Email Retrieval With Php - Help Anyone?

I'm looking for a script or tutorial (preferably a class) that can access the email account of a domain (something like address@domain.com), retrieve unread messages AND mark the unread msgs as read, as opposed to deleting them. Most of the tutorials I've seen use classes that are either old (1999) or use deprecated functions (now everyone's using PHP5), and it seems components like SwiftMailer are for sending mails rather than reading them. Any help in this regard will be greatly appreciated. I could have used a webmail based script, but i need this particular function specifically to for an app I'm building, so better to learn from scratch.

Examples of what it could be used for:

- Wordpress can post a blog article for you if you send an email with the article to a specific mail address that wordpress can access automatically. It checks for mail and adds the post if it finds a unique code in the mail (something you specified)

- Similar actions should be possible for custom CMSes where YOU can schedule routine functions rather than logging unto the site and doing the same (particularly useful if you're somewhere it takes an hour to open your mail or when you're blogging on the move - with your phone)

the possibilities are endless - if i can get the email class up and running - any help? I'm no pro to php so be easy on me.

I usually use Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird to configure my email account from my web hosting server I always retrieve all incoming mails from my website's contact page, feedback page, or other form submission pages.

I also build re-used PHP-email form submission sending directly to my web hosting server that automatically forward to my Outlook Express that I do not want to mix with my personal Yahoo mail and other main home email programs. All web email from hosting are strictly for my business, not for personal mail.

That way i will not miss all form submissions of customers' order, feedback, ticket support, and price quote request from my website.

Here is PHP email form submission code that is found at below existing NL thread:

Need A Quick Solution: Contact Page
http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-85638.0.html

Be creative! Can be questionaire form, survery form, employment application form, goes on. . .! Good luck!!!