Address Distribution List Template
The Address Distribution List Template can be used in partnership with the Messaging and Scheduled Task utility to send emails to a table driven list of email recipients. This template has the additional option to map email addresses to an email group.
Note: Applications created with this template are not expected to be run in the browser.
Template Notes
Application Settings
Program Name: This will be the application’s number. By default, m-Power uses the letter I (Inquiry) followed by a five digit number.
Select Only Matching Records: Select either 'No', for a left outer join, or 'Yes' for an inner join. A left outer join will return all records from the primary table along with matching records from the secondary tables. An inner join will return records from the primary and secondary tables only where matching records are found.
Template: You can select a template by scrolling through the available templates. The templates define the general layout and functionality of the resulting application. This section will list all the available maintenance templates; you will see a small screenshot of what that template looks like at runtime. Learn more about templates.
Data Selection
Here you will see/modify the table you have selected for your application, as well as create or modify joins to other tables as well.
Sequencing
Here you can select the field that your application will sequence by; you can have multiple sequence fields. You can re-order the sequences to fit your application’s needs. For practical purposes, it does not matter what you sequence by in this application, as long as you lick at least on sequence key.
Field Settings
Here you will find the settings for all the fields in the application. The options are:
Note: Deleting a field will remove the field from the application only, the table will be unchanged.
Field Name: This is the same name the field has in the table.
Table: The name of the table where that field exists.
Field Description: This is the text that will appear in the column header for that field, you can modify this field to suit your needs. This field will populate with the field description from the table by default, but it can be customized at the application level.
Display: A radio button allows developers to display or hide the field from the output page. There may be situations where a field is needed for calculation purposes, but the field does not need to be displayed at runtime.
Length: Here you can modify the length of the field. m-Power will only allow developers to shorten the length of the field, shortening a fields length will truncate its data. For example, if a field is 10 alpha and it is changed to 5 alpha, now only the first 5 characters will be displayed. The same principle applies to a numeric field, if a numeric field is 8 digits long; changing it to 4 digits long will only display the first 4 digits, and leave out the rest of digits.
Decimals: For numeric fields, you can modify the amount of decimal digits. A numeric field will have the option of changing its decimal length, alpha fields does not have a decimal option, developers can use this as an indicator to check if a field is a numeric or character type.
Numeric Format Code: For numeric fields, you can modify the way the numbers will display, this includes displaying decimals or not, how to display negative numbers, etc. Multiple formats are built in for developers to use, shall you need a different format code, m-Power allows developers to create their own User Defined Format codes; these codes will add logic for common types of fields such as: Currency, Time, or Dates. Accessing the User Defined Format Codes from the Admin section will also allow developers to modify current codes. Learn more.
Note: Do not confuse the User Defined Format Code with the User Defined Functions (UDF). The latter is a feature that allows developers to create or incorporate programing functions into m-Power. Learn more about UDFs.
User def: This feature has been deprecated.
Record Selections
Record Selections can be created over any database fields. These are the options:
Relation: A drop down allows you to select a relationship for the filter.
Value: This is the value to compare against. The options are:
Constant Value: A constant value allows you to hard-code any given value into a selection. This value cannot be modified by the end-user at run–time.
Application Field Value: Developers have the option of comparing a value from one field to a value from another field within the same record.
And/Or: When creating multiple record selections, you have the option to set them as "and" or "or" Example: selection A "and" selection B will display only records that match both selections. Selection A "or" selection B will display records that match one or both selections. Learn more.
Calculations
Calculations are a very powerful feature of m-Power; with calculations, developers can create logical fields that will apply to the current application only. For example, in the Address Distribution List template, you may want to create a conditional calculation to create your email group field.
External Objects
This feature allows developers to connect m-Power application with their current business logic, or to extend m-Power capabilities by allowing developers to write their own Java, RPG, or SQL programs, and integrating these programs into the applications. m-Power utilizes "locations" to connect the external objects, these locations vary depending on what the external object does and when it should be executed. The following locations are supported in this template:
*READRECRD This location will call the external object after each record is processed.
*STRADVSCH This location has been deprecated.
*ADVRECSEC This location has been deprecated. Learn more about Row Level security.
*SELECTFLT This location has been deprecated.
Learn more
SmartLinks
SmartLinks are not supported in the Address Distribution List Template.
Application Properties
When accessing the Application Properties, a window will slide open with several tabs; let’s go through each of the tabs:
Video
Sending Emails to a Table Drive List of Recipients
Scenario: In this example I want to send a customized email to a list of customers with overdue account balances. I want to send these emails on a schedule, every Sunday night at 2:00am. With the Messaging and Scheduled Task Interface, this is easily accomplished.
Step 1: Create the email message using a retrieval application
I have built a retrieval that will serve as the body of my email. This email is simply a message that lets my customer know that their balance is past due. I have built the retrieval over a customer master file so that I include specific customer information (like account number and customer contact name) in the body of the message.
Step 2: Create an Address Distribution list application
Next, I need to create a retrieval application with the Address Distribution List template that will provide a list of accounts with overdue balances and the email addresses to send the notice to.
Step 3: Create the Message task using the Messaging and Scheduled Task Interface
I will start by creating a new task group. I will call it OVERDUE. Next, I will create my email message task by clicking "Add Task" and select "New Message".
Here I will select the retrieval application that I created in Step 1. This is the actual email body. Next, I will select HTML type Message Format. On the Recipients Tab, I will select the "Send 1 message per recipient" option so that each account receives a customized email, with their account information only. I will select the Address Distribution List that I created in step 2. Again, this application will retrieve the list of overdue accounts and the email addresses to send the email to.
Because my email retrieval message application is keyed by customer account number, I am going to map that field from my distribution list application to my email retrieval application. This will ensure that each email that gets sent contains the correct customer account information.
Finally, I will enter my email FROM address and the email subject.
Step 4: Schedule the email task
I will select the Scheduled Tasks option from the pull down menu. I am going to add a new task and select my OVERDUE task from the drop down. I will select the Every "Week" options which defaults to Sunday and select 2:00 o’clock from the remaining select options. Finally I will reload tomcat so that my scheduled task will be loaded into the scheduler.
This completes the scheduled task and nightly messaging setup.