SendObject vs CreateObject("Outlook.Application")

Question

using access 2003 on windows xp, in a networked environment (outlook exchange), with many users.

my database currently generates a few emails when a user does an action, the email is displayed in outlook then requires the user to click the send. sometimes the user complaints about having to click send. i would prefer to .send the email without showing to the user but get the usually warning messages.

im wondering whats the different between sending emails using the docmd.sendobject and CreateObject("Outlook.Application")

im thinking maybe the sendobject would be better for me.

Answer 1

DoCmd.SendObject is "native" Access code. You can attach an Access object (table, query, report), specify the recipients, subject and message text, and whether the message will be displayed or sent immediately. You can't specify formatted text, and you can't attach other files. It will send through the user's default e-mail client.

Automating Outlook through CreateObject("Outlook.Application") or GetObject(, "Outlook.Application") starts or activates Outlook. It offers more options, such as specifying formatted message text, and attaching arbitrary files. You can specify whether the message will be displayed or sent immediately: the MailItem object has .Display and .Send methods.

If you don't need the extra options that automating Outlook offers, I'd use DoCmd.SendObject - it's more general and less likely to cause problems because you don't start another application.