Hey,
I'm currently evaluating Aware IM with the free trial to find out if it can meet requirements.
I'm trying to build a contacts management system that can filter lists of contacts based on several criteria (should be fairly straight forward with queries etc...)
Then using this filtered list of contacts:
- Mail merge out letters..
- Print details (phone numbers, address etc..) Simple report
- Send text messages
- The contacts list itself is easy and Aware IM will be brilliant for that.
- The filtering should be fine.
- Text messaging I currently automate through an API via HTTP (I just send an URL that includes parameters) Can aware IM do this? So it needs to send an URL that is generated programatically from data, (to include contacts phone number & SMS text. Service then sends an instant response.. (usually 0 for success)
- Mail merge, this is the bit I'm really unsure about. I want this to be really well integrated. Currently my MS Access system will bring up our standard letter head template with all the contacts selected merged into the Word document as a datasource. User simplys types out their letter into the template and Merge to Print and all the letters come out. What functionality can Aware IM offer along these lines? Is the best it can do a CSV file with the filtered contacts that then has to be manually mail merged?
- Printing out the contacts I think will be fine, Aware IM seems to have very nice features in this regard.
If anyone could offer any advice on options regarding the text messaging and mail merging, I'd be really grateful!
Thanks in advance!
Really love what I've seen of this product so far!!!
Dan
Mail Merge
Hi Dan,
Welcome to AwareIM! Sounds like your experience with text messaging could be something you could share with all of us assuming you get it up and running on AwareIM.
Re: Mail Merge. -- You might start at http://www.awareim.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2347 , then come back with any questions you have.
I have also done a lot with Access mail merging before diving into AwareIM.
Tom
Welcome to AwareIM! Sounds like your experience with text messaging could be something you could share with all of us assuming you get it up and running on AwareIM.
Re: Mail Merge. -- You might start at http://www.awareim.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2347 , then come back with any questions you have.
I have also done a lot with Access mail merging before diving into AwareIM.
Tom
Hi Dan,
Sending out sms notifications from AwareIM is an interesting concept. I am thinking that you don't need to bother with a third party service but could utilize web services to handle sending and receiving directly from AwareIM. I took a quick peak around the web and there seems to be a lot of info on this.
In particular, I ran across this link: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/l ... psms1.html. I may give some thought to playing around with this. My thought would be to create a custom java plugin that would essentially make AwareIM 'SMS Enabled'.
More on this later...
Pete
Sending out sms notifications from AwareIM is an interesting concept. I am thinking that you don't need to bother with a third party service but could utilize web services to handle sending and receiving directly from AwareIM. I took a quick peak around the web and there seems to be a lot of info on this.
In particular, I ran across this link: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/l ... psms1.html. I may give some thought to playing around with this. My thought would be to create a custom java plugin that would essentially make AwareIM 'SMS Enabled'.
More on this later...
Pete
I don't have time to look into this right now but I did find a wsdl file that you can connect to via web services that should work.
http://www.webservicex.net/sendsmsworld.asmx?WSDL
Pete
http://www.webservicex.net/sendsmsworld.asmx?WSDL
Pete
Looks interesting, Pete.
FYI -- Listing of Countries and Networks covered is shown at
http://www.webservicex.net/WCF/ServiceD ... spx?SID=20
Tom
FYI -- Listing of Countries and Networks covered is shown at
http://www.webservicex.net/WCF/ServiceD ... spx?SID=20
Tom
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aware_support
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- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 12:36 am
- Contact:
Regarding text messaging.
If all you need to do is call a particular URL with parameters then there is an easier way in Aware IM that doesn't involve web services or custom programming with Java plug-ins.
We have a custom plug-in for a function that calls a particular URL and returns a response from this URL as text. You can then analyse the return and do whatever's necessary. Don't know why this function is not included in the product as standard. We can send you the plug-in if you need it.
If this approach does not work for whatever reason, then you can use web services as Pete suggested or you can communicate via HTTP through a custom Java plug-in that can use the code of the above mentioned function as a starting point and modify it appropriately.
If calling URL invokes UI of the service provider and then returns to your application, then you can use the URL channel (look it up in the User Guide and also check the PayPal integration in the Library sample application).
There are MANY ways to get it to work.
Mail merge shouldn't be a problem either as Tom suggested.
If all you need to do is call a particular URL with parameters then there is an easier way in Aware IM that doesn't involve web services or custom programming with Java plug-ins.
We have a custom plug-in for a function that calls a particular URL and returns a response from this URL as text. You can then analyse the return and do whatever's necessary. Don't know why this function is not included in the product as standard. We can send you the plug-in if you need it.
If this approach does not work for whatever reason, then you can use web services as Pete suggested or you can communicate via HTTP through a custom Java plug-in that can use the code of the above mentioned function as a starting point and modify it appropriately.
If calling URL invokes UI of the service provider and then returns to your application, then you can use the URL channel (look it up in the User Guide and also check the PayPal integration in the Library sample application).
There are MANY ways to get it to work.
Mail merge shouldn't be a problem either as Tom suggested.
Aware IM Support Team
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christopherb
- Posts: 304
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:26 pm
As support said there are many ways to get it to work...
1) Phone Providers Email to SMS gateway
There's quite a few ways you can send sms You can use the feature provided by most cell providers. Where you just send an email to:
userscellnumber@providerdomain
The provider will receive the email and then forward the email to the user's phone. I think this is the easiest to use.
2) Third Party SMS Gateway
There are also websites that provide an API that allows you to send SMS/txt through their SMS Gateway/webservice. An advantage of the 3rd party gateway is that they offer other features not possible with the Email
3) Create your own TXT to Web Gateway
You can purchase hardware to connect your server to the TXT network
I believe that working with the 3rd party web service directly would be more flexible.
1) Phone Providers Email to SMS gateway
There's quite a few ways you can send sms You can use the feature provided by most cell providers. Where you just send an email to:
userscellnumber@providerdomain
The provider will receive the email and then forward the email to the user's phone. I think this is the easiest to use.
2) Third Party SMS Gateway
There are also websites that provide an API that allows you to send SMS/txt through their SMS Gateway/webservice. An advantage of the 3rd party gateway is that they offer other features not possible with the Email
3) Create your own TXT to Web Gateway
You can purchase hardware to connect your server to the TXT network
I believe that working with the 3rd party web service directly would be more flexible.
Cheers,
Christopher
Christopher
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aware_support
- Posts: 7525
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 12:36 am
- Contact:
Thanks Guys!
Wow!
This is a fantastic community, I can't believe the speed and depth of responses!
The mailmerge post looks like exactly what I'm after, thanks for linking me to it..
And the SMS solutions look great too! I've got sometime this evening / weekend so will post back results soon.
Once again thanks for the help!
This is a fantastic community, I can't believe the speed and depth of responses!
The mailmerge post looks like exactly what I'm after, thanks for linking me to it..
And the SMS solutions look great too! I've got sometime this evening / weekend so will post back results soon.
Once again thanks for the help!