Activate Outlook from within Access?

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I am looking at designing an application to track project issues. The Application would be built in Access. What I am wondering is whether or not there is a way to put some of the “Issue” information into an Outlook mail message and post it to the Project Manager, every time an new issue is entered. Is there some way of activating a VBA script that would do this? Any insight, help is appreciated. Thanks.

Ron M

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The simple answer is “Yes”, but what are you actually trying to accomplish besides drive the Project Manager crazy with e-mails? How often would you expect this to take place? If it happens frequently, you might be better advised to log it into a file and let the Project Manager check the log at intervals.

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The object is not to drive the PM crazy, but to nag him a bit. Since these are relatively small projects, I don’t anticipate more than one or two “issues” a day on a bad day — on larger projects, you are right, you would drive him crazy with e-mails and I agree, it would be better to log to a file and have him check the log at intervals. I was interested in whether it could be done and how one might do it.

Ron M

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I’ve done it to external addresses using Outlook and Exchange Server, but there’s another alternative as well.

Reference Point Software has a product called SendMail which allows you to use Access to send a message across a network through an SMTP server. You can also contact them at info@ReferencePointSoftware.com.

This method is faster than using Outlook since it doesn’t have to load the email program at all, and it was designed for exactly what you’re trying to do.

If SendMail doesn’t suit you, post again and I’ll find the code I used. or maybe someone else has some they’ll post in the meanwhile.

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Hi

I developed a class module to send mails. Comments are in dutch, but the coding speaks for itself:

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
‘*******************************************************
‘Class clsMAPI
‘*******************************************************
‘Algemene declaraties voor een email object.
‘*******************************************************
Dim objMySes As Object ‘Session object voor de MAPI sessie

Public Function SendMail(txtMailTo As String, Optional txtText As String, Optional txtSubject As String) As String
‘*******************************************************
‘Functie voor het versturen van een mailtje.
‘De returnwaarde is een string.
‘Als de string leeg is is de toevoeging succesvol geweest.
‘Als de string niet leeg is, dan bevat de string een
‘foutboodschap.
‘
‘LAATSTE WIJZIGING:
‘ Versie 1.0 augustus 2000 B. Stam
‘ Initiele versie van de functie
‘*******************************************************
If gTrace Then
Debug.Print “clsMAPI SendMail”
Else
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
End If

Dim strMessage As String
Dim objRecip As Object
Dim objMes As Object

‘*******************************************************
‘Ontvanger is verplicht.
‘*******************************************************
If txtMailTo = “” Then
strMessage = “The recipient of the mail is not valid or not given!”
GoTo ExitFunction
End If

‘*******************************************************
‘Niet ingevulde parameters afhandelen.
‘*******************************************************
If IsMissing(txtText) Then
txtText = “”
End If
If IsMissing(txtSubject) Then
txtSubject = “”
End If

‘*******************************************************
‘De boodschap zelf invullen.
‘*******************************************************
Set objMes = objMySes.Inbox.Messages.Add
With objMes
.Text = txtText
.Subject = txtSubject
End With

‘*******************************************************
‘De ontvanger invullen
‘*******************************************************
Set objRecip = objMes.Recipients.Add
With objRecip
.Name = txtMailTo
.Resolve
‘.Send
End With

‘*******************************************************
‘En nog even versturen.
‘*******************************************************
objMes.Update
objMes.Send ShowDialog:=False

ExitFunction:
If strMessage “” Then
SendMail = strMessage
Else
SendMail = “”
End If
Exit Function

ErrorHandler:
SendMail = Chr(10) & Chr(13) & “Errornumber: ” & CStr(Err.Number) & ” ”
SendMail = SendMail & “Errormessage: ” & Err.Description
Exit Function
End Function

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
‘*******************************************************
‘Bij het instantieren van het object een MAPI sessie
‘openen.
‘Let op de profilename is afhankelijk van het mail
‘programma dat gebruikt wordt.
‘Als profilename weggelaten wordt, dan wordt er, indien
‘noodzakelijk, automatisch om gevraagd.
‘*******************************************************
If gTrace Then Debug.Print “clsMAPI Class_Initialize”
Set objMySes = CreateObject(“MAPI.Session”)
If Not objMySes Is Nothing Then
objMySes.Logon ‘Als profilename niet gegeven hoeft te worden.
‘objMySes.Logon profileName:=”Microsoft Exchange”
End If

End Sub

Private Sub Class_Terminate()
‘*******************************************************
‘Als het object verwijderd wordt ook de MAPI sessie
‘verwijderd.
‘*******************************************************
If gTrace Then Debug.Print “clsMAPI Class_Terminate”
objMySes.Logoff
End Sub

Bart
Software designer

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Thanks to you both. I appreciate your help with this. Charlotte, I will do some further investigation on the Send Mail product, in the meantime, if you wouldn’t mind posting the code you mentioned. Again many thanks for the help and insight of you both.

Ron M

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Ron – No one seemed ask what, if anything you are using to manage your projects. If you are using MS Project, as more and more people are, you may want to take advantage of the built-in workgroup features, or Project Central.

Definately worth looking at to save you from reinventing the wheel.

Just a thought.

Rich P.

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Thanks Rich. I will look into it.

Ron M

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