Mail::Message::Part(3)

NAME
Mail::Message::Part - a part of a message, but a message by itself

INHERITANCE
 Mail::Message::Part
   is a Mail::Message
   is a Mail::Reporter

SYNOPSIS
  my Mail::Message $message = ...;
  if($message->isMultipart) {
     my Mail::Message::Part $part;

     foreach $part ($message->body->parts) {
        $part->print(\*OUT);
        my $attached_head = $part->head;
        my $attached_body = $part->body;      # encoded as read
        my $attached_body = $part->decoded;   # transfer-encoding removed
     }
  }

DESCRIPTION
A "Mail::Message::Part" object contains a message which is included in the body of another message. For instance attachments are parts.

READ Mail::Message FIRST. A part is a special message: it has a reference to its parent message, and will usually not be sub-classed into mail folder specific variants.

Extends "DESCRIPTION" in Mail::Message.

METHODS
Extends "METHODS" in Mail::Message.

  Constructors
Extends "Constructors" in Mail::Message.

$obj->clone(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructors" in Mail::Message

$class->new(%options)
    Create a message part. Improves base, see "Constructors" in Mail::Reporter

     -Option    --Defined in     --Default
      body        Mail::Message    undef
      body_type   Mail::Message    Mail::Message::Body::Lines
      container                    <required>
      deleted     Mail::Message    false
      field_type  Mail::Message    undef
      head        Mail::Message    <empty header>
      head_type   Mail::Message    Mail::Message::Head::Complete
      labels      Mail::Message    +{}
      messageId   Mail::Message    undef
      message_id  Mail::Message    undef
      modified    Mail::Message    false
      trusted     Mail::Message    false

    body => $object
    body_type => $class
    container => BODY
        Reference to the parental Mail::Message::Body object where this part is a member of. That object may be a Mail::Message::Body::Multipart or a Mail::Message::Body::Nested.

    deleted => BOOLEAN
    field_type => $class
    head => $object
    head_type => $class
    labels => \@pairs|\%settings
    messageId => $id
    message_id => $id
    modified => BOOLEAN
    trusted => BOOLEAN

  Attributes
Extends "Attributes" in Mail::Message.

$obj->bodyType()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Mail::Message

$obj->fieldType()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Mail::Message

$obj->headType()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Mail::Message

$obj->messageId()
    Inherited, see "Attributes" in Mail::Message

  Constructing a message
Extends "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message.

$obj->bounce( [<$rg_object|%options>] )
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Bounce

$class->build( [$message|$part|$body], @fields, %options )
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Build

$class->buildFromBody($body, $container, $headers)
    Shape a message part around a $body. Bodies have information about their content in them, which is used to construct a header for the message. Next to that, more $headers can be specified. No headers are obligatory. No extra headers are fabricated automatically. Improves base, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Build

    » example:

      my $multi = Mail::Message::Body::Multipart->new;
      my $part  = Mail::Message::Part->buildFromBody($body, $multi);

$obj->forward(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardAttach(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardEncapsulate(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardInline(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardNo(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardPostlude()
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardPrelude()
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$obj->forwardSubject(STRING)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Forward

$class->read($fh|$text|\$text|\@lines, %options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Read

$obj->rebuild(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Rebuild

$obj->reply(%options)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Reply

$obj->replyPrelude( [STRING|$field|$address|\@addrs|\@fields] )
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Reply

$any->replySubject(STRING)
    Inherited, see "Constructing a message" in Mail::Message::Construct::Reply

  The message
Extends "The message" in Mail::Message.

$obj->container()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->endsOnNewline()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->isDummy()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->isPart()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->partNumber()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->print( [$fh] )
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->printEscapedFrom($fh)
    Prints the message part, but all lines which start with 'From ' will get a leading >. See Mail::Message::Body::printEscapedFrom().

$obj->send( [$mailer], %options )
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->size()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->toplevel()
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

$obj->write( [$fh] )
    Inherited, see "The message" in Mail::Message

  The header
Extends "The header" in Mail::Message.

$obj->bcc()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->cc()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->date()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->destinations()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->from()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->get($fieldname)
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->guessTimestamp()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->head( [$head] )
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->nrLines()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->sender()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->study($fieldname)
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->subject()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->timestamp()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

$obj->to()
    Inherited, see "The header" in Mail::Message

  The body
Extends "The body" in Mail::Message.

$obj->body( [$body] )
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->contentType()
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->decoded(%options)
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->encode(%options)
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->isMultipart()
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->isNested()
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

$obj->parts( [<'ALL'|'ACTIVE'|'DELETED'|'RECURSE'|$filter>] )
    Inherited, see "The body" in Mail::Message

  Flags
Extends "Flags" in Mail::Message.

$obj->delete()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->deleted( [BOOLEAN] )
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->isDeleted()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->isModified()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->label($label|PAIRS)
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->labels()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->labelsToStatus()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->modified( [BOOLEAN] )
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

$obj->statusToLabels()
    Inherited, see "Flags" in Mail::Message

  The whole message as text
Extends "The whole message as text" in Mail::Message.

$obj->file()
    Inherited, see "The whole message as text" in Mail::Message::Construct::Text

$obj->lines()
    Inherited, see "The whole message as text" in Mail::Message::Construct::Text

$obj->printStructure( [$fh|undef],[$indent] )
    Inherited, see "The whole message as text" in Mail::Message::Construct::Text

$obj->string()
    Inherited, see "The whole message as text" in Mail::Message::Construct::Text

  Internals
Extends "Internals" in Mail::Message.

$obj->clonedFrom()
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$class->coerce( <$body|$message>, $multipart, @headers )
    Transforms a $body or $message to a real message part. The $multipart refers to the parental body.

    When a $body is specified, extra @headers can be supplied as well. Bodies are coerced into message parts by calling buildFromBody(). If you specify a $message residing in a folder, this message will automatically be cloned. Improves base, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->isDelayed()
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->isTrusted()
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->readBody( $parser, $head, [$bodytype] )
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->readFromParser( $parser, [$bodytype] )
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->readHead( $parser, [$class] )
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->recursiveRebuildPart($part, %options)
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message::Construct::Rebuild

$obj->storeBody($body)
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

$obj->takeMessageId( [STRING] )
    Inherited, see "Internals" in Mail::Message

  Error handling
Extends "Error handling" in Mail::Message.

$obj->AUTOLOAD()
    Inherited, see "METHODS" in Mail::Message::Construct

$obj->notImplemented()
    Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter

$any->shortSize( [$value] )
    Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Message

$obj->shortString()
    Inherited, see "Error handling" in Mail::Message

  Cleanup
Extends "Cleanup" in Mail::Message.

$obj->DESTROY()
    Inherited, see "Cleanup" in Mail::Reporter

$obj->destruct()
    Message parts can not be destructed per part: only whole messages can be forcefully freed from memory. Of course, you can delete() separate parts, which only sets a flag not to write a part again. Furthermore, you may cosider rebuild() to get rit of deleted parts. Improves base, see "Cleanup" in Mail::Message

DETAILS
Extends "DETAILS" in Mail::Message.

DIAGNOSTICS

Error: Cannot include forward source as $kind.
    Unknown alternative for the forward(include). Valid choices are "NO", "INLINE", "ATTACH", and "ENCAPSULATE". Cast by forward()

Error: No default mailer found to send message.
    The message send() mechanism had not enough information to automatically find a mail transfer agent to sent this message. Specify a mailer explicitly using the "via" options. Cast by send()

Error: cannot include reply source as $kind.
    Unknown alternative for the "include" option of reply(). Valid choices are "NO", "INLINE", and "ATTACH". Cast by reply()

Error: cannot read message from a $source.
    Cast by read()

Error: class $package does not implement method $method.
    Fatal error: the specific $package (or one of its superclasses) does not implement this method where it should. This message means that some other related classes do implement this method however the class at hand does not. Probably you should investigate this and probably inform the author of the package. Cast by notImplemented()

Error: method bounce requires To, Cc, or Bcc.
    The message bounce() method forwards a received message off to someone else without modification; you must specified it's new destination. If you have the urge not to specify any destination, you probably are looking for reply(). When you wish to modify the content, use forward(). Cast by bounce()

Error: method forwardAttach requires a preamble.
    Cast by forwardAttach()

Error: method forwardEncapsulate requires a preamble.
    Cast by forwardEncapsulate()

Error: method forwardNo requires a To.
    Cast by forwardNo()

Error: method forwardNo requires a body.
    Cast by forwardNo()

Error: no container specified for part.
    Cast by new()

Error: no rebuild rule $name defined.
    Cast by rebuild()

Error: only build() Mail::Message's; they are not in a folder yet.
    You may wish to construct a message to be stored in a some kind of folder, but you need to do that in two steps. First, create a normal Mail::Message, and then add it to the folder. During this Mail::Box::addMessage() process, the message will get coerce()-d into the right message type, adding storage information and the like. Cast by build()

Error: select parts via '$what'?
    Cast by parts()

Warning: skipped unknown key '$key' in build.
    Cast by build()

Error: you cannot destruct message parts, only whole messages.
    Message parts can not be destructed per part: only whole messages can be forcefully freed from memory. Consider delete() or rebuild(). Cast by destruct()

SEE ALSO
This module is part of Mail-Message version 4.05, built on April 10, 2026. Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/mailbox/

LICENSE
For contributors see file ChangeLog.

This software is copyright (c) 2001-2026 by Mark Overmeer.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.