Configure Outlook for Lotus Notes

Continued from earlier Post: MS-Access and Emails

We have seen that sending emails from Microsoft Access is quite straightforward, just like other familiar methods. With a few clicks, we can send emails with MS Access objects attached. The available output formats for the attachment depend on the type of object selected. For example, if a VBA code module is selected, it will be automatically converted into plain text format before being attached to the email.

As mentioned in an earlier post, we can automatically send mail alerts on important matters within a Local Area Network (LAN) using email transport services like Lotus Notes, directly from a Microsoft Access application.

However, before we delve into the mail-sending procedures and related programs, we must first configure Microsoft Outlook on one of the PCs to work with Lotus Notes and use its contact list for managing recipients.

Access Mail Client

Your application may be shared by multiple users across different PCs; however, all outgoing emails should be routed through a single designated machine—let’s call it the Access Mail Client. This machine must be configured specifically for sending emails via Lotus Notes.

Lotus Notes requires both a Mail Server and a Client application installed on each PC. Accordingly, the Access Mail Client must have the Lotus Notes Client installed and actively used for sending emails. Additionally, this machine will require a unique Lotus Notes ID file and an associated Lotus Notes email account.

NB: If you prefer that Mail Alerts from your Access application do not display a personal user ID as the sender, a dedicated Lotus Notes mail ID should be created for this purpose. The Lotus Notes Client on the Access Mail Client machine must then be configured using this ID. You may need to consult your Lotus Notes Administrator to set up and configure this special account.

Configuring MS Outlook with Lotus Notes.

We will now explore the Microsoft Outlook configuration steps, accompanied by a few illustrative images and explanations of what each step accomplishes.

1. Your Lotus Notes ID file must be registered within Lotus Notes itself to make it accessible to external programs, such as Microsoft Outlook. To do this, open Lotus Notes and log in with your User ID and password. From the File menu, select Mobile → Edit Current Location. The Location: Office (Network) settings screen will appear.

   

   Click to Enlarge

2. Click on the Advanced Tab and select Basics from the displayed 2nd set of Tabs. See the Image below.

   

   Click to Enlarge

3. Click on the text box next to the User ID label to activate it, then click on the Search (magnifying glass) icon located below the label to browse for your Lotus Notes User ID file. The typical file path is:

   makefile
   X:\Lotus\Notes\Data\filename.id
   

   Here, X represents the drive where Lotus Notes is installed, and the filename usually resembles your name or the one assigned by your Lotus Notes administrator. Locate this .id file and insert it into the text box.

   This file contains your Lotus Notes email ID and password, which Microsoft Outlook requires to access the Lotus Notes Contact List and to send or receive emails through Lotus Notes.

4. Close the Control after inserting the Location reference and minimize Lotus Notes.

5. Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu → Settings, then double-click the Mail icon to display the Mail Setup control, which includes the Services, Delivery, and Addressing tabs (as shown in the image below).

   Please note that if your version of Microsoft Outlook is not installed as Corporate or Workgroup, the available options and layout may appear differently. The screenshots referenced are based on a Microsoft Office 2000 installation.

   

   Click to Enlarge

6. Click on the Services tab. If no mail services have been previously configured, the Profiles window will appear empty.

7. Next, go to the Delivery tab and select Lotus Notes Message Store in the control below. At this point, you may be prompted to enter your Lotus Notes password to complete the setup. Once this step is finished, the Information Service entry for Lotus Notes Transport will appear in the following window.

8. Click the Add button to open the Add Services to Profile list. From the available options, select Lotus Notes Mail and click to add it to the Profiles window.

   

   Click to Enlarge

9. Click on the Addressing tab in the Mail Setup control panel. You can choose either the Lotus Notes Main Address Book or your personal Lotus Notes Address Book—which may include selected entries copied from the main address book—and assign it to the appropriate controls. Refer to the image below for guidance.

   

   Click to Enlarge

10. Click Apply to save the updated settings, and then click OK to close the window. These configuration steps can also be accessed through the Options menu under Tools in Microsoft Outlook.

11. Next, we need to define how contact names are stored in the Address Book, which can be done from within Outlook.

12. Open Microsoft Outlook and select Preferences from the Tools menu.

13. Click on the Contact Options button.

14. Choose the appropriate settings in both controls as shown in the image below, then click OK to confirm.

    

    Click to Enlarge

15. The first control settings say that while sending mails, insert the Names in this order, but while storing the values in the Address Book, use the format in the second control.

    When you look for the Email addresses manually in the Address Book, it will be displayed in the second format, and you can search for the names by typing the first few characters of the first name in the lookup control.

    But when we attempt to send mail from MS-Access, we must present the email ID to Lotus Notes in the first format.

    The Image of the Lotus Notes Mail ID lookup control is given below for reference. I have edited the image to insert those names more familiar to you. Check the name displayed in the left window and how the name format changes when it is inserted in the To line.

    

    Click to Enlarge

16. You may now try to send an e-mail through Lotus Notes Mail manually from MS-Access, as we did in an earlier session, using some of your friends' Lotus Notes IDs. During the mail transmitting point, Lotus Notes will prompt for the password.

Next, we will see how to send the Mail Alerts automatically from Microsoft Access through Lotus Notes at scheduled intervals.

• MS-Access & Graph Charts
• Reports Page Border
• Highlighting Reports
• Saving Data on Forms Not in a Table
• Edit Data in a Zoomed-in Control