I have been approached to assist with expanding an inhouse contacts DB (fmp) used by a small nonprofit theatre group, to integrate with or incorperate an email program. It would need to be suitable for 5-6 users with seperate accounts addresses and allow for mass email to selected contact groups eg actors , sponsors ... etc allready catagorised in contacts BD.

At the moment the users each have Outlook Exp. and contacts DB is accessed via LAN .Currently there is nothing in place to centrally organise /coordinate email.

All DT macs have a copy of FMP 5 (2 upgraded to 5.5) and a copy of FMP Server on the host machine. OS is 9.2 with one copy of X being trialed. FMPm server has recently retreated to allowing single user only and resists any attempt by other users to access the contacts BD ( set for multi user , open on host first and access from file menu_ open_host_BD.)

queries

1. any suggestions re single/multi user issue, ... maybe just use plain FMP?

2. Mail.it 2 looks to be an excellent solution to incorperate email into FMP or would intergration with a email program be a better option?

I have only had brief contact with the group to date.

thanks for any suggestions/comments

Adrian Jessup

Take a look at FileM@iler at http://www.buliga.it/f_mailer.html

It does what you ask

1) Continue to use server. The sharing problem indicates something fundamental is wrong. FM and FM Server should not be running at the same time on the host machine. The host machine should not be a workstation. This symptom indicates to me that the file is being shared with a client copy of FM and not FM Server. Also check the maximum number of users setting in server.

2) I kind of like SMTPit and POP3it for email plug-ins. Plug-ins, these or others, are definitely the way to go instead of email program integration.

-bd

Thanks for the advise

FileM@iler at http://www.buliga.it/f_mailer.html was well worth the visit and fits the bill very nicely

Something fundamental was wrong. When I finally got to check out their setup -no FM server and a 'tech'? had installed 5.5 on 3 macs using the same install code. Downgrading 2 of these toFM 5(copies not in use) will keep them legal and should solve the multi user issue

aj