Email in IWP with SMTPit Pro Plugin

[Rushhour]

Hello, my company bought smtpit pro plugin to solve the email problem, my SMTPit Pro is registered.

But now when i try to email using iwp, i got this error when i click 'send', it works fine when i am using filemaker client.

"Added Tos:

[email protected]

Added to Subject: vista

ERROR: Send: Connect: Could not resolve Host Name to IP Address. WinSock Error: 11004; No Data"

I can't send mail with iwp! Can someone help me with this..? Do i need to set up additional stuffs for it or..??

Thanks a lot..

Kelvin

[Zero Tolerence]

I doubt it works with IWP, you might want to contact the vendor and ask them about it.

[Rushhour]

Hi

It does works with IWP, http://www.cnsplug-ins.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11

And i have managed to do it.

And now is the server problem, extracting from there

'In your web solution, when you want to send an email, run a script which creates a record and populates it with all the needed data for the email ( To, From, Subject, etc.). When the record is created, use a specific field to "flag" the record (or "email") as ready to send. In the background, have an extra computer running FileMaker Pro/Dev which is connected to your hosted database. FileMaker on this computer will either need to be using a script scheduling plug-in to run a script at an interval, or be in a never ending looping script. This script will be "looking" for flagged records and send the emails when found.

We understand this is not an ideal situation, but until FileMaker can fix this problem, this is the only method we have come up with. '

Sorry I don't really understand how to do it and i never used 'flagged' before. Can someone explain help me with this..

Thanks a lot in advance

Kelvin

[Søren Dyhr]

It's just a field where an unsent email gets a attribute or value showing that it hasn't been send jet, when the 'bot actually sends it is the status of the field changed.

It can also be a timestamp that changes during the time you write something in the email. The 'bot knows of the timestamp of previus "shipment" and searches for newer records to process.

--sd

[Rushhour]

Thanks sd and i also actually read up the help files.. i think i should understand what 'flag' means now.. but nvm.

Main issue now is how to get my SMTPit plugin to work at the idea that the writer said. My company bought it becuase i said we need it and now im stuck with it. And I am clueless how to do it.. Any help will be very much appreciated..

Thanks a lot..

Kelvin

[Fenton]

"Flag" is not a FileMaker term per se, it's just a general term meaning to mark a record somehow so that you can distiguish it from other records later. It was used in the sense of flagging (or marking, same meaning) records that you want to email. Just as in your email program you can mark emails as being ready to send, so that they will all be sent in the next batch operation. I would imagine you might need to mark them as sent also.

Exactly how you set up the process for the other computer to get the email records and send them is kind of up to you.

[Rushhour]

'FileMaker on this computer will either need to be using a script scheduling plug-in to run a script at an interval, or be in a never ending looping script. This script will be "looking" for flagged records and send the emails when found.'

Oh!! i still need another plugin??!! Gosh... im in deep trouble then.. anyone have any advice, ideas or help can give me? I need SMTPit plugin to work in our company server...

Help will be very appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance

Kelvin

[Fenton]

There is also a ScriptIt plug-in, from the same folks who make SMTPit, which can run scripts at intervals. It would run on a client machine however. I don't think you can run a plug-in on a machine running FileMaker Server, not at present anyway.

You only need 1 client machine to handle the email, and it would not do anything else. That is probably why they suggest just running a never-ending Loop on a dedicated machine, checking the hosted files for emails to send, sending them, then checking again. The machine would be pretty much useless for anyone to use as a workstation. But it doesn't need a scheduling plug-in to do this.

It could also handle other emailing, such as from the other workstations. With the POP3it plug-in it could also receive email. I don't see any real conflict with that client doing all these things, within the same overall Loop. FileMaker is very good about not letting its scripts run into each other.

[Rushhour]

You only need 1 client machine to handle the email, and it would not do anything else. That is probably why they suggest just running a never-ending Loop on a dedicated machine, checking the hosted files for emails to send, sending them, then checking again. The machine would be pretty much useless for anyone to use as a workstation. But it doesn't need a scheduling plug-in to do this.

Hi Fenton

Thanks a lot for your solution. Actually my company has a dedicated machine for all our fm3 files. Not a problem i can request to install fm7 in this pc doing a never ending loop just to send mail.

But i really in need of guidance and help on this.

Firstly from the client machine how to check from server file and send mail? How the script will be like?

Secondly anyone have example files that used 'flag' that able to let me further understand how is it used.

Thanks a lot in advance

Kelvin

[Fenton]

Basically the client machine is checking to see if emails need to be sent. I would imagine that it would be looking for records in an "emails send/sent" table which do not have something in a field. This is what is (loosely) called a "flag" field; at least that's how we're using it.* Personally I think I'd put a timestamp in the field, since it would tell you both whether it was sent and when. So you'd just be doing a Find for empties in the timestamp field ("=").

This timestamp field would be set during a Loop script that has the step that sends the email, an SMTPit (or other) step. SMTPit can return the status of its Send step. You'd want the script to look at that before setting the timestamp; because emails are not always sent successfully (many ISP's will block massive bulk mailings, or the address may be obviously wrong).

The thing to remember is that the client is accessing the hosted FileMaker files, but email sending happens on the client machine. So it'll all work fine.

What exactly the script would look like, and where the actual text of the email comes differ depending on other factors. Look at the examples that come with SMTPit Pro.

*Often a "flag" field is boolean, either 1 or nothing. But it could also be a date, etc.. It's more about use.

[Rushhour]

Hi.

Attached is what i have done. I can't relate the records on Travel request and report file to my email file. And my script works in this way,loop for any new records, if new record found, send mail then delete record. But also failed. And no idea how to incoporate 'flag' into it..

Needing of help..

Thanks a lot in advance

Kelvin

Email_Testing.zip

[Ted S]

Rushhour,

Well, I've read this entire thread and downloaded your files but I can't figure out what you are trying to do. Also, I've barely used IWP much myself and am really surprised that SMTPit (Pro?) works with IWP but if you say it does I'll take your word for it.

Are you just trying to:

1. Find all records where no message has been sent.

2. Send a message to everyone in the found set.

3. Then mark all of those records as sent?

[Rushhour]

Hi Ted, really thanks for your response.

Yeah. Its actually exactly like the following thread topic 'Auto email whenever new record is created ', http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/171377/

But just that I hope to achieve Fenton idea by using a client pc relating with the server to send mail as the server don't supports SMTPit Pro Plugin.

Like what Fenton mention a never ending loop looking for records?? if found send mail and delete record and keep looping again..??

The thing to remember is that the client is accessing the hosted FileMaker files, but email sending happens on the client machine. So it'll all work fine.

Apologise im still new with filemaker.

Help needed with this.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Kelvin

[Rushhour]

Hi everyone..

This thread needs help...

Thanks a lot

Kelvin

[Rushhour]

Help.. Help.. Help Please...

[mikehkg]

Hi Kelvin

Got your mail, went through the threat and answers; can't really

see what to tell you more than its already been said, there are some pretty good explanations, but its not quite clear to me what exactly is your problem.

[Rushhour]

Hi mikehkg

Thanks for your response.

I am doing a travel report form. Staff will do their report through iwp. It will auto email to related personnel whenever new record is created.

But Filemaker 7 Server Advance does not supports SMTPit Pro plugin. Therefore like what others mention using another client machine to check records and do the emailing.

Thanks a lot

Kelvin

[youseful]

You can send email in IWP using our IWP trigger

see www.fmplugin.net

[FMWebschool]

There is no plug-in needed for this, you can actually do this X-platform with PHP, I am including a free solution to all subscribers of our Newsletter. I will include download links today that will allow you to download the files for free. If you want to see the movie of it working, check out:

http://www.fmwebschool.com/resources/iwpphp/iwpphp.html

Is easy to do, and works with Server Advanced :

Every 3 weeks our Newsletter "Confessions of a Webaholic" comes out for free. Example files such as the IWP mailer are free to all subscribers. Simply go to the FMWebschool site and subscribe to the newsletter at the top of the home page:)

In Kindness

Stephen K Knight

http://www.fmwebschool.com

[T-Square]

Although this thread is a little stale, I have been wanting to point out that the solution being offered in these messages is NOT providing email functionality in IWP. It is using a separate machine that is running Filemaker Client to capture data changes made by an IWP client. So, the Plug-In isn't using IWP, nor is IWP sending the email. FM Client is sending the email, and it may or may not use SMTPit.

Not being familiar with SMTPit, I don't know what features it offers in this scenario that couldn't be done out of the FM box.

David