Send Email

The Send Email output task sends the data files it receives via email.

Example

This task is put into effect in the following example process:

• Capture Post Processing Workflow

Note that Capture is only available to PlanetPress Suite users.

Input

Any data file.

Processing

While an email is always sent by this task (or at least attempted to be sent), the contents of the file and presence of attachments depends on the selected option. Refer to the property descriptions below to know what each option does.

Once the contents of the file and attachments are determined, the email (including attachments) is either sent directly to the selected SMTP server, or is deposited in the "Outbox" folder of the local Microsoft Outlook account.

Task properties

Recipients Tab

• To: Enter the email address(es) of the recipient(s). Remember this is a variable property box and you can therefore use various schemes to use email addresses that change with each job at run-time. You can use any combination of text, variables and data selections; see Variable task properties.
• Cc: Specify addresses to which a copy of the generated emails are to be sent.
• Bcc: Specify discreet addresses (other recipients will not be able to see these addresses) to which a copy of the generated emails are to be sent.
• Subject: Enter the subject of the emails generated by PlanetPress Image for this task. Note that if you use a data selection in this box, you must be sure that the data that will be selected at run-time will not contain any parentheses, as this would cause the task to fail. If you suspect that the data may contain parentheses, you should use a Run Script action task (see Run Script) with a Strip() function to strip them out.
• Message: Enter the content of the email message. This is a variable property box, so the text may be personalized using variables and data selections. Note that since this is a variable property box, its content is parsed at run-time. If HTML code is entered or pasted in this box, percent (%) and backslash (/) HTML characters must be doubled otherwise they will be disregarded.

Attachments Tab

Use this tab to add the files received by this task (plus any other file that you may choose to attach) to the emails sent by PlanetPress.

• Attach input job files: Select to attach the file received by this task to the emails it will generate. If this option is not selected, the recipients will not receive any data file.
• File: Select additional files to include as attachments. You may enter the file name directly and use text, variables and data selections. You may also use the Browse button to navigate and select the file. To add the file to the list displayed in the Attach box, you must the click the downward pointing arrow button.
• Attach: Lists the files that will be attached to the messages sent from PlanetPress Workflow for this task. Selecting the Attach output file(s) option adds these files at the top of the list. Any other file that may have been added using the File box (above) is also listed here.
• Zip mode: Select how you want the files checked in the Attach box to be zipped. Select Zip individually to have PlanetPress Workflow create a zip file for each file. Select Archive and Zip if you prefer to have one zip file that contains all the attached files.
• Zip file name: Enter the name of the one zip file that will be created if the Archive and Zip option was selected in the Attach box (this box is otherwise not enabled).
• Password protect Zip file(s): Select to force recipients to use a password to open the attached zip files. Note that users will be required to use this password open each one of the generated zip files.
• Password: Enter the zip file password.

Login Tab

• Use Microsoft Outlook: Select to use Microsoft Outlook to send emails (and attachments). The host computer must be running Outlook, and PlanetPress must have access to Outlook. Emails generated by PlanetPress Workflow appear in the outbox before being sent by Outlook whenever it is set to send emails.
• Use SMTP mail: Select to use Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to send the emails (and attachments). To use SMTP you must enter information in the Name, Email Address and Outgoing Mail (SMTP) boxes below.
• Name: Enter the sender’s name that will be used in emails sent by PlanetPress Workflow for this task.
• Organization: Enter the organization name that will be used in emails sent by PlanetPress Workflow for this task (this is optional).
• Email address: Enter the sender’s email address that will be used in emails sent by PlanetPress Workflow for this task.
• Reply address: Enter the reply address that will be used in emails sent by PlanetPress Workflow for this task (this is optional).
• Outgoing mail (SMTP): Enter the IP address of the mail server PlanetPress Workflow is to use to send emails via SMTP.
• Port: Specify the outgoing SMTP Port if it is different from the default port (25).
• Server requires authentication: Select if the outgoing server mentioned above requires authentication. To use authentication you must enter information in the Account name and Password boxes below.
• Account name: Enter the name of the account that PlanetPress Workflow is to use to send emails via the mail server.
• Password: Enter the password associated with the account name entered above.

On Error Tab

For a description of the options on the On Error tab see Using the On Error tab.

Miscellaneous Tab

The Miscellaneous tab is common to all tasks.

It contains a text area (Task comments) that lets you write comments about the task. These comments are saved when the dialog is closed with the OK button and are displayed in the Task Comments Pane.

Check the option Use as step description to display the text next to the icon of the plugin in the Process area.

The tab also provides an option to highlight the task in The Process area with the default color, set in the Preferences (see General appearance preferences), or the color selected or defined under Highlight color on this tab.
To revert the selected highlight color to the default color, open this tab, turn the Highlight option off and close the dialog with the OK button; then turn highlighting back on.
Highlighting can also be turned on and off via the task's contextual menu and with the Highlight button on the View ribbon.