Python Gmail Checker

gistfile1.py

#!/usr/bin/python2
# Author: Will Price
# Date: Jan 2011

# Import statements: 
# - Feedparser - needed to extract mailcount
# - Serial - needed to send command to Arduino
# - Time - waiting for gmail to be read 
import feedparser, serial, time

# Variables 
checkPeriod = 60 # Time between check in seconds
username = "username"
password = "pass"
label = " " #Label of folder to check no. of unread messages

# Define 'msgCount' function, returns number of unread messages (CREDIT TO: Tom Paton)
def msgCount(uid, pwd, filter):
    inbox = feedparser.parse("https://%s:%s@gmail.google.com/gmail/feed/atom%s" % (uid, pwd, filter))
    return len(inbox["entries"])

# Loop
while True:
    # Serial port setup
    com = serial.Serial("/dev/ttyUSB0",9600,timeout=0.25)
    msgs = msgCount(username, password, label)
    if (msgs > 0): # If number of unread messages is greater than 0, then tell the arduino
        com.write("%c" % (msgs) )
#        print "You have %d messages to read" % msgs # For debugging purposes
        com.close()
        while (msgs > 0):
            msgs = msgCount(username, password, label)
            time.sleep(10)
        com = serial.Serial("/dev/ttyUSB0",9600,timeout=0.25)
        com.write("%c" % 0)
#        print "Inbox is empty" # For debugging purposes
    com.close()
    time.sleep(checkPeriod)