Verify email address

[S Molly T]

Is there any way to verify an email address during data entry?

Same question applies to a web address.

Right now to verify a web address we have a script that uses open url and fires up the web browser.

For email verification the script copies the email address and then opens up a web site that the user can then paste the email address into a box (on that website) to test if the email address is valid.

Both of these approaches are kind of clunky as I would like to keep the users in the FM environment and not distract them by opening a page in a web browser.

I didn't know if there was a way to test or verify the web/email address and then report back to the user if it is valid or not.

[Vaughan]

Depends on what you mean by "valid e-mail".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address

According to the specifications, this is a valid e-mail address:

"very.(),:;<>[]".VERY."very@ "very".unusual"@strange.example.com

Some custom functions exist... but be aware of their limitations, most are too strict.

http://www.briandunning.com/cf/972

http://www.briandunning.com/cf/360

As for finding out whether an e-mail address EXISTS I believe there is an SMTP command to validate addressed (that is, check with the server whether the address exists).