Overview of COMPMNGR's email interface

COMPMNGR creates a number of reports, such as invoices, that it is sometimes convenient to send in an email. Under one condition, COMPMNGR can set up such emails for you. That condition is that you use a MAPI (mail application programming interface) compliant email program as your default email program. What this means (in greatly simplified form) is that the email program can be accessed by another program, such as COMPMNGR. (If you want to know more about MAPI go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messaging_Application_Programming_Interface.) Some COMPMNGR users use MAPI compliant email programs but don't know it. Some access their email using non-MAPI compliant programs but don't know it. This page is to help you if you don't know what kind of email program you use or if you know your email program does not interface to COMPMNGR.

If you don't know whether you use a MAPI compliant email program, it is pretty easy to find out. Just run COMPMNGR, load your competition database, and go to the master list of studios (press F5 when in COMPMNGR's main screen). Click on 'Email' in the menu at the top of the list to pop up a menu of studios that have email addresses and select one studio. Another menu, labeled 'Select type', will pop up; select 'Address list as primary recipient' and wait a few seconds. If your email program pops up then it is MAPI compliant and is the default email program and you don't need the information on this page. Otherwise read on.

There are a number of free email programs you can find online. Here is a short list of the best known:
Outlook Express - included with Windows versions up until Vista
Windows Live Mail - replaced Outlook Express. Not included in Vista or later operation systems but downloadable for free
Thunderbird - by Mozilla is a very capable program that is downloadable for free. We recommend it highly.

If you are fairly computer literate you should be able to download and install whatever email program sounds best to you. Most likely when you do the install you will be asked whether the email program should be set as the default, and you should say 'yes'. If you normally access your email via a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) or other non-MAPI compliant program you can continue to do so, you don't need to use the new email program except when COMPMNGR sets up an email, and then you just need to review the email and click send.

If you are not comfortable selecting and installing a MAPI compliant email program the you can hire a Geek Squad type outfit to do it for you. Any competent outfit should be able to do the job in well under an hour.