Customizing PracticeMaster E-mail Settings

Last reviewed: 08/12/2009
Article ID: R10998

The information in this article applies to:

Summary

E-mail integration must be configured for each user and workstation prior to using the PracticeMaster E-mail program. Since e-mail can contain malicious programs, security options have been added to PracticeMaster. By default, E-mail Preferences for each user are configured with the highest security. This article provides information on which configuration options are available to users and also includes step-by-step procedures for configuring e-mail settings.

More Information

The E-mail Preferences program in PracticeMaster contains the options and settings used to configure e-mail integration for each user (Maintenance | Preferences | E-mail Preferences). Explanations of each option and setting are provided in the Help, which can be accessed from the E-mail Preferences window by clicking the Help button or pressing F1.

The settings in the E-mail Preferences program are stored separately in the User Profile for each User ID per workstation. This is important to note because preferences do not travel to different workstations. For example, if you configure the settings in E-mail Preferences on your workstation and then you log on to another user's workstation using your own User ID, you will have to configure the settings in E-mail Preferences again at the other user's workstation. That user's own settings would not be affected. Keep in mind that configuring E-mail integration at another user's workstation provides access to that workstation's e-mail, which may not be the PracticeMaster user's e-mail.

Configuring E-mail Integration

User IDs assigned to the MANAGER access profile have access to all options in E-mail Preferences. All User IDs that are not assigned to the MANAGER access profile in System Configuration can be configured to have limited access to the options and settings in the E-mail Preferences program. Access to various settings in E-mail Preferences is determined by the Access Profile program in System Configuration (File | Open | Access Profile). The options that are available in E-mail Preferences to non-MANAGER User IDs is determined by the E-mail Configuration and E-mail Security functions on the PM tab under Maintenance/Synchronization/Integration.

The following table outlines which options in the E-mail Preferences are restricted when E-mail Security and E-mail Configuration access rights are restricted via the Access Profile:

When this Access Profile setting is restricted...

The user does not have rights to the following options in E-mail Preferences...

E-mail Security
  • Security Tab
    • Allow viewing/sending of HTML e-mail
      • Automatically download images from the Internet
      • Allow scripts to execute
    • Allow unsafe attachments to be opened

E-mail Configuration
  • General Tab
    • Enable E-mail Integration
      • Outlook Express, Simple MAPI
      • Outlook, GroupWise, Extended MAPI
  • SMTP Tab
    • Use SMTP Server for Outgoing Mail (Required to send HTML text)
    • Server Name
    • Outgoing Mail Server Requires Authentication
      • Account Name
      • Password
    • Log on using Secure Password Authentication
  • Reading Tab
    • Enable preview pane
    • Mark e-mail as read after previewing for (x) seconds
    • Deleting e-mail deletes from e-mail client
  • Sending Tab
    • Autocomplete - Search the following files when a name is used for a recipient
      • Client File
      • Related Party File
      • User File

The following table outlines which options in PracticeMaster E-mail Preferences are always available to all users regardless of which access profile a user is assigned.

Options Always Available to All Users...

  • General Tab
    • Refresh PracticeMaster Inbox every X minutes
    • Display notification when new e-mail arrives
    • Play sound when new e-mail arrives
    • Prefill Client ID/Related Party fields (Added in v12.2)
      • Only prefill when single match is found (Added in v12.2)
    • PM Link in Outlook
      • Install PM Link
      • Uninstall PM Link
  • Reading Tab
    • Preferred E-mail Format (only available when the Allow viewing/sending of HTML e-mail check box is selected on the Security tab)
    • Hide saved e-mail
  • Sending Tab
    • Default E-mail format (only available when the Allow viewing/sending of HTML e-mail check box is selected on the Security tab and the Use SMTP Server for Outgoing Mail check box is selected on the SMTP tab)
    • Always check spelling before sending
    • Save copy of e-mail in Sent Items folder (only available when the Outlook, GroupWise, Extended MAPI option is selected on the General tab)
    • From Name
    • From Address
  • Signatures Tab
    • Add signature to outgoing e-mail
    • Default
    • Signatures
  • Reply Tab
    • Include original e-mail text when sending a reply

Setting Up E-mail Preferences for Non-MANAGER Users

Before your firm uses the PracticeMaster E-mail program, your system administrator should determine what features need to be configured for each user. For example, the system administrator needs to determine whether a user can be configured to send e-mails from PracticeMaster with HTML formatting (e.g., bold, italic, underline, bullets, etc.).

Once the system administrator determines what options need to be configured for each user, he/she needs to determine what options the user should have access to after the user is configured. For example, in order to send e-mail from PracticeMaster with HTML formatting, the information on the SMTP tab in E-mail Preferences must be configured. Once the settings are configured on the SMTP tab, a user should not need to change the settings and therefore would not need to have access to the settings. 

After determining what settings need to be configured and the settings each user can have access to, the following check list can be used to configure E-mail integration:

  1. Determine what access profiles are assigned to each user
    1. Start System Configuration using a User ID assigned to the MANAGER access profile.
    2. From the Reports menu, select User List.
    3. In the User List Options window, select the Print Users' Access Profiles and Calendar Rights check box.
    4. Review the report to determine what access profiles are assigned to each user.
  2. Determine access rights assigned to each access profile and modify the access profile if desired
    1. From the System Configuration File menu, select Open, and then click Access Profile.
    2. Select an Access ID.
    3. Click the PM tab.
    4. In the top section, highlight the Maintenance/Synchronization/Integration category.
    5. In the Functions section, highlight the E-mail Configuration function. 
    6. In the Selection Functions section, click the Allow button if you want users assigned to this access profile to have rights to E-mail Configuration settings, or click the Disallow button if you do not want users assigned to this access profile to have rights.
    7. In the Functions section, highlight the E-mail Security function. 
    8. In the Selection Functions section, click the Allow button if you want users assigned to this access profile to have rights to E-mail Security settings, or click the Disallow button if you do not want users assigned to this access profile to have rights.
    9. Press Ctrl+S to save the changes.
    10. Repeat steps b-i for each Access Profile.
  3. Create a new access profile to allow access to all settings in E-mail Preferences (Note: This procedure is only necessary if all users do not have full access rights to E-mail Preferences.)
    1. From the System Configuration File menu, select Open, and then click Access Profile.
    2. Press Ctrl+N.
    3. Enter an Access ID (e.g., EMAIL) and Access Name (e.g., E-mail Configuration).
    4. Click the PM tab.
    5. In the top section, highlight the Maintenance/Synchronization/Integration category.
    6. In the Functions section, highlight the E-mail Configuration function. 
    7. In the Selection Functions section, click the Allow button.
    8. In the Functions section, highlight the E-mail Security function. 
    9. In the Selection Functions section, click the Allow button.
    10. Press Ctrl+S and close the Access Profile window.
  4. Temporarily assign the new access profile to the user you want to configure E-mail integration (Note: This procedure is only necessary if the user you want to configure does not have full access rights to E-mail Preferences.)
    1. From the System Configuration File menu, select Open, and then click User Configuration.
    2. Select the User ID for which you want to configure E-mail integration.
    3. In the Currently Assigned Access Profiles section, assign the user to the new access profile (e.g., EMAIL) and save the change.
  5. Configure E-mail integration
    1. Go to the user's workstation.
    2. Log into PracticeMaster with the User ID for that workstation.
    3. From the Maintenance menu, select E-mail Preferences.
    4. Configure E-mail Preferences as desired.
    5. Close PracticeMaster
  6. Change the User ID's access rights by removing the new access profile (Note: This procedure is necessary if you only want to temporarily assign a user full access rights to E-mail Preferences.)
    1. Log into System Configuration with a User ID assigned to the MANAGER access profile.
    2. In User Configuration, remove the new access profile from the User ID and save the change.

References

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