mapi/cdo/outlook

[Abrm]

Hello,
I have a problem with choosing the right approach of mail.
Our IT has uses several mail programs. and offcourse I want to write only
one code.

We have a Citrix environment with Exchange 5.0 and another with Citrix and
Outlook 2000.

what is the best approach? Mapi/CDO/Outlook

Abrm

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

In the past, I never had more compatibility problems trying to use MAPI that
I had with everything else. Works on one emachine, doesn't work on the
other, reinstall IE on the second machine, make some changes to the code and
then MAPI works on the second machine. Come back to the first machine,
doesn't work anymore. Reinstall IE on the first machine, still no success.
In the meantime, someone install Netscape on the second machine, so go back
to the second machine and see that it doesn't work anymore on the second
machine, too. Go to a third machine with Eudora, it works perfectly; go to
a fourth machine with the same configuration as the third, bad luck: doesn't
work at all.

Today, it's very rare to see someone using MAPI to communicate with Outlook
or Outlook Express or any other email program because of all these
compatibility problems. Maybe these problems are now thing of the past,
particularly that now must of the email programs are either Outlook or OE;
however, you won't catch me again trying to use this little piece of crap
for the rest of my life.

When using SMTP, CDO, CDONTS or Outlook Automation, you don't see any of
these compatibility problems: when your piece code work on a machine, you
can be pretty sure that it will work on all other machines as well.

 

[Abrm]

Thanks for the reply,

ok try to avoid mapi that is understood.

But what is the best in combination with windows 2003, citrix metaframe,
exchange client 5.0. Is this SMTP, CDO, CDONTS or Outlook Automation?
I have to send access objects and filesystem documents.

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

Tough question. I suppose that the answer depends heavily on your exact
needs, if your application will run only on a server or if it needs to be
distributed to many clients, if these clients are all on a local LAN or
distributed over the Internet; if you need to only send messages or if you
must also be able receive them for some sort of scripting manipulation and
if you need to have a strong, a weak or no interaction at all with Exchange
and if yes, which one version of Exchange and finally, if there will be any
blocking firewall and if you can require your users to have Outlook
installed or if instead many of them will only have Outlook Express.

The easiest way to send a message with or without an attachment is to use a
SMTP client but this require some sort of installation and you must give
your users access to a SMTP server (I think that some smtp client have a
built in smtp server but I'm not sure).

CDO and CDONTS are easy too but they are not always installed. However, if
you have Exchange and your users have the client tools for Exchange (or
Outlook) installed, then you should be OK. Also, many kind of advanced
interaction with Exchange requires CDO or CDONTS.

Outlook Automation require the installation of Outlook, so this won't work
for users who have only Outlook Express installed.

I'm not an Exchange specialist, so you will have to post you question to a
more appropriate newsgroup if you want more details about Exchange or
Citrix.

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

I've always provided several different mail routines, because
of problems.

OutputTo
Outlook Automation
Lotus Automation
CDO

OutputTo limited and had bugs from 2000 only fixed years later.
Outlook Automation broken by Outlook Security Patch
CDONTS was only available on NT Server.
CDO limited, broken, depends on mail client.
SNMP, have to install SNMP Service
File Drop, need to have permission on server queue folders.

Not so bad now, you can get CDONTS equivalent or SNMP
on WinXP Pro, and OutputTo is fixed but it still depends
on what you are trying to do.

You will have to check to see what is available on both
platforms, because it depends on what is installed, what
you can install, and what Mail admin is willing to let
you do

(david)