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APConnextion

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Outlook Auto-Reply to Email Address from Frontpage Form field?

We have a Frontpage form online that asks the user to fill-in a few fields. When a person submits the form it is emailed to me. When I manually hit reply, the email address from the "email" form field is inserted into the "To" field in the reply email. However, when I tell Outlook to send an auto-reply, it does nothing. No email is sent to the intended recipient. It prints the email and puts it in the specified folder as asked, but nothing is sent.  

I had set the form up so that it inserts the email address entered in the form into the reply field . . . but the Outlook auto-reply doesn't sense it or something! Help!
Avatar of hhammash
hhammash

Hi,

I am not sure what is the reason.  I think this post should be moved to Outlook section.  It is not a Frontpage problem.

hhammash
Did you setup your account as IMAP or POP3?
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ASKER

Well, it actually has been posted in the Outlook section for several days with no response at all. I think it may be more of a Frontpage issue, though, and here's why:

Frontpage allows me to designate one of the form fields to be the reply-to field through its menus. However, when the form is emailed to me, the from field says www@xx.com.  I would like it to use the email address the person put into the Email form field. Is that possible? When I click reply in Outlook it does have the user's email in the To field. But if I use auto-reply in Outlook, it uses the From field (www@xx.com). Can I specify the From field in the Frontpage form?
The email account is a POP account.
OK,

When you setup the rules wizard,  you might have selected to reply to persons on your Address book only.  In this case if the person sending the email is not in your address book,  the auto reply will not work.

Try setting it up again
Do not select Persons on your address book
Select Sent to Me Only
Avoid anything that points to stored items

hh
This is what is in the Rules Wizard:

Apply this rule after the message arrives
with Changes Form in the subject
print it
  and reply using C:\Response
  and move it to the Changes folder
------------------------------------------
For some reason it seems the form is generating a From address to put in the field. If it could be set to the user's email, I think it would work. When using the auto-reply currently, it's sending a response to the www@xx.com email address, which then comes back as undeliverable.
Hi,

This is what my Rules Wizard says:

Apply this rule after the message arrives
where my name is in the To box
and sent only to me
and on this machine only
reply using c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\mail.oft


hh
It is sending successfully with no problem.
I tried adding a couple of the lines you had to mine, but it still didn't work. I don't know why. . . .
Strange,

What happens if you open the wizard manually and use Run Wizard?

Tyr sending your self an email from another account,  receive it and run the Wizard manually.


hh
Did you go to?

Tools
Options
Mail Setup
Send/Receive
and Checked the option:
Schedule an Automatic send/receive every x minute

I specified it to be every 10 minutes

hh
Well . . . if in the Frontpage form I don't specify a reply-to form field, Outlook will automatically reply to www@xx.com. But if I specify a reply-to form field (so it can access the user's address), it won't send anything at all. It will reply to the fake address Frontpage has generated (www@xx.com), but it won't reply to the real one.

So the auto-reply seems to try to send a reply, but it won't send it to the right address, which is the reply-to field I specified in the Frontpage form.
Hi,

Usually when the user sends you an email using an online form,  the email address that you receive will not be the email address of the user it will be the email address that is assigned in the Server SMTP.

You can not pickup the sender's email address,  this is why it is not sending anywhere.

hh
What are the form fields?

The problem is that Outlook does not pickup the Reply To Address automatically.  It replies to the sender which is the server SMTP.

If we find a way to make Outlook reply automatically to the address in the Reply to field,  it will work.

When I send a form via email I receive it in the Inbox,  when I press reply it picks-up the Reply to address and it works fine. But I can't find an option in the Rules Wizard.

hh
Is there a way we can change the sender address for the form?
Or make Outlook auto-reply to the Reply-to address?
You are right,

Isn't it strange.  When you receive the message from the online form and click reply it picks-up the reply to,  but it looks like Outlook Rules Wizard does noth ave this option.

Does your host support ASP?

Regards
hh
Exactly.  I can't understand why it doesn't use that same reply-to address for the Rules Wizard.

And yes, my host supports ASP.
Why don't you use CDONTS,  it is a full email system,  It can receive and atumatically send a reply to the user with no problem and it does not need your Outlook at all.

Are you interested?

hh
I would be willing to give it a try.  My preference would probably be toward some sort of macro that would make Outlook use the reply-to field, print it and put it in another folder. But we could try CDONTS.
Check if your host supports CDONTS:

Create a new page in your web
add the following code between <Body><body>
Change the email addresses in "From" and "To"
Save it as SendMail.asp
Run the page
If you get no error
Check your email

----------------- Copy what is below this and paste it in NotePad ------------------------------------

<%
Dim myMail
Set myMail = CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
myMail.BodyFormat = 0
myMail.MailFormat = 0
myMail.From = "TheSender@Email.com"
myMail.To = "The Receiver@Email.com"
myMail.Subject = "Test"
myMail.Body = "Test"
myMail.Send
Set myMail = Nothing
Response.Write("OK")
%>


----------------------------------------------

Copy from NotePad to your HTML Page.

If this works,  Outlook will be able to pick-up the address from and reply to it automatically.


hh
If the code were able to send you an email.  Then go to this link and Copy and page the code into two pages.

If it works you can receive a clear "From" to Outlook where you can utilize the Rules Wizard with no problem now.


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;186204


hh
I received this error:

Microsoft VBScript runtime  error '800a01ad'

ActiveX component can't create object: 'CDONTS.NewMail'

/sendmail.asp, line 11
Any ideas?  I'll check back tomorrow - I suppose it is getting later.  I appreciate all your help! Hopefully we can come up with a solution . . . somehow!

Regards,
S
That means your server does not support CDONTS.

What I am trying to do is make Outlook receive a "From" email address instead of "Reply To"
It's picking up the From currently, isn't it? It's the Reply-to from the frontpage form field that it's missing, right?
Or you're trying to get the Reply-To from Frontpage to be the From field, I'm guessing.
Hi APConnextion,

Exactly,  

I know that it is picking-up the From but the From here is the server email address.  It is not picking up the Reply To automatically.  If you click on the message and click reply manually,  it picks-up the reply to address.

hh
Hello!

Yes. Exactly. Manually it picks up the reply-to address.
Hi,

I've done some thinking:

You have the following options:

One
----
Remove the rules and reply to the messages manually by selecting the message and hit reply.  Anyway,  the automated message will be a template saying the same thing to everyone.  Since you will be receiveing the messages from the server,  you better reply manually.

Also,  the auto reply will reply to any message you receive, not only the online one.


Two
---
You can change the action of your form to open the default mail client on the senders computer,  in this way you will receive his/her email instead of the server's email.  This way the Auto Reply will work fine.

Example:  When I fill the form and press submit,  my email client will open and send the results of the form to your email from my email. This way you will have my email as "From" to which auto reply will answer successfully.

Here is a sample code of the form:
----------------------------------

<html>

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0">
<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<title>Subject</title>
</head>

<body>

<form method="POST" action=mailto:YourEmailAddressHere>
  <p>Subject: <input type="text" name="Subject" size="20"></p>
  <p>To: <input type="text" name="To" size="20"></p>
  <p><textarea rows="20" name="BodyMessage" cols="50"></textarea></p>
  <p>&nbsp;</p>
  <p><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="B1"><input type="reset" value="Reset" name="B2"></p>
</form>

</body>

</html>

I've go no other solution.  I couldn't find any macro to open the message in a reply mode.  

Also CDONTS does not work on your server.


The only possible solution to your problem is to find someone who can write VBA code for Outlook as an add-in that will pick-up every new message,  then open reply with the senders email in the "To" field and send the message.

Regards
hhammash

What about changeing the originating address on the web server?  Choose configure fp server extensions in iis by right clicking on that website.  If it is hosted, you can ask the isp to do it for you.
CDONTS "probly dont work" because the smtp server info is configured wrong as well
Hi dtolo,

Do you mean that the host can send the email using the senders email instead of the Server's email?

It will solve the problem if the host can do it.

Thank you dtolo for the input.
Yes,

you can specify whatever address you want for the host.  You do it in IIS on the server.
The Serverrs E-mail is often just an arbitrary made up one that doesn't actually go any where.  In this case According to what APConnextion is saying it is (www@xx.com).
Hi HH and Dtolo,

Our account is hosted.

But does it have to be one address, or can they set it so it changes according to the Reply-To field in my form?
Hi dtolo,

This a not the problem with APConnextion.  His problem is that Outlook only picks-up the server.  He put in the form a Reply To field but Outlook does not pickup the Reply To address.

APConnextion does not want one email address.  He wants to AutoReply to the address that is given by the user.

hh
Hi APConnextion,

I recommend manual reply and keep the form as it is,  keep the reply to address.

Approximately how many messages you will get daily?

Or check with your host and ask them what is the mail system that they support. They must support something.  Then let me know.

hhammash
Sorry about the huge delay. Was gone for awhile. Anyway . . .

The number of email messages per day depends on the time of the month, and it will go up exponentially as we grow. Can be anywhere from 0 during the slow time of the month to 50 during the busy times. And we will be three times as big by next year at this time, which will leave a lot of busywork for someone to do with all those replies. I'd like to eliminate that if at all possible.

As far as I know, the server has CleanMail and Mailman? Does that help any?

Thanking you for all your help and patience,
AP
This one will help if your Host uses Mailman.

http://www.virtualsplat.com/email-sample-code/asp-mailman-text.asp

hh
So in the script, where it says Jmail.From = "formresponse@yourdomain", I can put in the email field? What would be the appropriate way to do that?

Jmail.From = Email

Or is there some particular format I need to use so it recognizes the email field?

Thanking you,
AP
Yes,  your email
Perhaps I missed it somewhere, but where do I set it so the user's email becomes the from field so that the auto-reply works?
Can you post the code of the form without the ASP code I sent you.  Just the form and let me see the field names.
My sincere apologies. Hhammash, if you're still around somewhere, here is the form code you had asked for. Does it help?

            <table border="0" width="88%" id="table2">
                  <tr>
                        <td width="17%">Market</td>
                        <td width="42%">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" s-display-name="Area" b-value-required="TRUE" b-disallow-first-item="TRUE" --><select size="1" name="Area" tabindex="1">
                  <option>Please Select One:</option>
                  <option value="WSP">CENTRAL WISCONSIN - Wausau/Stevens Point Area</option>
                  <option value="LCX">COULEE REGION - La Crosse/Onalaska Area</option>
                  <option value="ECM">CHIPPEWA VALLEY - Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls Area</option>
                  <option value="SCV">ST. CROIX VALLEY - Hudson/Woodbury Area</option>
                  </select></td>
                        <td width="13%">
                        <p align="left">&nbsp;&nbsp; Listing ID#</td>
                        <td width="21%">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" s-data-type="Integer" s-number-separators="," --><input type="text" name="ID" size="10" tabindex="2"></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td width="17%">Property Address</td>
                        <td colspan="3">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" s-display-name="Property Address" b-value-required="TRUE" i-minimum-length="5" --><input type="text" name="Property_Address" size="85" tabindex="3"></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td width="17%">Contact Name</td>
                        <td colspan="3">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" b-value-required="TRUE" i-minimum-length="3" --><input type="text" name="Name" size="85" tabindex="4"></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td width="17%">Phone Number</td>
                        <td colspan="3">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" s-display-name="Telephone" s-data-type="String" b-allow-digits="TRUE" s-allow-other-chars="(-)" b-value-required="TRUE" i-minimum-length="7" --><input type="text" name="Telephone" size="85" tabindex="5"></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4">Please send
                        confirmation receipt by&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
                        <!--webbot bot="Validation" b-value-required="TRUE" b-disallow-first-item="TRUE" -->
                        <select size="1" name="Confirmation" tabindex="6">
                        <option>Please Select One:</option>
                        <option>Phone</option>
                        <option>Email</option>
                        </select></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4">Email Address&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
                        <input type="text" name="Email" size="85" tabindex="7"></td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4">Please use the text area below to:</td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4"><ul>
                              <li>&nbsp;Indicate any changes or corrections to your
                              current published listing.</li>
                              <li>&nbsp;Renew a past listing. Please include rent and
                              available date plus any <br>
                              changes to the last published listing test description.</li>
                              <li>&nbsp;Cancel current listing. Please indicate the rented
                              date. </li>

                        </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4">Changes:</td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                        <td colspan="4">
                        &nbsp;<!--webbot bot="Validation" s-display-name="Listing Changes" b-value-required="TRUE" i-minimum-length="3" --><textarea rows="11" name="Changes" cols="107" tabindex="8"></textarea></td>
                  </tr>
            </table>
            <p align="center"><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="Submitted"><input type="reset" value="Reset" name="B2"></p>
      </form>
Hi APConnextion,

Hi,  I am still around.

I'll take a look at the form and come back to you.

hhammash

Hi,

Try changing the following lines only.  Note that EmailFrom is a variable that you have to add then the value of this variable will be added to JMail.From value.

Try it and let me know what happens.


<% smtp_server_address = "10.2.0.81"
On Error Resume Next
EmailFrom=request.form("Email")
........
........
........
........
JMail.From = EmailFrom
Jmail.AddRecipient "YourEmailAddressHere"
JMail.Subject = "Put The Subject of the Emails that you want to receive Subject should be fixed for all emails"

........
....
.......
......

Set JMail = Nothing %>
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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hhammash

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Hi,

You better have two pages
- Page one which has the form (The form will post to the page that has the code)
- Page two which has the code
Well, I'm trying it, and it's currently giving me an HTTP 500 Internal Server Error message as sendmail.asp. I'm currently looking to see if I've missed something.
Well, I managed to get it to send an email, but I don't think I changed the code properly, because I received an email with only the name field in it. It gave me script errors. It said it was expecting an end of statement in the "For i = 1 . . ." line. Is something missing?

 <% smtp_server_address = "10.2.0.81"
On Error Resume Next
Response.Buffer = True
Set Jmail = Server.CreateOBject( "JMail.Message" )
Jmail.Logging = true
Jmail.Silent = true
JMail.From = "formresponse@yourdomain"
Jmail.AddRecipient "sales@yourdomain"
JMail.Subject = "Form Response"
'Doing things this way helps retain the form field order
For i = 1 to (Request.Form.Count) body = body & Request.Form.Key(i) & ": " & Request.Form.Item(i) & vbcrlfNext
JMail.Body = Body
JMail.Priority = 1
If Not Jmail.Send(smtp_server_address) then
' There was an error - print the error log
Response.write ("Error:<br>" & Jmail.log)
Else
' The message has been sent - redirect to confirmation page
Set JMail = Nothing
Response.Redirect "mail_sent.asp"
End If
Set JMail = Nothing %>
By the way, I really appreciate your help.
Never mind all that (except that I appreciate your help)! What you asked me to try works now. The Next was attached to the previous line. (I should've seen that . . .  ) *sigh* But, onto the next step?
You are welcome APConnextion,  it is only that did not use Mailman before.

What is the situation now,  is it sending with no problem?

Thanks
hh
So far, so good! I sent the email to myself. Then I changed the code so it used the email address entered into the form as the "From" email in Outlook. Now I just need to alter my form to work with it. Not sure how to do the validation though. I'll have to check on that. :-)
Form validation to make sure that the user entered a correct email address?
Yep. Both the email address and a couple of the other fields. It doesn't have to be verified (that it exists), just that they did enter one.
Thank you very much, Hhammash! You're fantastic! I appreciate all your help. Thanks for your patience. It works! YAY!
You are welcome APConnextion,  I am glad it worked.

hhammash