Great video! Is there a way to configure Outlook for Windows to allow FileMaker Pro to send emails (with dialog OFF) without individual security prompts of Allow/Deny, similar to the Security & Privacy > Automation setting in macOS? Trust Center settings in Outlook are centrally managed and locked in my organization.
Hi jchapa7, Unfortunately, that is a setting that the Outlook application and the Windows operating system manage tightly, to prevent spam connections and potential hostile applications from hijacking Outlook and flooding outgoing email. The only way we’ve found to bypass this is to provide an approved third-party application to perform as a ‘mediator’ between FileMaker and Outlook; namely, our Outlook Manipulator plug-in. Alternatively, if you know the SMTP configuration of your email that Outlook is making use of, you could use the SMTP option for the Send Email script step to send emails out, though it would bypass Outlook entirely (so no features like preview in Outlook before sending ) and communicate directly with the email’s mailbox and mailer daemon.
@KarlMcClelland Hello Karl! Yes, absolutely, you could use a calculation field for this. It would be even better, perhaps, to use a calculation in the "set field" script step to populate a standard text field (versus using a traditional calculation field). This way, you can set the text field and provide the user with the ability to make last-minute changes before sending if you want to offer this flexibility. Keep the questions coming if you have more thoughts on this...
Nicely done, nicely presented. So sad that Filemaker Pro can't up their game and make this an easy process, esp since it's supposed to be an Apple company. Why can't this just work perfectly with Mail, as would be expected in 2022?
Hello @Dr John Pollard Well, you won't get any argument from us on this point! For the record, you can send plain text email directly to Apple Mail (or Outlook on the Mac) - just not HTML. And you can also set the default mail client on Mac directly in the Mail settings. To do this you would go to Preferences/General and then set the "Default email reader" to "Mail.app" But here in 2022 and beyond, users expect more, and perhaps it's better said that, "developers expect more." So, we don't know the actual reason or logic as to why this feature doesn't already exist today. But I think the challenge for Claris may be that in order to send HTML email from a given mail client (such as Mail), you would likely have to do some form of direct integration. This might simply be a matter of Apple not allowing anyone (or anything) directly inject code that would send an email (think spam protection and the ongoing Apple stance on massive security in all areas for all things). And an HTML email has the ability to "run code and do harmful things" potentially - which is why that line may be drawn? In addition, I have seen that when it comes to a feature that is specific to a single platform (in this case Mac only), they tend to shy away from those features. Beyond that, I'm sure there are a lot of developer taxes that would go into supporting a feature that ties in directly with another App such as Mail. And the moment you introduce a feature like that, the Mac community cries out and says, "Why didn't they integrate with Outlook on the Mac." Then the windows users cry out, why not Outlook for Windows, (and so on and so on). So that leaves it to third party third party providers like us to do our best to find work arounds for the marketplace. Also, the world is changing fast. All sorts of "email" companies have sprung up with APIs to enable developers to send mail in any flavor and in any quantity without the handcuffs of a particular mail client with every bell and whistle imageinable. Speaking of workarounds, I wonder if there would be a way to write an AppleScript to send HTML directly from FileMaker? That would likely be the next best thing if you could copy/paste the code and still call it from a FileMaker script. Hmmm But even with all the reasoning and logic (excuses?) we have presented above, we still want (and wish we had) a simple checkbox that said: "Send as HTML"! *Great to explore these ideas with you and thanks again for the comment!*
@Andreas Carlsson, thank you for bringing this to our attention and for watching the video! We are so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate your feedback!
Great video! Is there a way to configure Outlook for Windows to allow FileMaker Pro to send emails (with dialog OFF) without individual security prompts of Allow/Deny, similar to the Security & Privacy > Automation setting in macOS? Trust Center settings in Outlook are centrally managed and locked in my organization.
Hi jchapa7,
Unfortunately, that is a setting that the Outlook application and the Windows operating system manage tightly, to prevent spam connections and potential hostile applications from hijacking Outlook and flooding outgoing email. The only way we’ve found to bypass this is to provide an approved third-party application to perform as a ‘mediator’ between FileMaker and Outlook; namely, our Outlook Manipulator plug-in.
Alternatively, if you know the SMTP configuration of your email that Outlook is making use of, you could use the SMTP option for the Send Email script step to send emails out, though it would bypass Outlook entirely (so no features like preview in Outlook before sending ) and communicate directly with the email’s mailbox and mailer daemon.
can't this work with a calculation field where you are bringing in & Surname & or &Company Name& into the field for a 'more personalised' email?
@KarlMcClelland Hello Karl! Yes, absolutely, you could use a calculation field for this. It would be even better, perhaps, to use a calculation in the "set field" script step to populate a standard text field (versus using a traditional calculation field). This way, you can set the text field and provide the user with the ability to make last-minute changes before sending if you want to offer this flexibility. Keep the questions coming if you have more thoughts on this...
Nicely done, nicely presented. So sad that Filemaker Pro can't up their game and make this an easy process, esp since it's supposed to be an Apple company. Why can't this just work perfectly with Mail, as would be expected in 2022?
Hello @Dr John Pollard Well, you won't get any argument from us on this point! For the record, you can send plain text email directly to Apple Mail (or Outlook on the Mac) - just not HTML. And you can also set the default mail client on Mac directly in the Mail settings. To do this you would go to Preferences/General and then set the "Default email reader" to "Mail.app"
But here in 2022 and beyond, users expect more, and perhaps it's better said that, "developers expect more." So, we don't know the actual reason or logic as to why this feature doesn't already exist today. But I think the challenge for Claris may be that in order to send HTML email from a given mail client (such as Mail), you would likely have to do some form of direct integration. This might simply be a matter of Apple not allowing anyone (or anything) directly inject code that would send an email (think spam protection and the ongoing Apple stance on massive security in all areas for all things).
And an HTML email has the ability to "run code and do harmful things" potentially - which is why that line may be drawn?
In addition, I have seen that when it comes to a feature that is specific to a single platform (in this case Mac only), they tend to shy away from those features. Beyond that, I'm sure there are a lot of developer taxes that would go into supporting a feature that ties in directly with another App such as Mail. And the moment you introduce a feature like that, the Mac community cries out and says, "Why didn't they integrate with Outlook on the Mac." Then the windows users cry out, why not Outlook for Windows, (and so on and so on).
So that leaves it to third party third party providers like us to do our best to find work arounds for the marketplace. Also, the world is changing fast. All sorts of "email" companies have sprung up with APIs to enable developers to send mail in any flavor and in any quantity without the handcuffs of a particular mail client with every bell and whistle imageinable.
Speaking of workarounds, I wonder if there would be a way to write an AppleScript to send HTML directly from FileMaker? That would likely be the next best thing if you could copy/paste the code and still call it from a FileMaker script. Hmmm
But even with all the reasoning and logic (excuses?) we have presented above, we still want (and wish we had) a simple checkbox that said: "Send as HTML"!
*Great to explore these ideas with you and thanks again for the comment!*
Great video! Please turn off spell checking, it’s quite disturbing. :)
@Andreas Carlsson, thank you for bringing this to our attention and for watching the video! We are so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate your feedback!