NOTE: This section only applies when ClearSCADA uses the server’s Windows MAPI settings to export reports via e-mail. You can specify whether reports are to be exported to e-mail using Windows MAPI settings (the default) or SMTP (see Configuring Crystal Reports Server Settings).
Crystal Reports requires a third-party e-mail client to be configured to enable it to send reports via e-mail, using the server’s Windows MAPI settings. Some e-mail clients have security settings that stop third-party applications from sending e-mails without notification. Both ClearSCADA and Crystal Reports require any e-mail transmission to be a seamless process, whereby no dialogs are displayed as a result of an e-mail being sent.
To export reports via e-mail, you need to set up mail for the Windows® user that is specified for printing on each server. Also, the e-mail recipient(s) need to be configured to receive e-mails (see Export the Report in an E-Mail Message).
If your ClearSCADA server has an e-mail client installed, e-mail security may produce a message requesting whether to allow the server to send the e-mail that is exporting a report. To avoid these dialogs (‘security prompts’) occurring automatically, you need to disable this aspect of e-mail security. Refer to the documentation supplied with the e-mail client for information.
If an e-mail client does display a dialog whenever an e-mail is sent, one of the following will occur:
- The export request might ‘hang’ (‘freeze’ and remain incomplete). If this occurs, the request’s Status will remain ‘In Progress’. You will be unable to generate, print, or export further reports (the Status of any further requests will remain in the ‘Pending’ state).
- The export request might remain in the ‘In Progress’ state for some time, before timing out and then failing. (Any further report requests will remain ‘Pending’ until the ‘In Progress’ request times out.)
The ‘hanging’ occurs because the e-mail client is waiting for a response to its security prompt. As ClearSCADA runs as a service, it does not interact with the desktop, and therefore does not display the security prompt that is generated by the e-mail client.
‘Hanging’ might also occur if an e-mail client generates a diagnostic message should an error occur when it attempts to send an e-mail.