Built-In Objects (SendObject) vs. Libraries (CDO)

[Guest]

Hey all,

I'm going to be creating an Access 2000 application that will be distributed
to 400 remote users. I will NOT have direct access to any of their PCs.

One of the tasks of this app will be sending e-mails (of queries) to me.
I've been able to successfully send mails using "SendObject". However, I
don't like the fact that you get a security warning (I'm using MS Outlook).
I've been told that if I employ a library such as CDO to send the emails, I
won't have that message. I'm very familiar with that process.

However, I will have no ability to install or register anything on the
remote PCs. The users are not savvy enough to do it either. If the reference
is checked on the database I develop, will it automatically be included when
I send it out to my users?

If it helps, everyone will be using MS Outlook - though the version may be
2000 or 2003.

 

[Tim Ferguson]

However, I
don't like the fact that you get a security warning (I'm using MS
Outlook).

I am sure that Microsoft would never leave an easy way to programme Outlook
to send out emails without the user's intervention, since that would be an
open door for any malicious... oh, they already did that, you say?

I have no wish ever to be an Outlook Expert, but I think you can get round
the security by registering yourself with one of the Certification
Authorities (Authenticode, Thawte, etc) and allowing the users to validate
your code. There is some financial outlay required, but that I am afraid is
what it takes to stop malicious little slobs from screwing up the Internet.

All the best


Tim F

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

No, having it as a reference in your database will NOT automatically include
it when distributed to your users. What will, in fact, happen is that your
application will not work on machines that do not have the same version of
the referenced file in the same location, and it usually will fail on
functions that have nothing to do with the (missing) referenced library.

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

I've been told that if I employ a library such as CDO to send the emails,
I

On most client computers, CDO means MAPI, which will just call
Outlook, which will give you a security warning.

There are two other objects, CDOSYS and CDONTS, which are found
on servers, which do not call Outlook, which will not give you
a security warning.

My MAPI/CDO code always does a SAVE instead of a SEND. It is
up to the user to open Outlook and Send the mail. I'm lucky
that this is actually what my users want: they want to be able
to check the mail before it is sent. By doing a SAVE instead
of SEND, I avoid one security warning message for every message.

(david)

 

[Dan Artuso]

Hi,
The only way to get around your problem is to either use Redemption
http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/
or something called Click Yes, which I've never used.
Either way, you have to install something. Surely you have to distribute the mdb itself
so why not write a batch file that also copies whatever else you need and registers it if need be.

Also, because of the presence of different versions of Outlook, you have to use late binding
instead of setting a reference to a particular version of Outlook.