E-Mail

[MadHatter]

I need help setting up a message, so that after you send an e-mail message through filemaker, it pops up a message that says Your email has been sent to [email protected]

i just cant get the message to insert the recievers address.

please help, thanks.

[Chuck]

FileMaker's built-in Show Message dialog box cannot have information in it from fields. So, here are the possible solutions to the problem:

1. If you're on a Mac, use AppleScript. There is a script command in AppleScript for "diaplay dialog" which can reference fields in FileMaker. Use FileMaker's Perform AppleScript script step, and have something like the following:

display dialog "Your email has been sent to " & (cell "email address" of layout 0 of database "People.fp5") & "." buttons {"OK"} default button 1.

I wrote an article about how to do this in issue 48 of FileMaker Magazine (http://www.filemakermagazine.com).

2. Use a plug-in. Troi Dialog can show custom dialogs that have greater flexibility than FileMaker, including the ability to have a field's information in the dialog. This has the advantage of being cross platform, since the plug-in is available for both Macs and Windows.

3. Create what I call a "faux" dialog box on a layout. Create a layout exactly like the one the dialog would appear over, but disable field entry for all the fields. Use graphic elements to create what looks like a dialog on the layout with the text and field in formation merged into the text. There are some tools out there that give you pieces of graphics for a dialog box.

The advantage of this one is that you don't need anything extra (like a plug-in), and it's cross platform. The disadvantage, and the reason I call them "faux" dialogs, is that they don't behave as real dialogs, in that you can't move them. This can almost be gotten around by having a separate file just for dialogs that comes up and floats over your normal files.

Chuck

[stigh]

Hi,

I had a similar problem, but instead, I solved it by having a "hidden" field in the base, witch I called "Mail Sent" and had the script insert time and date of the mail when it was sent. Then just marked this field not to be edited by user.

Only a suggestion...

/Stigh

[MadHatter]

right now, i just have it setup so that when the mail is sent, it goes to another layout that has the message and an ok button, and the ok button just brings me back to the send mail layout.

thanks stigh, i will try that out, and see how it works.

[Polland]

Thinking about your question: To keep-it-simple, I would suggest the below option.

Create a Layout looking like a response dialog and place the fields needed to report back to the user that the email was sent and to whom. From there you can time the script to send the email and goto this layout for time limit or place a button to continue.

Just an idea. =)

quote:

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Originally posted by MadHatter:

I need help setting up a message, so that after you send an e-mail message through filemaker, it pops up a message that says Your email has been sent to [email protected]

i just cant get the message to insert the recievers address.

please help, thanks.

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A. Travis Polland

FileMaker Developer

AT&T Broadband

Information Technology Solutions

5619 DTC Parkway, #439

Englewood, CO 80111

[email protected]