Email Script help

[mrswombat]

Ok, I posted on this subject a long time ago but for some reason I can't find my original posting in my content. So please don't be too harsh on me for re-posting this.

 

I have an E-mail script that I have been working on that I was never able to get fully resolved. Many records contain duplicate E-mail addresses. The reason for that is we have several recurring customers that come to us to do a lot of different little jobs. Since we bill monthly, we can have as many as 20 different records for one customer. The only thing I can't get the script to do is send one combined .pdf file (one attachment, as I know that FileMaker cannot send mutliple http://help.filemaker.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/323/kw/multiple%20file%20attachments) of the statements to the customer rather than 20 separate emails with each statement attached. I feel like this is something that should be possible.

 

Attached is a .pdf of my crazy looking script, which is based on the demo posted here: http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/65699-emailing-a-pdf-form-from-fm-9/.  Any help would be very much appreciated!

Email script.pdf

[comment]

Many records contain duplicate E-mail addresses. The reason for that is we have several recurring customers that come to us to do a lot of different little jobs. Since we bill monthly, we can have as many as 20 different records for one customer.

 

Do you not have a separate table of Customers, where each customer has a unique record?

 

 

as I know that FileMaker cannot send mutliple http://help.filemake...ile attachments)

 

True, but Filemaker CAN append to an existing PDF, so this could be one (slow) way to handle this (first record in the group: create the PDF; all other records: append to PDF; last record in the group: send the mail).

[mrswombat]

Yes, I do actually have a customer table that assigns a unique ID to customers. Problem is that the co-worker who deals with this is not good about keeping that table updated, so some customers are in the table and some are not. I would be happy to enforce it if it would make the script work...hmm, maybe I can make a script for that so that all she has to do is press a button! Anyway, here I go picking your brain again, Comment. Please tell me more...

[comment]

It can actually work without the customers table too, but it's more convenient this way. Plus you can customize the e-mail (and/or the statement) with details from the customer's record.

 

 

Now the problem is that I don't understand your existing script, so I will describe a general procedure:

 

1. Find the customer records that have jobs that need to be included in the statements. This means performing a find in the Customers table, using fields from the related Jobs table;

 

2. Loop among the found records in the Customers table, doing:

 a. GTRR in Jobs;

 b. constrain the found set to include only jobs that need to be included in the statement;

 c. produce the PDF, using all records in the found set.

 d. send the mail to the (one) customer);

 e. return to the Customers layout;

 f. go to the next record (exit after last).

[mrswombat]

Ok Comment, it took this novice all day to make it happen, but it finally did, all thanks to you. This script has been a conundrum for YEARS in my office and our resident FileMaker guru couldn't even figure this out. I'm so grateful and I wish I could send you some sort of thank you gift! Thank you, thank you so very much. :worship:

[comment]

it took this novice all day to make it happen

 

Feels good though, doesn't it?

[mrswombat]

Yes, it really does...I confess to a full lap victory dance around my livingroom when I got it to work. It's such a great way to learn the program when working through it like that.