Automatic Email Processing:
Overview
Download and Import
Email-Access can selectively download one or more emails
from the email software (Inbasket, Outbasket, Bulletin
Board or Conference Board) to your PC’s hard drive
as text files. These text files are then imported into
the system. Each email is interrogated to determine
the type of email imported, strips out all of the pertinent
information and stores it permanently in to a table
(in any popular format).
Export and Upload Email-Access takes your data,
in any popular database format, converts it into Email
format and exports each email as a text file on you
hard drive. Then you can upload these emails into the
email software and hence mail them to their perspective
recipients. Optionally, after the upload has completed
successfully, the text file can be deleted from the
hard drive.
Menus and Forms
Email-Access System - Main Menu This menu appears
automatically when the Email-Access system database
is opened (EMAIL.MDB). It provides the highest menu
level to initiate all of the system capabilities. Prior
to the Main Menu appearing for the first time, the
system will Initialize itself. When the Exit button
is pressed, the system closes the database and then
closes MS-Access returning you to the Windows desktop.
A custom corporate logo area is provided on this menu
to allow the client to display a graphic. The graphic
file formats supported for the corporate logo at this
time are BMP, CGM, PCX and WMF. This logo can be added
by a person with some experience with developing Windows-based
forms. Input Output, Inc. can provide the graphics
support necessary to place your own logo on the Main
Menu.
List Forms As you navigate throughout Email-Access,
you will encounter forms that contain lists of a particular
item, Export Batches for example. In the center of
the form, a list of items is displayed and at the bottom
of the form is a series of buttons that allow you to
act upon these items. Most forms have Add, Edit and
Delete buttons which perform their respective operation
on an item. Other forms will have Export, Import, Upload
or Download. These buttons will perform an automated
operation on the selected item. Many of the lists have
a Double Click action, similar to Export, Import, etc.
Setup and Config Forms The Manual Import, Manual
Export and Email Download forms allow the user to supply
setup information to the system in order to process
the desired function. Various fields of data are required
for each different operation. The ability to save and
recall the setup data is available. These forms have
buttons located at the bottom of the form to act upon
the data entered. Some forms may or may not have all
of these buttons depending on the operation being performed.
Save - Will save the settings you have currently
on the form permanently. There is a name you assign
to the item for future reference and re-use. If you
want to rename an item, modify the item’s
name in the top portion of the form and press the Save
button. The new name will overlay the
old name.
Get - Displays a list of already saved items
to select from. Once selected, the settings from that saved item will be displayed
in the form for you to modify or to act upon.
Config - Allows you to modify the specific configuration
settings appropriate for the current operation. Various
fields of data instruct Email-Access on how to specifically
handle this item. For example,
the Email Export Configuration form will allow you
to setup the file names that will be used
to generate the text files of emails.
Test - Performs a single operation on the current
item in the form. Allows you to play with the settings
and configuration without having to process the entire
scope of data.
Email Batches and Multi-Batches
Batch
Email Batches are used to provide the for the automated
execution of a single email configuration (Batch).
With the press of a button, you can export and upload
or download and import email data as specified in the
saved Batch with no user intervention. You can Add
new Batches, Delete or Edit existing Batches, or execute
a Batch from the lists.
Multi-Batch
Multi-Batches are used to provide the for the automated
execution of multiple Import or Export Batches (as
defined above). With the press of a button, you can
export or import email data from different applications
using different formats with no user intervention.
You can Add new Multi-Batches, Delete or Edit existing
Multi-Batches, or execute a Multi-Batch from the lists.
Multi-Batches are also used to fully automate the system.
You can call an internal function (RunCode) from a
Macro. You would reference the MultiBatchID desired
when calling this function as the only parameter within
the parenthesis. Then you could call that Macro from
a batch file or from some kind of time start software
(ClockMAN). Reference the mcrEmailExportAutoExec Macro
for an example.
MAPI Interface
The
most utilized and supported method of transporting email
is through Email Servers that support MAPI.
Messaging API (MAPI) is the industry supported
interface for sending and receiving electronic mail.
Email-Access supports this method of integration
to fully automate the email-ing process.
Specific Maintenance screens are used to provide the
necessary information to connect to a MAPI compliant
email server using the CDO (Collaboration Data Objects)
ActiveX wrapper for MAPI support within the Visual Basic
environment. Microsoft
Outlook 98 is required to be installed and operational
on all workstation PC’s to properly implement CDO on
client workstations. Microsoft Exchange Server or some other MAPI compliant server
is required in a networking environment utilizing Email
Servers. The
CDO object requires the use of the CDO.DLL file that
should be installed with Outlook or Exchange.
Emc2/TAO Windows Software, Version 3.X
The email software utilized by Email-Access is a combination
of the Emc2/TAO Windows based software and the Emc2
mainframe based software both developed and marketed
by Fisher. The Emc2/TAO software provides a windows
interface to the mainframe based Emc2 software. Emc2
is utilized by companies that typically have large
data processing facilities and a large geographic area
that defines their territory. Thousands of employees
use the mainframe version of Emc2 to communicate with
all of the other employees in the company.
Email-Access communicates with Emc2/TAO via the internal
windows messaging facility. Options are selected and
operations performed by manipulating the Emc2/TAO interface
directly. Keystrokes are sent to Emc2/TAO to automate
the uploading and downloading of emails. Although alternative
methods of communication between applications is preferred
(DLL or HLLAPI), they were not available at the time
of the development of this version of Email-Access.
A C level API does exist but was not developed at this
time due to a client’s ongoing problems encountered
with the Email servers at 2 Commerce. A C level API
implementation is planned in the next release of Email-Access,
if possible or as an option.
PC Link for Windows, Version 4.0
This software is used to upload and download emails
to EMC2 on the host. It requires the use of a host
terminal session that is logged into EMC2 on the host
and ready for uploads. Described below are the configuration
settings for the software to properly operate the uploading
of emails.
When you execute the PCLINKWIN.EXE software, you will
be presented with a window containing a pulldown menu.
The settings below are arranged by these pulldown menus.
You should reference the manual that accompanies the
software entitled "EMC2/TAO - PC Link for Windows",
version 4.0 for complete details of all of the configuration
settings. It is assumed that all of the settings NOT
mentioned here are already configured and working.
Configure
Full Menus - should have the check mark next to it,
if not, select Full Menus.
Uploads
Upload List Settings
Using Data from Other Databases
The source of data that is imported or exported from
Email-Access is in a table. Tables are collections
of records all with the same fields of data organized
in rows and columns. Microsoft Access provides the
ability to link to other external DBMS facilities using
ODBC. MS-Access calls this Attaching a table. When
you Attach a table to the database, it is treated as
if it were a local table. Records can be retrieved
or appended as necessary. Every major DBMS facility
(PC or mainframe) is supported, including but not limited
to Dbase, Paradox, FoxPro, Excel, Lotus, Btrieve, Oracle,
Teradata, DB2, and Text files.
Fixed-Width Text Import/Export Specification
There are specific configurations that must be present
in the database to successfully import and export fixed-width
text files automatically using Email-Access. This is
a Microsoft Access configuration which implies that
it must be configured in Access and cannot be automated
as part of the programming of the application at this
time. It is called an Import/Export Specification and
is detailed in Appendix B. They are specifically referenced
by the programming code. If they are modified or deleted,
the system will not be able to import or export emails
from the database.
When upgrading from a previous version, along with
the system control tables (as defined above), you must
also import the user defined tables and queries and
re-establish any Attached tables. Any data to be imported
or exported as emails will rely on tables or queries
to supply the data needed. These tables and/or queries
are custom for each email process and are unique to
your specific Email-Access implementation. Since these
tables are unique to each application, you must keep
track of the tables and/or queries that are used to
store the email data. It is advisable to create a macro
to automatically transfer your tables and/or queries
from the old version to the new. This assumes that
you are familiar with MS-Access macros. If you are
unfamiliar with macros you can contact Input Output,
Inc. for development of any custom macros to handle
the transfer of data.
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