Outlook 2021 and no attachment

[Ales]

Hi,

I hv Outlook 2021 64 bit version onto Win 10 Pro 64 bit version.
If I want to send an email without attachment (so param_attachments ="")
this
email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments,param_cc,param_bcc)
does not work and I get an error.
But if I enter into the code some existing pdf file like e.g. param_attachments="D:\test.pdf"
then the email is very well produced without any problem.

Can anybody help how must the param_attachments= be written (cos without this parameter the email_cleint_external does not work) this in order to be able to produce an email without attaching to it any attachment ?

[Lance Gurd]

Just leave out the attachment parameter part as in email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,"" ,param_cc,param_bcc). In email_client_external all parameters are optional and character based so replace any will double quotes or leave them out totally if you have no following parameters

[Ales]

Tks Lance ! It does not work, that was the first thing I tried, first param_attachments = "", or param_attachments = " ", or email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,"",param_cc,param_bcc)
Nothing helps. WIth such code, where the mail shd be without any atatchemnt, I get the error message "MAPI error - One or more unspecified error occured. No message was sent. (MAPI_E_FAILURE)".

But if I want to send an attachment, and code it like e.g. email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments="D:\test.pdf",param_cc,param_bcc) it works flawless.

Any help highly appreciated how to solve when there shd be no attachment !
Tks !

[Lance Gurd]

So are you setting Param__to="[email protected]" and param_subject="This is the subject" etc before calling email_client_external()?

email_client_external("[email protected]","Alpha5","Hi this is a message from Alpha","","[email protected]")

works

or you could use

param__to="[email protected]"
param_subject="Alpha5"
param_message="Hi this is a message from Alpha"
param_attachments = ""
param_cc="[email protected]"
email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments,param_cc)

As does

param__to="[email protected]"
param_subject="Alpha5"
param_message="Hi this is a message from Alpha"
param_attachments = "c:\temp\fixers.docx"
param_cc="[email protected]"
email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments,param_cc)
​

I have left out param_bcc to show that it works without trailing parameters as each one is optional

[Ales]

yes I did, like in yr a/m third example. But behavior is also not different if done as per yr a/m first example.

a)
If I
...param_attachments = "c:\temp\fixers.docx"....
and email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments,param_cc)
it works fine

b)
if I leave out the param_cc (and like also param_bcc is not used here), like
email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message,param_attachments)
it works fine

c)
but if I leave out the param_attachments
like email_client_external(param__to,param_subject,param_message)
I get the MAPI error as already described earlier.

So, I can leave out the bcc and also the cc parameter, and it works fine. But it is like if Outlook 2021 (Pro Plus, 64 bit version) "insists" to have always the parameter param_attachments and it may never be empty - so with such param_attachments="" it is not working.
With Outlook 2016 Pro 32 bit version it worked always fine even if param_attachments was left out.

I know that workaround wd be to create some e.g. empty dummy.pdf and use it as attachment, but such behavior is not desired.
May be any further ideas ?

[Ted Giles]

Try a different email client.
I use Thunderbird, but also use the Alpha mail client for one app.

[Ales]

Hi Ted,

well my whole biz is in Outlook for many years.
And strange is that:
- the code functioned very well under Outlook 2016 Pro 32 bit version (which I used till before cca one month) but it is not functioning (partly) under Outlook 2021 Pro 64 bit version
- if there is existing some attachment the code without any problem also functions very well under Outlook 2021 Pro 64 bit version. But it does not function if there is no attachment. Like if Outlook 2021 "insists" to obtain also the attachment parameter which may not be blank. So the param_attachments="" leads to an error. And same if you leave out the param_attachments.


Is anybody else may be successuful (without problem as mine) using Outlook 2021 pro 64 bit version with Alpha 9 and is knowing the solution ?

[Ted Giles]

V9 is pretty old now, and I never went for Outlook anyway.
I think V9 was really for early versions of windows.
Have you rerun compatibility?
Just suggestion.
Pick any other mail client and try running with a test version of your app.

[Ales]

Ted, compatibility (but yes it is switched on into the Alpha shortcut) shdn't be an issue if the code works perfectly fine if an attachment does exist, but it does not work if there is no attachment to be emailed.
Seems that something is "hidden" in Outlook 2021 what stubbornly "insists" that an attachment must always be emailed, too.
Without changing any single letter in the code, it worked in Outlook 2016 fine in both cases onto my same notebook, if an email had to be emailed with or without an attachment.
Cd try if it wd work with another mail client. But even if yes, that wdn't be a solution for me, cos I must stay with Outlook.

[Ted Giles]

Apparently there are many issues with Outlook 2021.
Google the workarounds if you haven't already done so.

[Ales]

So far as workaround I'm always attaching a tiny 1 kB our logo attachment to every email. Despite not best, but nevertheless working harmless solution :(