Calendar/Email solution?

[dhandler]

I'm constructing a database (FM 5.5 Developer, OSX) for doing guest registration for a small (10 cottages) resort. One of the results I am looking for is to find a set of reservations (specified start/stop date), sort the results, and display the results in a calendar. The final result would be a printable calendar with each reservation appearing as a horizontal bar (with guest's name) not unlike a Gantt bar graph. The idea is to have a visual record of a given span of time (a month view) with each reservation shown as a continuing block across the days they are associated. Finding and sorting the dates works fine - it's the calendar display that has me stumped.

I am also looking for pointers toward a script or plugin solution to email form letters created in FM so I can mail them via Entourage (Office X). I realize there is a "send mail" built into FM but that's as far as I've gotten.

The bulk of the database is complete but is lacking in these two areas.

Are there plug-ins available to help with these problems?

Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks from a relative newcomer to FileMaker.

[andygaunt]

Hi,

its been a few days and saw no posts so thought I would give it a bash!.

First off, the easy one. Email.

you can use the built in send mail script step, also not sure how (or if) it works with OSX, (I know some of the features weren't available ) but limited.

A plugin we use is called SMTPit (http://www.comm-unity.net)

This plugin allows you to send email direct from filemaker (no need for an external client). Allows you to send text or html that you have coded into filemaker which is great for personalised emails but also allows you to attach a text or html file to the body of the email and will display as you wrote it.

Download their demo and check it out.

Now then, the calendaring bit. A lot more tricky. There are a lot of calendar solutions out there, but they may not work how you want.

We have done things like this but for a different purpose, creating diary views for our users appointments.

This required a calendar database to manage the dates and an appointment database to create the look of the diary.

If you want any further information drop me a line and we will see if we can help.

I know waves in motion have a plugin called date&time that they have a solution called reserve-it that ships with it (http://www.wmotion.com)

Check this one out too.

Hope this helps