Can the "Send Mail" initiate a new email

[Coyne]

This is something that seems so obvious I feel I must be doing something wrong but I can't figure out what.

I have a field for email addresses. I want to place a button next to that field so that when clicked, it initiates the "Send Mail" script that will copy that email, go to one's email program start a new email document with the email address from the FM database in place ready to fill out things like subject and the letter (by the user) and be ready to send.

All I can get is my computer (a Mac) leaves FM and goes to my email client, and stops.

Is what I want to do not possible or, if it is, how?

[Simon K]

Assuming you have a layout that displays the email address you wish to use on which you wish to place your email button you simply need to write a script that utilises the "send mail" script step.

With the send mail script step highlighed - at the bottom of the script editor - you need to press the "specify" button...

To the right of the "to" option click the button and select "Specify field"...

You need to select the Table Occurrence of the layout from which the script will be run (or if the e-mail address is stored in a related TO, the related TO)

Then you need to select the field which stores the e-mail address...

Save the script and add it to the button in the usual way

There are various other options which are all fairly self explanatory.

As always you probably need to add some error checking in to get the best user experience eg does the e-mail address field have a value in it etc.

The FM Send mail will not send HTML formatted e-mails and only allows one attachment - other than that it works the way you want...

HTH

Simon

Edited September 4, 2008 by Guest

[Coyne]

Hi Simon,

That's EXACTLY what I did. Essentially word for word.

But it's not working for me.

The purpose of this is the DB is a roster. If someone find's someone they want to email, they can just click on the button, this would go to their email client, the address would already be filled in, and everything would be ready for them to add the Subject, note, and tap the Send key.

But it isn't working.

Is there any other script items need to be included or would simply the "Send Mail" item be sufficient? All I'm using is the Send Mail item. The button is performing this script.

Using MacPro, X.5.4, FM 9.0.3.

It's times like this...

Thanks though,

Gary

[Coyne]

Update.

OK, it was in fact working, but not as I expected it to. What it WAS doing was creating a file _IN_ my Draft folder. What I was expecting it to do was to start a new document that would be open. Apparently my email client (MS Entourage) doesn't work in obvious (expected way). I was just about to close Entourage when I noticed a small collection of files in the Drafts folder. This should have been empty. What it (they) were were all of the times I had clicked on the button and created a new document. However, the documents were never opened as a new document, rather just contained within the Draft folder in the "Folders on My Computer."

Thanks for being patient, hope this can help someone else.

Best,

Gary

[Simon K]

Glad you solved it - not always obvious - I went through months with MS Outlook apparently "not working" only to find out that you had to apply an MS Office service pack for FM to process the details properly...