RPV Emailer not Working

Owned by Jacob Turley
Last updated: Feb 23, 2017 by Shelley Crouse
2 min read

Problem

When clicking the email button in RPV, it throws an error saying that it cannot send the email.

Explanation

When attempting to email a report from the RPV Advanced Report Viewer, it is not talking directly to a mail server.  It is making a system call to Windows to determine what application is configured as the default email application on that individual workstation or inside of that specific profile on a terminal server.

In essence, it asks Windows, “What is the default email application", and once it finds it, it asks the default program to launch.


What type of mail server or protocols are being used are irrelevant to RTA and to the RPV report viewer.  It passes the message and pdf file attachment to the default email application and that’s where it’s interaction ends.

It is up to the email application to be properly configured with an email account login and email server connection details.

If RTA is being run inside of a remote desktop session on Citrix or Microsoft Terminal Services, then an email application must be installed on the server.  Each user profile on the server must have access to that application and that application must be configured for each user with the mail server details and a login account.

Solution

  1. Ensure that the email program you are wanting to use is correctly configured and set as the default email application.

  2. You can see and alter the default email application settings in Windows by going to -

    Start > Default Programs > Set your Default Programs.

    Microsoft Outlook, Chrome Gmail, and Mozilla Thunderbird are a couple of examples.
    In this list, there needs to be an application installed that is capable of handling email accounts.
  3. If you have multiple mail clients marked as the default email client, confer with your IT to set your defaults correctly.

Note that Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, are not APPLICATIONS.  They are websites that run in a browser.  They therefore cannot be used by default for sending reports.  Some of these accounts may be able to be configured to be used by Outlook, Thunderbird, etc. APPLICATIONS, of course.