AnyOrder uses two email systems.

1. The first system - and described in this section - activates an external email program. This system is available in Level 3 programs and above. The email program opens with the customer's name and email address.  In order for this to work, you must have a email client such as Outlook or Thunderbird.  AnyOrder can not activate a web-based email program such as Hotmail or Gmail.

2. The second email system is an internal email system which available with the Level 7 program.  The advantage of using the internal system is that you don't need an external email, and it will automatically attach invoices, billing statements or royalty reports.

This section describes the first system: use of an external email program. It also describes accessing websites.

External Email

AnyOrder has a number of places from which you open an external email program.  Some examples include the Main Invoice Screen, Customer Database, Contact Manager, Royalty Functions, Primary Contact Manager, and others.

In each of these locations, a light blue Internet button is located next to the email field.  Note that the same button is used next to website fields.  The button looks like:

When the button is clicked, AnyOrder will start up an external email client (in the case of an email address) - or it will start up your Internet Browser (in the case of a website address).

In order to use either the email or website button you must have an email and/or browser program already installed on your computer.  AnyOrder uses the same system to access your email or browser program that most commercial contact managers use.  It looks in the Windows registry to find out which program has been registered as the default and then activates it.

For email, you must have an email client such as Eudora, Outlook, Thunderbird, Pegasus, Calypso, etc. Note that AnyOrder can not activate a web-based email program such as Hotmail or Gmail.

If for some reason nothing happens after clicking on the Internet button, Windows may not have a default program registered.  Usually when you install an email or browser program, it will establish itself as the default, but in some cases, you may need to register it manually.  If you find yourself in that situation, the following information may help.

If Nothing happens when you press the Email button. If you have an email program installed on your computer and nothing happens when you press the Email button, here's what you need to do.  (If you're also having problems with web addresses, more information is found after this section.)

Email Addresses:  General troubleshooting instructions for all programs. (Note that specific instructions for Mozilla Thunderbird and Explorer users follows this.)

A. Procedure for Windows XP.  Note that Microsoft has changed the way to setup default email programs.  Try the following first.  If you can not find the proper dialog box, then try the steps under "Older Operating Systems."

1. Click START, then click SETTINGS, then click CONTROL PANEL. With Windows XP, click START, then click CONTROL PANEL.

2. Click INTERNET OPTIONS.

3. Click the PROGRAMS tab. In the pull down menu beside E-mail, click the email program that you wish to make the default.

4. Click OK.

B. For Older Operating Systems

1. From the Windows main screen click the START button

2. Select SETTINGS

3. Select CONTROL PANEL

4. Click on the VIEW menu at the top

5. Select OPTIONS at the bottom

6. Click on the FILE TYPES tab at top

7. Scroll down and click once on URL:MAILTO PROTOCOL so that it's highlighted.

8. Click on the EDIT button on the right

9. In the box labeled "Actions" click once on OPEN to highlight it.

10. Click on the EDIT button

11. Select the BROWSE button

12. Find your email program folder and select its executable file, i.e. for Mozilla Thunderbird users it would be Thunderbird.exe

13. Close all the windows to accept your changes

Email Addresses: Troubleshooting instructions for Mozilla Thunderbird users:

A. Procedure for Windows XP  Note that Microsoft has changed the way to setup default email programs.  Try the following first.  If you can not find the proper dialog box, then try the steps under "Older Operating Systems."

1. Click START, then click SETTINGS, then click CONTROL PANEL. With Windows XP, click START, then click CONTROL PANEL.

2. Click INTERNET OPTIONS.

3. Click the PROGRAMS tab. In the pull down menu beside E-mail, click "Netscape."

4. Click OK.

B. For Older Operating Systems

1. Click the START button

2. Select SETTINGS

3. Select CONTROL PANEL

4. Click on the VIEW menu at the top

5. Select OPTIONS (at bottom)

6. Click on the FILE TYPES tab (at top)

7. Scroll down and click once on URL:MAILTO PROTOCOL so that its highlighted.

8. Click on the EDIT button  (on right)

9. In the box labeled "Actions" click once on OPEN to highlight it.

10. Click on the EDIT button

11. Select the BROWSE button

12. Find your " Mozilla Thunderbird " folder and double click on its icon

13. Double click on the " Mozilla Thunderbird " icon

14. Double click on the "Program" icon

15. Click once on the "Thunderbird.exe" entry to highlight it

16. Click on the OPEN button to accept it

17. Click on OK to close the "Editing action for type "MailTo: Protocol" window

18. Click on the CLOSE button to close the next window

19. Click on the CLOSE button again to close the final window

Note:  Some of the older versions of Mozilla Thunderbird did not register a default email program with Windows.  In such cases, you may find that you do not have "URL:MAILTO PROTOCOL" on the File Type list.  If it's missing, there's a trick you can use to get it on the list.  Windows 95 and later comes with Microsoft Internet Mail.  If you start Internet Mail and temporarily set it up as your email program, it will take care of adding "URL:MAILTO PROTOCOL" to the file list.  Then if you run through the above procedure again, you can change the default from Microsoft Internet Mail to Netscape.

Email Addresses: Troubleshooting instructions for Microsoft Internet Mail users:

1) Launch the Microsoft Internet Mail program

2) Select MAIL menu option at top

3) Select OPTIONS

4) Click once next to the "Make Microsoft Internet Mail your default email program" option.

If Nothing happens when you press the Website button. If you have an Internet browser program installed on your computer and nothing happens when you press the Website button, here's what you need to do.

Website Addresses: General troubleshooting instructions for all programs.

Most browsers have an option whereby you can designate it as the default browser.  To do so, start your browser and look for "Options" or "Preferences" among the menu choices.  From the list of options that appears, you should find one which allows you to set the program as the "Default" browser.  Select that option.  You may need to re-boot the computer for the new setting to take effect.

If the above doesn't work and you have an older operating system, try the following:

1. Close any browser programs that may be running.

2. From the Windows main window, click on START

3. Select SETTINGS and then CONTROL PANEL

4. Click on the VIEW menu

5. Select OPTIONS at the bottom

6. Click on the FILE TYPES tab at the top

7. Scroll down and click once on URL:HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL.

8. Click on the EDIT button  (on right)

9. In the box labeled "Actions" click once on OPEN to highlight it.

10. Click on the EDIT button

11. Select the BROWSE button

12. Locate the Browser that you want to launch and select it.

13. Close all windows to save it.

(Note if you use Microsoft Exchange, when you next launch an embedded URL from inside Exchange, you will be prompted to select this viewer as your default viewer.  Click Yes. This now will become the default Web Browser for all URL-linked applications.)

Nothing happens when you press the Website button. If you have an Internet browser program installed on your computer and nothing happens when you press the Website button, here's what you need to do.

Website Addresses: General troubleshooting instructions for all programs.

Most browsers have an option whereby you can designate them as the default browser.  To do so, start your browser and look for "Options" or "Preferences" among the menu choices.  From the list of options that appears, you should find one which allows you to set the program as the "Default" browser.  Select that option.  You may need to re-boot the computer for the new setting to take effect.

If the above doesn't work and you have an older operating system, try the following:

1. Close any browser programs that may be running.

2. From the Windows main window, click on START

3. Select SETTINGS and then CONTROL PANEL

4. Click on the VIEW menu

5. Select OPTIONS at the bottom

6. Click on the FILE TYPES tab at the top

7. Scroll down and click once on URL:HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL.

8. Click on the EDIT button  (on right)

9. In the box labeled "Actions" click once on OPEN to highlight it.

10. Click on the EDIT button

11. Select the BROWSE button

12. Locate the Browser that you want to launch and select it.

13. Close all windows to save it.

(Note if you use Microsoft Exchange, when you next launch an embedded URL from inside Exchange, you will be prompted to select this viewer as your default viewer.  Click Yes. This now will become the default Web Browser for all URL-linked applications.)