Hi Everyone, My Boss came into my cube and asked me to add a feature to a web application I am working on. Some of the management people that have to interact with tihs program are uncomfortable interacting with a website via browser. But, they are comfortable issuing commands via email. So I set it up with links in the email that allowed them to execute boolean and multiple choice commands by supplying various links for them to click on in their emails. This has kept them away from using their browser to actually interact with the system until today. My boss now wants them to be able to enter free form text response to questions. my program should pick up their comments and store them in the database - (basically parse their email response and weed out their answers and store them) I have no idea where to begin.. Do I need to build some kind of pop3 or smtp functionality into my program? Anybody got any ideas? Thanks in advance! John McDonald
Well sounds like your taking an easy application and making it much harder. I know you have to do what the boss says. However, i'd try something different with the browser based one and show to him it's secure.. Reasure the users it's safe to use the browser. Thats a wierd situation.. I've never heard people not feeling comfortable using an appication through a browser.. I guess the browser is good enough for porn, but not for work... Good luck
<laugh> I have dealt with the same thing. I'd suggest putting the application on a private server that is not accessable from outside the building and explaining the it is more or less secure. I run many notifiers, such as member applications and information changes. I provide links to an internal server that will allow the person to approve or make corrections. Another option is to oversimplify the application in the browser. Allow the user only one or two actions and really dumb down the application. Hope this helps, and good luck.
Here is what happened. Lotus Notes is what we use for an email client. We're creating a lotus notes form that they'll fill out from their email. then we'll poke their answeres directly into my oracle database (just as if they had filled out my CF form) solves my problem. And I don't have to worry about the notes part anymore. ) thanks for your replies. John