Scheduled Email Script Not Always Working

[jill]

I've got a script set up in two of my FMPro databases to send out an email daily for calendar reminders and appointment reminders. The script runs automatically each morning on a Windows XP using a Scheduled Task.

Usually it works ok, but every week or so, it runs the script, but doesn't send out the email. If I manually run it and make the email part of the script require a dialog, then it works.

Any suggestions?

It's running on FMPro 7 on Windows XP.

[Ted S]

Hi Jill,

Are you using some sort of SMTP plug-in? If not what email client are you using? I'm guessing not Outlook because I don't think that you would be able to make a newer version of Outlook work in that unassisted fashion at all.

[jill]

What I'm using is a FMPro file that contains an open script to run a script in my main file which finds the records with the current date, then sends an email. The email is done by using the Send Mail script step and it calls up Outlook Express.

I use Scheduled Tasks on a Windows computer to automatically run the file with only a script every morning.

Some days it works, some days it doesn't. If it doesn't work, and I run the script in the main file manually, it will work if I uncheck the "no dialog" option of the Send Mail step of the script.

[Vaughan]

Does it make a difference whether Outlook Express is already open before the script is called?

Also, check which folders in Outlook the new messages are being put into.

[jill]

Nope, it doesn't make a difference, though I have been leaving OE open to try to help it along. It's almost as if it needs to be able to pause when the email is composed -- like maybe the script goes too fast. Though I've tried putting a pause before and after the email script, but that doesn't help. The only thing that helps is to remove the "No Dialog" option on the email script so that I have to click on SEND manually. Of course, this negates the whole purpose of having the script run automatically.

[Vaughan]

"I use Scheduled Tasks on a Windows computer to automatically run the file with only a script every morning."

What user account is the scheduled task running under?

[LaRetta]

I use Scheduled Tasks on a Windows computer to automatically run the file with only a script every morning.

Some days it works, some days it doesn't.

I have the exact same situation and it happened again today. Scheduler runs untouched every day for weeks and then, for an unknown reason, just skips a day. This bot is not used for anything else and, in checking the events (both application and system), nothing else is running which would interfere. I know it isn't from the latest Windows Update (7/08) because it happened once this spring as well.

I don't know what to suggest (yet). But I assume it isn't FileMaker but rather Windows Scheduler. You might check it when it happens next to see if it also has skipped a day like shown in the GIF. It seems like it's left in the running state (?) but Task Manager doesn't show it running. Strange.

LaRetta

Edited August 26, 2008 by Guest
Added last sentence

[LaRetta]

it runs the script, but doesn't send out the email.

Never mind, the situation appears to be totally different because, in my case, FileMaker doesn't even fire. When I clicked on the scheduled task to check it's properties, it quit displaying 'running'. It must hang for some reason. There is only one Admin on this box and access is restricted. However, the server people have access to everything in the universe. Settings show the schedule should run no matter who is logged in.

I sure wish FileMaker would allow import/export server-side scripting and then all bots could be retired. :wink2:

[jill]

The scheduled task runs under the main (and only) user account. The computer is constantly on as it acts as our server.

The scheduled task will run every day as it should, it's just the email step that skips some days.

This morning I got the emails fine -- I have two different ones that go out -- one checks the contacts db to see if a date has been entered in the "Next Time to Contact" field. If it is the current date, it sends that rep a reminder email. The other is a calendar which checks to see if there are any appointments for the day and sends one email to 4 of us with all the appointments for the day.

Today there was only one appointment and only one contact reminder. I'm going to watch to see if the problem occurs when there are more than one of either. Maybe in going through the loop to find all the reminders and contact dates it gets going too fast for the email to keep up?

[jill]

I'm still having problems with this, though it seems one of them now works. The reminders email which I have sent daily is now working since I put a pause before each email to be sent.

However, I still cannot get the appointments email to work unless I uncheck the Perform without Dialog option and manual click the Send button on the email client window.

If I check the Perform without Dialog, it doesn't seem to pass the info to the email client at all. It's like it just skips that step of the script.

Any ideas?