MS Access send email (not from outlook or user's email) - ms-access

Question

I know this question has been asked a few times in various context, but I have not found a clear answer. I have email implemented for an access application using outlook, but I'd like to move away from this. One of the purposes of the email is to email a user his/or password if he forgot it. They can select their username for the login screen, and if they click 'forgot password' and email is sent containing their login information (to the email address associated with the user name).
The problem with this is that the email function as is sends an email with outlook from the user's machine. So, users would be able to 'forgot password' other usernames and view their own outlook outbox(sent items) to see the sensitive information.
Is there a way to e-mail like php's mail function, sending mail from the server? I would like the emails to be sent from the same email address i.e(support#company.com), instead of from the user's outlook address after a security prompt. If this is not possible, I am open to the idea of any other workarounds.
I will also add that installing any software that would have to be installed on every potential user's machine is not feasible.
Is this possible?

Answer 1

Windows includes an object called Collaborative Data Objects or CDO. This object allows you to send emails using any SMTP server assuming that other prerequisites are met (firewall open, ISP not blocking ports, account is configured on the SMTP server, SMTP server allows relaying, etc).
Most of the examples I've found use late binding, which is preferred. In my testing on XP it appeared that the correct library reference, if you prefer to use early binding, is "Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Library".
It's important to know that any time you send email you will have to send it through (or out of) some kind of email server. This means you will have to authenticate with that email server and also usually means that you need to send the email out using a "From" email address that exists on that very email server.
Here's some code using late binding:
Const cdoSendUsingPickup = 1
Const cdoSendUsingPort = 2
Const cdoAnonymous = 0
' Use basic (clear-text) authentication.
Const cdoBasic = 1
' Use NTLM authentication
Const cdoNTLM = 2 'NTLM
Public Sub SendEmail()
Dim imsg As Object
Dim iconf As Object
Dim flds As Object
Dim schema As String
Set imsg = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
Set iconf = CreateObject("CDO.Configuration")
Set flds = iconf.Fields
' send one copy with SMTP server (with autentication)
schema = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/"
flds.Item(schema & "sendusing") = cdoSendUsingPort
flds.Item(schema & "smtpserver") = "mail.myserver.com"
flds.Item(schema & "smtpserverport") = 25
flds.Item(schema & "smtpauthenticate") = cdoBasic
flds.Item(schema & "sendusername") = "email#email.com"
flds.Item(schema & "sendpassword") = "password"
flds.Item(schema & "smtpusessl") = False
flds.Update
With imsg
.To = "email#email.com"
.From = "email#email.com"
.Subject = "Test Send"
.HTMLBody = "Test"
'.Sender = "Sender"
'.Organization = "My Company"
'.ReplyTo = "address#mycompany.com"
Set .Configuration = iconf
.Send
End With
Set iconf = Nothing
Set imsg = Nothing
Set flds = Nothing
End Sub

Answer 2

This works for me in MS Access 2010 / Windows 7
sMailServer = "myISPsmtp" 'Not just any old smtp
sMailFromAddress = "me"
sMailToAddress = "me"
Set ObjMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
sToAddress = sMailToAddress
sSubject = "Subject"
sBody = "MailBody"
ObjMessage.Subject = sSubject
ObjMessage.From = sMailFromAddress
ObjMessage.To = sToAddress
'ObjMessage.cc = sCCAddress
ObjMessage.TextBody = sBody
'ObjMessage.AddAttachment sMailAttachment
ObjMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing") = 2
ObjMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver") = sMailServer
ObjMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport") = 25
ObjMessage.Configuration.Fields.Update
ObjMessage.send
More info: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms526318(v=exchg.10).aspx

Answer 3

I cannot add this to the comments because I do not have enough reputation, so please don't axe me.
"Seems like this method lets you spoof about anything on my server. Just noticed that there's an addAttachment method. Could that work with just a relative path to say, an excel sheet? "
It works for me (Access 2010, Exchange 2010):
.AddAttachment ("URL HERE")
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms526453(v=exchg.10).aspx
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms526983(v=exchg.10).aspx

Answer 4

The following MS-Access VBA code works for smtp.office365.com. You DO indicate smtpusessl=true, but you do NOT specify the port, otherwise you get error 5.7.57.
Sub SMPTTest2()
Set emailObj = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
emailObj.From = "name#myaddress.com"
emailObj.To = "name#youraddress.com"
emailObj.Subject = "Test CDO"
emailObj.TextBody = "Test CDO"
'emailObj.AddAttachment "c:\windows\win.ini"
Set emailConfig = emailObj.Configuration
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing") = 2
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpauthenticate") = 1
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver") = "smtp.office365.com"
'Exclude the following line
'emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport") = 587
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpusessl") = True
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusername") = "name#myaddress.com"
emailConfig.Fields("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendpassword") = "mypassword"
emailConfig.Fields.Update
emailObj.Send
If Err.Number = 0 Then MsgBox "Done"
End Sub

Answer 5

At my company I used a other solution. I have created a C# Class Library with COM classes / objects. COM classes can be implemented in your Access application and this way you can use all the advantages of C# (Mailing for example) and still use it (calling it) in Access.
The only disadvantage is that you have to register your Class Library (DLL) at all the computers who use your access application. I have done that with a simple power-shell script which executes at the start of the Access application.
A good start for A COM based library is here: https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/7859/Building-COM-Objects-in-C
If you would like some more information about it then I am always happy to help you.