EgoMailExtractor User Guide: PayPal and ING Wizard Examples

English | Italiano

Overview · Pro edition · Compare editions · User guide

EgoMailExtractor reads emails, recognises relevant messages and extracts data into a structured Excel workbook. The first part covers everyday use with a PayPal profile; the second explains how to create an ING banking profile with the Pro Wizard.

Mailbox → Extraction profile → Email type → Rules → Fields → Excel

The screenshots use the Italian interface and Italian sample emails. Original interface labels and shorthand tokens are retained where useful so you can match the instructions to the screenshots. Configure filters and rules for the emails you actually receive.

1. Configure the mailbox

An IMAP profile contains the connection parameters for your mailbox. For Gmail, for example, the usual server is imap.gmail.com, the SSL/TLS port is 993 and the inbox folder is INBOX. Follow your email provider’s current authentication requirements.

Available email profiles in EgoMailExtractor
Choose an email profile.

2. Choose the extraction profile

The extraction profile defines which messages to recognise and which fields to extract. A PayPal profile can extract the amount, recipient, transaction date, order code, bank and other useful details.

3. Start extraction

On the main screen, choose Estrai nuovi dati e aggiorna il file Excel generale (extract new data and update the consolidated Excel workbook). Processing proceeds in stages and can resume from data already acquired.

Starting extraction using the PayPal profile
Start extracting new PayPal data.
Reading PayPal emails in EgoMailExtractor
Read messages and update the data.
PayPal extraction progress
Processing progress.

4. Review the Excel output

Each profile field becomes a column. The example below shows extracted PayPal data organised in an Excel worksheet.

PayPal data organised in Excel
Extracted PayPal data.

Complete example: create an ING profile with the Pro Wizard

The Pro Wizard builds profiles from real emails. This example follows the process from defining an email type to testing rules, setting up summaries and activating the profile.

Key idea: PRECEDE – DATO – SEGUE means preceding text – data – following text. PRECEDE locates the value, DATO describes its pattern and SEGUE can delimit its end when needed.

Step 1 — Start the Wizard and choose a profile

Launch the guided setup and select the extraction profile to work on, or create a new one. This example uses an extraction profile for ING banking notifications.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 1: Start the Wizard and choose a profile
Step 1: Start the Wizard and choose a profile.

Step 2 — Filter by sender

The sender is a useful criterion for identifying a family of messages. Make the filter specific enough to select the bank emails, without imposing unnecessary restrictions.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 2: Filter by sender
Step 2: Filter by sender.

Step 3 — Filter by subject

The subject filter narrows down the email type. Sender and subject criteria work together so the rules apply only to relevant messages.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 3: Filter by subject
Step 3: Filter by subject.

Step 4 — Name the rule

Give each rule a short, meaningful name that describes the value it extracts. Consistent names make profiles easier to maintain.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 4: Name the rule
Step 4: Name the rule.

Step 5 — Select the value in a sample email

Choose a representative email and highlight exactly the value to extract. The selected value is an example: the rule must also work when the value changes in later emails.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 5: Select the value in a sample email
Step 5: Select the value in a sample email.

Step 6 — Describe the data with a regular expression or shorthand

The Wizard proposes a pattern for the selected value. Where appropriate, use EgoMailExtractor shorthand patterns such as --ALFANUM--, --NUMERO--, --QUALSIASI--, --EURO--, --DATA_TESTO-- or --DATA_NUMERICA--. These tokens retain their original spelling. The generated regular expression remains visible and editable.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 6: Describe the data with a regular expression or shorthand
Step 6: Describe the data with a regular expression or shorthand.

Step 7 — Choose the data type

Store the value as Text (Testo), Number (Numero) or Date (Data). This affects how Excel handles sums, sorting and formulas.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 7: Choose the data type
Step 7: Choose the data type.

Step 8 — Define the preceding text: PRECEDE

PRECEDE tells the program how to reach the correct value. It often contains a stable word, label or structure immediately before the data. Variable sections can be represented by a regular expression or shorthand pattern.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 8: Define the preceding text: PRECEDE
Step 8: Define the preceding text: PRECEDE.

Step 9 — Verify the rule against the example

Check that PRECEDE – DATO – SEGUE extracts the correct value. The Wizard shows the result on the sample email. If it is incorrect, go back and adjust the rule.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 9: Verify the rule against the example
Step 9: Verify the rule against the example.

Step 10 — Choose the destination field

Associate the extracted value with an existing profile field or create a new field. Its name becomes a column in the consolidated Excel workbook and can be reused in formulas and summaries.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 10: Choose the destination field
Step 10: Choose the destination field.

Step 11 — Assign an icon to the profile

An icon helps identify the profile on the main screen. Use a local image or search for an image from the service website.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 11: Assign an icon to the profile
Step 11: Assign an icon to the profile.

Step 12 — Find an icon on the website

When website search is used, EgoMailExtractor tries to retrieve suitable images. Choose an appropriate one or provide an alternative.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 12: Find an icon on the website
Step 12: Find an icon on the website.

Step 13 — Run an extraction test

Test the profile on several messages before using it routinely. Verify that the filters select the right emails and the rules extract consistent values beyond the original sample.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 13: Run an extraction test
Step 13: Run an extraction test.

Step 14 — Create a summary field

Summary fields calculate indicators such as a sum or count from extracted data. They can appear on the main screen and be reused in formulas.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 14: Create a summary field
Step 14: Create a summary field.

Step 15 — Create composite formulas

Combine fields and summaries to calculate derived values, such as averages, differences or other indicators for reviewing transactions.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 15: Create composite formulas
Step 15: Create composite formulas.

Step 16 — Activate the profile

Save the completed configuration and activate the profile. The main screen will use its rules, fields and summary settings.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 16: Activate the profile
Step 16: Activate the profile.

Step 17 — Use the completed ING profile

The profile is now available on the main screen. Start extraction, check the last run and review any configured summary values.

EgoMailExtractor ING Wizard step 17: Use the completed ING profile
Step 17: Use the completed ING profile.

Reconcile information from different emails

When information about the same event arrives in different messages, define one or more fields as reconciliation keys. If the same identifier appears in several emails, EgoMailExtractor can combine their data into the same row.

Summaries, formulas and totals

In addition to individual records, the program can produce summaries, sums, counts, formulas and totals. Configurable totals and pivot tables are Pro features.

PayPal pivot table created by EgoMailExtractor
Example of PayPal totals and pivot analysis.

Community/Open Source edition

The Community/Open Source edition is publicly available on GitHub under the Apache License 2.0. It supports one mailbox profile and one extraction profile, with manual management of email types, fields and rules. The visual Wizard described here is a Pro feature.

Compare Open Source and Pro · Explore Pro