We have a need to attach image files to outgoing e-mails being distributed through ReportCaster.

Has anyone done this? Please provide a brief description of the approach you took.

Thanks,
Alan

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kerry,

That's a pretty broad question. Can you be more specific? Are you talking about images within reports or you just have an image file (GIF,JPG,PNG,SVG, etc.) that you want to attach to some other reports being distributed by RC? RC has the option to attach external files to a distributed report. That is explained in the documentation. The docs also explain the additional requirements necessary for distributing graphics within RC-produced reports.

P.S. You're running all that software on a Windows Server box?? Pretty brave!

look up SET BASEURL=http://yourserver : port/...
that command lets you configure the full URL for your image path. When you use images in your regular webfocus reports, click ViewSource in your browser window and look for an IMG tag.
you'll see that the reference is a relative one.
When your user is viewing a report on the server, that works fine.
When your user is viewing a report in OUTLOOK, sent via ReportCaster, OUTLOOK needs more information to locate that image. OUTLOOK [repeating my mantra] is not a browser.
The SET BASEURL command, issued via a small fex that is set as the pre-processing condition in caster, will tell OUTLOOK where to look, completely, for the image.
Any help?
[I've never had any issues w/ Caster on a wintel box .. always worked fine for me ]

hey guess what...when you put the colon next to the word port, you get a smiley face thing. hahaha

Thanks for the quick response. A little more info on what we're doing: we send out reports (claims) each week to parts suppliers. In some cases the supplier requires a photo of the damaged part. We have not worked out the process for collecting the photos yet, but I'm assuming the image files will be stored in a folder that can be accessed by WF and that the filename will be the key to associating the images with a particular claim. The next step will be to have ReportCaster attach the appropriate images to the outgoing report.

Darin, I will update my signature to be more accurate. And I'll read the doc on attaching external files in RC.

Susannah, thanks for the tip. I'm not quite there yet but I'm bound to get there pretty quick.

Alan

I think your best approach will be to include the photo inside the report, referencing it dynamically via the file name you have stored on the record. Susannah's description of the technique should resolve your RC issues with the process.

The attachment of external files does not work dynamically like this. You can specify an explicit file name (which would be a word doc or PDF or something static like that) which would be the same for every report distributed.

That is pretty much what I was thinking, too. Create a "coordinated compound report" and use a PDF template that includes the image file in the document.

Thanks again to you both. I will update the thread once I have the details worked out.

Alan

yeah, if you're sending these reports outside of your company, having the images in PDF is much better. Having them referenced as full URL's in some html doc is not so hot, unless your image server location is public. pain.

read up on images in pdf...as Darin says..
its a little different from images in html...
but it'll work just fine for you. and the caster issue won't exist.