Emails in HTML Format (Outlook 2007)

When you create an email from Datafile, whether it is the printout of a report, a statement / invoice document, or create a new email from the Ledger Enquiry the system uses MAPI tools to create the email in your email client. Emails sent in this way are only in plain text with no font control or allowing insertion of images and doesn’t apply and default email signature.

This new feature – applicable for those using the Outlook 2007 Email Client – allows you to send emails in HTML format using OLE tools.This allows the email text associated with documents such as statements and invoices to be formatted in an improved manner and also allows new mails from the Ledger Enquiry or reports printed to email to apply the default Outlook signature.

Installation

DATAFILE.INI

To activate the facility to use HTML email and to use the OLE rather than MAPI tools to send the mail you need to add a command to the DATAFILE.INI. Remember, the DATAFILE.INI is a shared file that applies to all users on your system – if different users are using different mail clients then you should add this command to the DFWIN.INI but note that any document set to use a HTML email message could not be used by a non-Outlook 2007 user.

To enable HTML email you need to add the line:

R63MAIL=OLE

Once set then the system will automatically use the default Outlook signature for new mails created when printing a report to email or creating a new email from the Ledger Enquiry.

Where Datafile allows you to set default email text – such as your sales statement or purchase remittance documents, ProFiler user-defined reports or alerts – then the default signature is not applied but you can configure the email ‘body’ using tools within the system.

Document Design Manager

When R63MAIL=OLE is enabled the Email Settings within the Document Design have a few additional features.

To activate and convert the document to using HTML email templates you need to set the HTML E-mail parameter which will activate the HTML button at the foot of the screen. Selecting this option asks:



respond Yes to create based on your existing body text, No to create a blank message from scratch.

The HTML editor works along the lines of a basic word processing program – you can block text and change the font, type in additional message detail, insert horizontal lines and so on. To insert pictures or logos you can select the Insert pull-down and select the ‘Picture’ option and browse for the image required (we would recommend storing these images in the DocImage folder – remember that all operators who print the email / document need to have the images in the same location)

As with the standard email text options you can use ‘!Hnnn’ commands and so on to insert data from the current record and ‘<<name,option>> text to add file attachments (see the 6.2 Supplement for more on file attachments).

$DETAIL – the sales/purchase statement and sales/purchase order documents allow for the inclusion of text from the detail database (sales/purchase transaction file or sales/purchase order detail file respectively) so you need to mark within the body your detail area. If your pre-existing template had any detail information set then this area will be already defined for you but if you wish to add a detail area you need to enter the detail you wish to print within two $DETAIL marks – for example:

$DETAIL

Item !D006 - !D091

Qty !D007

Price !D009

$DETAIL

$SIGNATURE – existing special ‘data’ items allow you to imbed the user name of the user who created the email using the !H162 (or !162) item – the user name being picked up from the user name recorded against the user id in the MASTER sign-on options. This option allows for, on print of the email, the facility to replace the $SIGNATURE text with a jpg or bitmap image of the senders signature. In use you would have, for example:

Kind regards,

$SIGNATURE

!H162

Accounts Manager

To set the jpg/bitmap file to use as a users signature you need to select the ‘Window’ pulldown whilst in the main system and select the ‘Email Settings’ option and set the image file. Images are held per user by company – so if more than one company you need to select the appropriate signature image per company.

Once you have created your email template select the SAVE button to return to the Document Design.The ‘plain text’ email body is now ‘greyed out’ as it has been succeeded by the HTML email body. Exit from the Document Design Manager to complete your document layout.

ProFiler User-Defined Reports / Alerts – these utilities also allow you to define an email template message and both these options also support the use of a HTML email message template.