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User Defined Reports - Email Links

Article Number: 281 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 5:44 PM

Datafile Software

User Defined Reports – Email Links

This new feature adds the document-style Email parameters to a user-defined report.

Within the report design the Format pull-down allows access to the Email parameters.

Note

The Email parameters do allow the selection of items from the main reporting database for the email address, attachment filenames, and for inclusion in email text. However, if the user-defined report is printed for more than one main record at a time these items will be selected from the last record processed.

Data Item Containing Email Address – select, where appropriate, the data item from the main file that contains the email address to be used. As noted above if the user-defined report is ran for multiple records then the email address will be taken from the last record processed.

Send Automatically – controls whether the message is to be displayed for confirmation/amendment before sending. Note that Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express security checking can interrupt an automatic email send for each email asking for confirmation that you wish to send, virus checkers can perform similar checks.

Data Item Containing Attachment (1) and (2) – the report is automatically included as an attachment PDF file but this option allows you to pick up two files to be attached by reading a data item on the main record. Again, if multiple records processed, then the filename(s) are taken from the last record processed.

File Name to Save As – the report is saved as an attachment to the email with a filename of the report title but you may wish to use a different name. You only enter the filename, not the path or suffix, and you can use ‘!nnn’ to pick up a value from the main file record (where nnn is a three-digit data item number – 002, 003, etc.). Data items available can be viewed by clicking the LIST button at the foot of the parameter screen.

Address – this option asks for a ‘hard-coded’ email address to send the email to as an alternative to picking up the address from the main file record.

Subject – enter the subject title of the email. Again you can use !nnn to pick up a value from the main file record.

Message – enter the message text as required. Again you can use !nnn to pick up items from the main record file.

Wordwrap – when you send a message the text is output as entered above but the use of !nnn items may cause one line entered in the message to overflow into two lines on the email.Setting the option to wordwrap outputs the message text as paragraphs, a new paragraph starting automatically after a blank line. You can also force a new paragraph by entering ‘%%’ at the start of a line.

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