MiscMailApp.rtf

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MiscMailApp

Inherits From: Object

Declared In: <misckit/MiscMailApp.h>

Class Description

The MiscMailApp can be thought of as a representation, or proxy, to NeXT's Mail.app. You request a MiscMailApp for a particular machine�there can be only one per machine�via the class methods +localMailer (for the local machine) and +mailerForHostNamed:. You can also use the shortcut MISC_MAILAPP which is equivalent to the id of the local MiscMailApp object. Warning: do not use the +alloc and -init methods of Object�the only valid way of obtaining a MiscMailApp instance are the above two methods.

Once you have the id of a MiscMailApp instance, you can request it perform certain functions, such as opening a new compose window (via �openWindow) or setting the fields of the current Compose window. (�setTo:, �setSubject:, �setCc:, and �setBody:) You can deliver the current compose window with �deliver. The quickest way to set up messages, however, is to use the methods -sendMailTo:subject:body: and -sendMailTo:subject:body:cc: andDeliver:, both of which open a new Compose window and fill in the relevant fields.

If you continually open Compose windows without delivering them they can eventually clutter the screen. To avoid this, you can set a no clutter mode in which the current Compose window is delivered before a new one is created. See �setNoclutter: for more information. If you need to know the host to which a MiscMailApp is connected, use the �hostname method.

Although the above discussion uses NeXT's Mail.app, the MiscMailApp does not have to use the actual Mail.app program provided with NEXTSTEP. Any replacement application which sets up the �MailSendDemo� Mach port is actually suitable. The MiscMailApp object will attempt to launch a mailer if this port is not set up. If a user wishes to use a different mailer, they should set the GLOBAL default �Mailer� to the name of the replacement mailer. For example, to use Mynah.app as the replacement mailer, do this:

dwrite GLOBAL Mailer Mynah.app

If the desired mailer cannot be launched (or this default is not set) then Mail.app will be launched. Note that no attempt to launch a mailer will occur if an application has already registered the �MailSendDemo� Mach port; the running application will be used, regardless of what the default is set to.

If the mailer is quit after the MiscMailApp has connected to it, MiscMailApp will attempt to restart it the next time it tries to send a message to the mailer. If it cannot reconnect for some reason, it will invalidate and free itself. For this reason, you should always use the +mailerForHostNamed: method to grab the current (and correct) instance of MiscMailApp�don't cache the ids of MiscMailApp instances, since they could free themselves without warning!

Instance Variables

MiscString *hostName;
port_t mailPort;
id theSpeaker;
int currentWindow;
BOOL noclutter;

hostName A MiscString containing the name of the host with which this MiscMailApp instance communicates.

theSpeaker An instance of MiscMailSpeaker which is used for the communications with NeXT's Mail.app.

currentWindow Zero if no current Compose window is available; an id of a Mail.app Compose window as returned by MiscMailSpeaker otherwise.

noclutter Flag to determine whether or not it is OK to leave undelivered Compose windows hanging around. Default is YES.

Method Types

Obtaining a MiscMailApp instance + localMailer
+ mailerForHostNamed:

Special features - hostname
- noclutter
- setNoclutter:

Creating a message quickly - sendMailTo:subject:body:
- sendMailTo:subject:body:cc:andDeliver:

Manipulating mail messages - deliver
- deliver:
- openWindow
- openWindow:
- setBody:
- setCc:
- setSubject:
- setTo:

Class Methods

localMailer
+ localMailer

Returns a MiscMailApp instance which represents NeXT's Mail.app running on the local machine, creating and initializing it if necessary. An attempt will be made to laund Mail.app if it is not already running. Returns nil if no connection to Mail.app was possible.

See also: + mailerForHostNamed:

noclutter
- (BOOL)noclutter

Returns the current noclutter setting. See the discussion of �setNoClutter: for details about noclutter mode. Returns self.

See also: � openWindow, � openWindow:, and � setNoclutter:

openWindow
- openWindow

Opens a new Compose window in Mail.app. Returns self if all is well. If the connection to Mail.app has been lost and cannot be reestablished, then nil is returned. If nil has been returned, the MiscMailApp object has been invalidated and freed, so no further messages should be sent to it. The +mailerForHostNamed: method can be used to attempt to reconnect to the mailer if desired.

See also: � noclutter, � openWindow:, and � setNoclutter:

openWindow:
- openWindow:sender

Opens a new Compose window in Mail.app. Returns self. This method is the same as �openWindow and is provided as a convenience to support target/action.

See also: � noclutter, � openWindow, and � setNoclutter:

sendMailTo:subject:body:
- sendMailTo:to
subject:subject
body:body

Makes use of the �sendMailTo:subject:body:cc:andDeliver: method (with cc:nil and andDeliver:NO) to create a new compose window addressed to to with subject subject and body body. If any of to, subject, or body is nil or of zero length, then those fields in Mail.app will not be set. Returns self upon successful completion or nil if unsuccessful.

See also: � sendMailTo:subject:body:cc:andDeliver:

sendMailTo:subject:body:cc:andDeliver:
- sendMailTo:to
subject:subject
body:body
cc:cc
andDeliver:(BOOL)flag

This method encompasses a complete composition and delivary of a mail message. First, a new Compose window is opened up by Mail.app. Then it is addressed to to with subject subject and body body. Carbon copies will be sent to cc and then the message will be delivered if flag is true. If flag is false, the window is left open in Mail.app for the user to modify. The window will remain open until the user closes it, or, if noclutter is set true, until a new Compose window is opened. If any of to, subject, body, or cc is nil or of zero length, then those fields in Mail.app will not be set. Returns self upon successful completion or nil if unsuccessful.