1. FileMaker just released an update for FileMaker Pro/Dev 7.0v3. Are there any issues that affect iMailer?
For Macintosh users, no. But for some Windows users of FileMaker Developer 7.0, after doing the v3 update you may need to manually un-install the iMailer plugins, then re-install them using the iMailer installer Custom Option 2. Visit our online Technical Support FAQ page for more information about FileMaker 7.0v3 issues.
2. What are the ideal or typical uses for iMailer?
Any FileMaker page -- or group of FileMaker pages -- that you wish to deliver as email, but with all color and layout formatting intact, is a good example of an iMail. The use of photographs is highly recommended, and any form or report that includes graphics and photos will have the most impact in the recipient's email inbox. Other common business correspondence, like invoices, purchase orders, quotes, travel itineraries, forms for signature, calendars, schedules, complex subsummary reports, are all ideal uses of iMailer. If you have an opt-in or subscriber list, you can send newsletters to email recipients (that finally look like newsletters, with columns and photos!), and targeted advertising using high quality art and images.
Like content on a typical webpage, an iMail message creates exciting visual impact because of its immediacy and rich content. What You See Is What They Get. The message recipient sees what you intended them to see as the message is opened. It is this characteristic that we believe will make iMail ideally suited to situations where maximum visual impact on receipt is an important goal in the delivery of your message.
3. Does iMailer work with FileMaker Pro 7.0?
Yes! iMailer 1.5v1 is available in 2 FileMaker file formats:
FP7 For FileMaker Pro 7.0 and FileMaker Developer 7.0 (be sure you have the latest updater applied, currently 7.0v3), on Mac OSX and Windows 2000/XP only.
FP5 For FileMaker Pro 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 and FileMaker Developer 5.5 and 6.0, on Mac OS9/OSX and Windows 98/NT/ME/2000/XP.
There are now four (4) installers: for FP7 Windows, FP7 Mac, FP5 Windows and FP5 Mac. Other than FileMaker file format and operating system differences, iMailer 1.5 is the same on all platforms.
4. I am already an iMailer licensee. Is iMailer 1.5 a free update?
Yes. If you are an existing iMailer licensee, you can transfer your iMailer Registration Code(s) to iMailer 1.5, and there is no fee. Also, your existing FileMaker 5.x/6 files and scripts will still work with iMailer 1.5. Simply delete the old copy of iMailer, and setup the new version in its place.
5. I use FileMaker but am not very technical. Will I be able to integrate iMailer into my current database?
iMailer was designed to provide FileMaker users - at all skill levels - with all the tools necessary for easy integration. You will only need to know basic FileMaker terminology and concepts, such as fields, layouts, scripts, and relationships. [FileMaker 7 users should be sufficiently knowledgeable in its new programmatic elements, to be able to take advantage of iMailer's simple script import process.]
Our scripts (click here to see an example) are designed to be as simple and low-tech as possible. No knowledge (or coding) of HTML is required, and the plugins we use run in the background (so you never have to figure out what an "External" function is). The iMailer Instruction Manual and other documentation provide more details for all the technical and conceptual issues surrounding iMailer (including areas that are specific to iMailer) and the more general FileMaker issues that the novice or intermediate might not be familiar with.
6. Does iMailer use or require an email client, such as Outlook, to send mail?
No. iMailer comes with its own email sending software. Therefore, your outgoing iMail messages never involve your Outlook, unless you CC/BCC yourself. Of course, replies to your iMails will need to be retrieved by your everyday email application, such as Outlook.
7. Do I need any other software on my computer for iMailer to function?
You'll need a copy of FileMaker Pro, version 5.0 or later, of course. But you will also need QuickTime (4.0 or later) installed on your Mac or PC. Don't worry, QuickTime is available for free from the Apple Computer QuickTime download page, and it installs easily (we even explain how in our instruction manual). Visit our online Technical Support FAQ page for details about installing QuickTime. Otherwise, you won't need anything else that is not included with our installers.
8. What email clients can receive iMail? Can iMail be read in a browser based email service such as Hotmail or Yahoo?
The best way to answer this question is to use our automated self-serve iMail Sample Request system, then go and retrieve the sample message using the email application in question.
Virtually all current email applications will receive iMail messages correctly. Older email programs (pre-2000), some email retrieved via certain web browsers, and "thin" UNIX mail clients may not display the message correctly, though most of those should list the imaged FileMaker page(s) as attachment(s). Although the AOL application does support iMail messaging, AOL mail that is retrieved via web browser (at www.aol.com) does not.
An up-to-date list of major email clients known to be compatible is included with our INSTALL NOTES document, which is part of our iMailer installer packages. This list is also part of the "About_iMailer.pdf" that is available on our website.
9. My email domain is different from my ISP domain, and my ISP requires me to authenticate outgoing messages. Does iMailer support this?
Yes.
10. Will iMailer send multi-page documents?
Yes. The current version of iMailer is internally limited to 50 pages per message, but you can easily create and send messages up to that limit. Keep in mind the total message (file) size will increase with more pages, but this also depends on the image Quality setting you select. The size of the message will increase the transmission time for the sender, and also increases the time it takes for your recipient(s) to download and view the message(s). Less is always better, but increasingly more internet users now have fast "broadband" connections, compared to 56kbps dialup, so larger messages are becoming more commonplace and acceptable.
Not only can you send multi-page iMail messages from your FileMaker database, but those pages can originate from several different FileMaker layouts and files, ending up as a many page iMail message that can be sent to one or many recipients. You can even add-in pages that originate from outside of FileMaker Pro, such as screenshots. This is a powerful feature of iMailer, that is impossible (or very difficult) to achieve using other messaging methods (like PDF attachments to plain email).
11. Can iMailer process a complex print job from multiple files? Can I include other images outside of FileMaker in an iMail?
Unlike creating a PDF, iMailer is designed to flexibly acquire your layouts from multiple sources both from within FileMaker and from outside applications. Within FileMaker, you can iMail layouts from any file or combination of files within your solution. You can also acquire any image that you can copy to your clipboard in any application outside of FileMaker. Or combine the two. In the near future you will also be able to use a scanner to iMail paper documents. Stay tuned.
12. Can iMailer be used to send other kinds of messages, like plaintext or HTML-formatted emails?
Yes. While an iMail is a simple and elegant way to send any kind of FileMaker layout(s) as an email message, iMailer can also send ASCII-based email messages, whether in plaintext or fully tagged with HTML coding. If you are familiar with webpage authoring, or can otherwise construct well-formed HTML documents, you can easily send HTML-style email using iMailer's PlainText option. Such HTML-styled messages will appear just like a webpage inside the email reader's message window. Of course, unlike an iMail message, an HTML-tagged message text most likely will not render the same in all of the different email applications that your recipients may be using.
13. Can iMail messages include live hyperlinks, like to a webpage?
Yes. iMailer allows you to send messages that include active hyperlinks, known as "HREFs", to webpages (or to downloadable files), or to trigger pre-formed mail replies (known as "MAILTOs"). There are 3 ways to include hyperlinks in your (ASCII or iMail) messages sent with iMailer:
A. You may compose a personalized HTML-tagged "message text" for each recipient, which may include multiple hyperlinks, to appear at the top of your message.
B. The iMailer "HOTLINK" feature adds the same single hyperlink to all your messages, below any "message text" (see A) but above any iMail pages. Best of all, the HOTLINK feature works without any special coding or HTML tagging required.
C. The Default Footer can include multiple live links to webpages and/or links that trigger pre-formed mail replies. This is similar to the "signature" element found in most email applications, and the same footer would appear in all outgoing messages sent with that copy of iMailer. As with the "message text" element (see A), to have active hyperlinks in the Default Footer, you must have some HTML authoring skills, or tell us what you want your footer to look like and what links you wish to include and we'll compose it for you (at no charge).
14. How does iMailer licensing work?
iMailer licensing is based on concurrent use of a single shared copy of our "iMailer" file. The "iMailer" file is just another multi-user FileMaker file to be shared on your network, like your other multi-user FileMaker solution files. Unlike your other files, however, the "iMailer" file limits the number of guests/users who can open it on their workstations, by way of a special Registration Code. iMailer can also be used with more basic Single-User FileMaker systems, since the RegCode you enter can set a limit from one to 250 users.
To determine which iMailer License you will need to purchase, just count the number of users who will actually need to have iMailer open on their workstations, and whether they are sharing a common database or running separate databases on each workstation.
If you are not clear on the distinction, check the "Sharing..." setting under the File menu of the database in use:
"Multi-user" generally means you will purchase a single multi-user iMailer license (like a 5-User, for example) and setup one copy of the "iMailer" file.
"Single-User" will generally require the purchase of separate Single-User iMailer Licenses for each workstation, and to setup a different copy of the "iMailer" file on each machine, using a different RegCode at each.
A single multi-user 5-User License, and five Single-User Licenses will cost the same. The difference is the 5-User License has one RegCode, and the five Single-User Licenses has five different RegCodes.
For more information about iMailer Licensing and Pricing, click here.
15. Can I upgrade my license to add more users?
Yes. You can purchase a license for more users, by calling us and requesting an upgrade. We will only charge you for the difference between your existing license, and the higher license. We will then "retire" your old RegCode, and you must agree to delete/discard that old RegCode, or be re-billed for it, if that old code ever gets activated again.
16. Can I use iMailer with FileMaker Server?
YES. iMailer works in any FileMaker 5/6/7 system, including systems that use the FileMaker Server application/service to host the files.
iMailer is fully multi-user enabled and includes a FileMaker file designed to reside quietly with your other solution files hosted with FileMaker Server. Multiple users on the Local Area Network and those connecting to the FileMaker Server remotely (up to the limit of your iMailer license) can share a central copy of iMailer and independently create/send iMails locally on their own machine.
17. Can I use iMailer in a multi-user solution?
Yes. iMailer is fully multi-user enabled and is designed to reside with your other hosted solution files. Multiple users on the network (up to the limit of your iMailer license) can share a central copy of iMailer and independently create iMails locally on their own machine.
In fact, iMailer works with any FileMaker configuration, including:
* Single-User on a single workstation
* Multiple Single-User on different workstations
* Multi-User, hosted and shared via FileMaker Peer-to-Peer Mode
* Multi-User, hosted and shared via FileMaker Server
* FileMaker Runtime systems (which are single-user by definition)
18. How do I set up iMailer in a multi-user solution?
Our installers have been built to handle several different deployment scenarios. See the "INSTALL NOTES" document included with our installers, for more information.
For a typical multi-user FileMaker database that is shared by several users over a local network, you will add one copy of our "iMailer" file to the same folder where your other FileMaker files reside. For best results and performance, you should be hosting your FileMaker files on a dedicated machine running only FileMaker Server. Otherwise, you can use FileMaker Pro to host and share your files under Peer-to-Peer networking mode.
In either case, a single copy of the "iMailer" file is added to your list of actively hosted FileMaker files. For shared multi-user setups, only a single copy of the "iMailer" file is to be activated and in use on your network; you will not install or setup duplicate copies of the "iMailer" file on the guest workstations, as this will create a problem with FileMaker and the way it handles paths to objects with the same name.
To enable the guest workstations to use iMailer, you will need to run our installer under Custom Option 2, named "On a Guest Workstation of a Hosted Solution", which installs only the required plugins into the proper folder of your FileMaker Pro application. You can even install the plugins to all guest workstations automatically, via the new FileMaker Server (v5.5 or later) feature to "Auto-Update Plugins".
After that, you can share the "iMailer" file with as many users as your iMailer Multi-User License allows. Like all FileMaker files, "usage" is defined as merely having the file open on a given workstation.
19. Can I integrate iMailer into a FileMaker Runtime solution?
Yes. If you are distributing a FileMaker Runtime solution, you can now easily include integrated iMailer features with your solution. No special distribution license is required, and all you need is a valid single-user iMailer License to be in business.
All of our installers now include a convenient option (#6) to help you assemble the iMailer resources needed in your final Runtime solution, with instructions. A separate iMailer Single-User license and RegCode would be needed for each of your end-users who wish to use the iMailer features. You may purchase iMailer Single-User licenses (singly, or in bulk at a discount) and then resell them to your end-users. Or, your end-users can buy iMailer Single-User licenses as needed from our website. Each of your end-users would be required to enter a unique iMailer RegCode, to activate the features.
We are also planning an iMailer Runtime Unlimited version (due later this year), which will allow an unlimited number of copies of your solution to be distributed with iMailer, for a one-time fee (TBA). This version will have single-user access pre-configured, and no iMailer "RegCode" is required to be entered by your end-users.
20. I'm a so-called "shrinkwrap" solution developer. Can I buy a developer license for iMailer?
We don't use the term "developer license", as it has come to mean something altogether different for FileMaker add-ons. Instead, we will be releasing a special Distributor/OEM version of iMailer, for developers who wish to distribute iMailer-enhanced solutions. A developer can make a one-time purchase of an iMailer OEM license, and then be able to distribute an unlimited number of iMailer sub-licenses.
Details regarding this version have not been finalized, but you can contact us for more information. Target date is 4th Quarter of 2004.
21. If I already have SMTPit, will my previous scripts still work?
Yes. When you install iMailer, it puts the latest version of SMTPit, 3.1.2, in all copies of FileMaker on your hard drive. For Windows or Mac OS9 users who already had SMTPit, this is like Live Update: you end up with the latest version of the plugin, which works with your previous scripts, or with iMailer.
For Mac OS X users who already had SMTPit 3.0.x (or older) installed, and who had configured SMTPit (using the ConfigDialog tool) to store external default settings, be aware that SMTPit 3.1.2 does not inherit those external settings. Our Mac OS X installer will automatically detect if you have SMTPit 3.0.x (or older), and give you the opportunity to stop and note your default settings, so you may re-enter them later. Most of the time, your default email settings for SMTPit should be stored safely in your FileMaker files(s), so this precaution is usually meaningless.
22. My company uses FirstClass. Can we use iMailer?
Yes, if you have updated to FirstClass 7.1 Service Pack 4. Previous versions of FirstClass were incapable of rendering an iMail message.
23. How do I know if an iMail has gone out? How can I track them in a log?
Every time an iMail is sent, a diagnostic code for that job is available for capture from the clipboard. A successful message attempt returns an error code of 0 (zero), other problems will generate positive integers (1 through 5, for example) depending on the error detected. You can log each sent message attempt (and the resulting code) in a FileMaker system of your own design, mimicking a "sent items" folder in the typical email program.
If, for example, a message could not be sent due to some error, an iMailer Error Code will help you determine the problem. If the message was able to be sent, but there was a problem at the recipient's end (like an "undeliverable" message, or bad address, or mailbox full), you would get a reply to your everyday email application (e.g. MS Outlook) with details provided by a Mailer-Daemon that rejected the message.
iMailer includes a sample that shows how to implement a FileMaker-based email log system (in our Advanced Templates).
24. I've looked at the templates for iMailer. I need to use it in a different way. Can I experiment with it, and is it flexible?
Again, iMailer has been designed so that the logical process for sending iMail is mapped out as a series of sequential events. We fully expect users to use this flexible architecture to address situations that are unusual/different from what we envisioned.
25. Can I include other images outside of FileMaker in an iMail?
Yes, any image that you can copy to the clipboard should work, and you can add it to any iMail message without first acquiring it to FileMaker. On a Mac, for example, you can send a page from a FileMaker layout, and include a screenshot as page 2.
26. The university I work for does not allow me make online purchases using a credit card. How can I get iMailer?
If you work for an institution or company that does not use credit cards for purchases, or that does not reimburse you for personal credit card purchases, and you wish to purchase an iMailer License (using a Purchase Order, for example), contact us at 978-635-9993, or email to "imailer@datadesigns.com".
27. Is there a Demo version of iMailer that I can try before I buy it?
Please contact us for an evaluation license for iMailer, at 978-635-9993, or email to "imailer@datadesigns.com". We reserve the right to limit requests for evaluation licenses; restrictions may apply.
This is an opportunity to try the "full version" of iMailer, without any of the typical "feature-crippling" or "watermarks" that other demo software imposes. You also will receive our expert technical support (via telephone in many cases).
We also have all of our iMailer software and samples available for free download from our website, by anyone, at any time.
So, even before you buy, you can explore our sample scripts and see for yourself how simple it is to add this feature to any FileMaker solution. (You cannot actually send iMail messages unless you have either obtained an Evaluation License or purchased one of our iMailer Licenses and have entered your Registration Code to activate iMailer.)
NOTE: Our detailed iMailer Instruction Manual is not available as part of the free downloadable software, but is sent to you (along with your RegCode(s) with your license. However, each of our sample "Script Model" templates includes basic instructions, which should give you an idea of what is involved.
If you need a demo because you wish to see how an iMail looks in your email application's inbox, or anyone else's inbox for that matter, contact us and we'll generate an iMail Sample Message for you to evaluate.
Since 1997, DATA DESIGNS has built its reputation on providing high-quality software tools for the FileMaker Pro community, but we also take pride in our hard-earned reputation for providing excellent customer support.
Data Designs FAQ last updated: November 25, 2004