accounts (e.g.,
> gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) by opening a web browser. I'm not sure what
> triggers the yahoo captcha challenge.  However, I'd like to know if
> there was free Ruby code for a script to check email accounts.  In the
> script you hardcode the username and password.  I don't have much
> experience with Ruby.

Years ago I used FireWatir to drive Firefox to hit GMail; Watir
Webdriver looks to be the modern equivalent:

http://watirwebdriver.com/

require 'watir-webdriver'
b = Watir::Browser.new
b.goto 'bit.ly/watir-webdriver-demo'
b.text_field(:id => 'entry_0').set 'your name'
b.select_list(:id => 'entry_1').select 'Ruby'
b.select_list(:id => 'entry_1').selected? 'Ruby'
b.button(:value => 'Submit').click
b.text.include? 'Thank you'

http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-talk/374100

Captchas would be a problem though :-)  A more reliable approach may
be to use another protocol or API for the service (e.g. REST,
Atom/RSS, IMAP).