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.

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.