Understanding Mail/Messaging System Profiles

The Mail/Messaging system enables applications, like BarTender, to send email, or use other message system features, without the need for any user action.

If the application is configured on the Alert Setup dialog to use Windows Messaging (MAPI) as the Mail System, then it must login to the Mail/Messaging system similarly to the way computer users typically must login to a network. Just as the network must have the user's name and password on file, so too must the Mail/Messaging system have a record of profiles and their associated passwords. A profile includes such things as an address book, a mail folder, and one or more mail services. A mail service is a system or protocol for passing messages. Some common mail services are SMTP, POP3, Lotus CC:Mail, and Microsoft Exchange. Your place of work may even have a custom-made mail service.

Profiles are always relative to both a user and a particular computer. Different users logging into the same computer may have different profiles available, and a given user may have different profiles available on different machines.

Unless it is told otherwise, BarTender will use the default profile of whatever user is currently logged into the computer. You can tell it to use a different profile by clicking the Setup button on the Alert Setup dialog. The dialog that opens will vary, depending on the mail service selected in the Mail System box to the left of the button.

Each time BarTender has a message to send, it logs into the Mail/Messaging system using the designated profile and password and sends the message with no user intervention required.