Problem with Mail type and Outlook 2003

[jartman]

My application does a bit of monitoring and status reporting to the sysadmin via the paradox "mail" object. This was all invisible to the user, until I started installing Outlook 2003. Now every time Paradox tries to send an email, the user gets a popup asking if it's OK.

Does anyone know a way around this? I thought about doing something like telnetting to an SMTP server but before I launch into that I'd like to see if there are any other options. I don't like the idea of leaving an SMTP server sitting on the network that allows emails from un-authenticated senders.

Another mail problem I've just been putting up with is that if the user has no email account set up on the workstation, Windows pops up an error dialog and then Paradox gives another two error dialogs. Putting it inside a try/catch blocks the Paradox error but the Windows one is still there. Is there any way to check if an account is available beforehand? I think the telnet-to-SMTP method would solve this also.

 

[TonyMcGuire]

Do you have e-mail for the company?

If so, send e-mail directly out thru that e-mail server.

There is smtp functionality in Windows you could use, and I sell a Paradox library with the work done to expose the functionality of an activeX control that sends e-mail. There are others available, also.

That said, does the reporting need to be done via e-mail? Is the 'sysadmin' local to the users?

If so, why not just post to a table the sysadmin has access to?

Tony McGuire

http://www.thedbaddons.com

http://www.thedbcommunity.com

 

[jartman]

Do you have email for the company?"
We're running Exchange 2003 on a W2K3 SBS server. There's no "company" email account, if that's what you mean, but sure'n I could set one up. What would that do?

"If so, send e-mail directly out thru that e-mail server"
Whaddya mean? Using the Paradox mail type? If so, what's the difference, and how do I tell it to use that account? The problem seems to be that Paradox uses the default account of the logged-in user, and uses the default mail application to access that account. I want to get into a lower-level layer (that doesn't assume there's a user sitting there), but still have authentication.

"There is smtp functionality in Windows you could use..."
How do I get to it? I was thinking to write a C++ program to telnet to the SMTP server, then run that through Paradox's "execute" command. Is there a DLL in Windows through which I could do this more directly?

Does your activeX control operate at a lower level than Paradox? Will it bypass Outlook so I don't get the error messages? Can I pass it authentication information? I have no problem coding in account information - I'd rather do that than have an SMTP server sitting on the network that doesn't demand authentication.

I'm emailing all department heads with information that's specifically relevant to each, including database metrics to the sysadmin (me). The reason I'm using email is that I don't have to cajole anyone into checking their email, but it would be hopeless to try to get anyone to regularly check a database table.

- John

 

[TonyMcGuire]

Windows (at least 2000) has an SMTP server. Under IIS components, but it may not be installed by default.

The libraries I sell work with an activeX that does NOT use Outlook; the mail goes directly to whatever mail server you set up - whether internal or external.
Yes, it can do authentication. The libraries are Paradox libraries and work directly out of Paradox. I've done the work connecting Paradox to the activeX; a simple library call, using the library for your version of Paradox.

As I said, there are other similar products. You might want to try a Google search if mine are acceptable. And you can always purchase the control and write your own (about $300 last time I checked).

Tony McGuire

http://www.thedbaddons.com

http://www.thedbcommunity.com

 

[jartman]

I'm still not getting you. I know Windows has an SMTP server, but the only way I know to use it is to telnet through a command-line interface. Is there a better programmatic way to do it?

 

[TonyMcGuire]

If the smtp server is running, you can just send to that machine's IP, and that smtp server will send the mail.

By send, you can use the MAIL routines in Paradox and go thru the default mail (Outlook, it sounds like), or something like what I offer as an outside system that sends directly to that smtp server.

Or, with an 'outside' mail server, you can send with authentication. For instance, when I am away from home I still send out some mail from the smtp server we run from home; I just authenticate when away.

Tony McGuire

http://www.thedbaddons.com

http://www.thedbcommunity.com

 

[jartman]

OK, we've gone around in a circle back to the original problems. I can't use the Paradox mail object because it uses Outlook, and Outlook insists on popping up a dialog to ask the user if it's OK that another app is trying to use the account.

I can't let the microsoft SMTP server run openly on the network because it doesn't demand authentication. (Maybe there's a registry entry to fix this?)

So it sounds like the only solution is to use smtp on some remote server?

- John

 

[TonyMcGuire]

Actually, Outlook asking if it is ok for an outside program to use it is just the default behaviour.

There IS a setting to prevent this dialog from popping up.

This is a Security setting: "Warn me when other pplications try to send mail as me".

You need to uncheck that, and Outlook should send your mail without asking/warning.

Tony McGuire

http://www.thedbaddons.com

http://www.thedbcommunity.com

 

[jartman]

Hey Tony:

I can't find the security setting you refer to anywhere. How can I get to it - through Outlook? Control Panel -> Mail? Do you remember?

 

[TonyMcGuire]

It is in Outlook somewhere.

I use an older version of Outlook Express, so I can't look it up.

Tony McGuire

http://www.thedbcommunity.com

"It's not about having enough time. It's about priorities