How to save attachment from outlook using win32com.client in Python?

Question

Im trying to read email and download the attachment to my own folder using win32com module in Python, I stopped at getting the attachment object:

from win32com.client import Dispatch
import datetime as date

outlook = Dispatch("Outlook.Application").GetNamespace("MAPI")
inbox = outlook.GetDefaultFolder("6")
all_inbox = inbox.Items
val_date = date.date.today()

sub_today = 'Hi'
att_today = 'Attachment.xlsx'
for msg in all_inbox:
    if msg.Subject == sub_today:
        break

for att in msg.Attachments:
    if att.FileName == att_today:
        break

att.SaveAsFile('new.xlsx')
att.ExtractFile('new.xlsx')
open(att)    
att.WriteToFile('x')

None of the last 4 lines work...

>>> att.ExtractFile('new.xlsx')
raise AttributeError("%s.%s" % (self._username_, attr))
AttributeError: <unknown>.ExtractFile

>>> open(att) 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, instance found

>>> att.WriteToFile('x')
 raise AttributeError("%s.%s" % (self._username_, attr))
AttributeError: <unknown>.WriteToFile

att.SaveAsFile('new.xlsx') has no error, but there is no such file in the working directory. Seems that the line was just ignored...

Could anyone help? Thanks in advance!

Are you able to post your full resolved code on here? I'm trying to do the same with your code and am running into the same issue. — BrianBeing
– BrianBeing, Commented May 14, 2019 at 14:59

Trenton McKinney · Accepted Answer · 2020-10-11 05:13:03Z

13

Just to update, I have solved this issue by claiming both dir and the file name itself in SaveAsFile:

att.SaveAsFile(os.getcwd() + '\\new.xlsx')

It is not like most threads I've seen here saying that you only need to put path in it. Actually both path and file name are needed.

Also, weirdly, you have to put os.getcwd() here since Python wouldn't recognize current running dir - in R, after we set working dir with getwd(), we are able to write to any file at this location.

edited Oct 11, 2020 at 5:13

Trenton McKinney

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answered Mar 17, 2014 at 1:55

lsheng

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1 Comment

Paul-Jan Over a year ago

It is very common usage of the term "full path" to imply "full path specification including the filename". The threads you've seen might've been correct. :-)

Paul-Jan · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-14 12:50:49Z

4

Where do you think the current working directory is? I'd say you are looking at the wrong folder, SaveAsFile in general works just fine.

Simply pass a full path to SaveAsFile, that should solve your problem.

answered Mar 14, 2014 at 12:50

Paul-Jan

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1 Comment

lsheng Over a year ago

Thanks I finally solved it by announcing both dir and the file name:att.SaveAsFile(os.getcwd() + '\\new.xlsx')

Ojashwi Singh · Accepted Answer · 2020-07-23 09:58:02Z

0

if you want to just save the attachment, comment out the last 3 lines and write the entire directory in last 4th line to save at a specific location.

answered Jul 23, 2020 at 9:58

Ojashwi Singh

1

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