RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

Fri Dec 5 08:23:34 EST 2003

Thanks Jocelyn.  Unfortunately, we have been speaking with Alan and he =
has indicated that we are on our own with 4.5b.  The new solution cannot =
be back ported past 4.6.  SAP Consulting Services has turned us down as =
well.

You say that R3M attachments are gone.... do you mean that MPINTERP.EXE =
will be phased out of the SAPGUI?  Or modified to no longer support this =
file type? I'm not so much concerned that the new solution does not =
support R3M, however, I need to make sure that we don't loose support =
via the SAPGUI since we do stay fairly current on it (we are currently =
using v6.2).

Sorry for the persistence,
Darrell

-----Original Message-----
From: Dart, Jocelyn [mailto:jocelyn.dart at sap.com]=20
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 9:21 PM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

Hi Darrell,
R3F and R3M attachments are gone.
But the new shortcut feature works similar to R3M from a user viewpoint =
- specifically adding SSO support.
So if you need to replace MAPI now, contact Alan Rickayzen to discuss =
getting the new extended email notifications program.
Regards,
        Jocelyn Dart
Consultant (SRM, EBP, Workflow)
and co-author of the book
"Practical Workflow for SAP"
SAP Australia
email: jocelyn.dart at sap.com
phone: +61 412 390 267
fax:   +61 2 9935 4880

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of =
Heath, Darrell L.
Sent: Friday,5 December 2003 8:06 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

I was glad to see this note stream come through as we are already in the =
process of extending the functionality of RSWUWFML such that we can =
utilize some enhanced R3M attachments and eliminate MAPI.  I know, wait =
for the new solution... We have been informed that 4.5b will not be =
compatible nor easily adapted...

(We had the same attachment problem and resolved it the same manner =
Daniel recommends.)

However, OSS Note 627397 (Alternative 1) states that "R3F or R3M =
attachments are not supported" with the next generation of "Email =
Notification for Workitems".

I take that comment to mean that I should not count on this =
functionality in the future.  Am I misreading the intent of the comment? =
 Or, should we lean away from using R3M attachments?  Is this comment =
specific to the new solution only (i.e. it doesn't need R3M any longer) =
but other solutions depending upon R3M can continue to function properly =
in the future?

Since we are not upgrading from 4.5b for another year or so, we have to =
replace MAPI immediately yet I do not want to venture off onto the wrong =
track.

Secondly, if using R3M attachments is an appropriate method to link to =
workitems, can someone point me to some documentation on the options I =
have within the R3M file.  i.e. SSO support?

Thanks for your insight.
Darrell Heath

-----Original Message-----
From: Lago, Daniel [mailto:daniel.lago at sap.com]
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 7:31 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

Hi Nicholas,

Last year I had the same problem and finally I could solution it using =
an .SAP attachment. To get this attachment run, I had to change the =
RSWUWFML program adding the code necessary to include a binary =
attachment with the script included in a SAP shortcut ( you know:
[System]
Name=3DDF0
Client=3D080
Command=3DSO01
...)
The extension of that attachment was SAP and I had to include this =
attachment as a permited format for output in the Sapconnect =
configuration.
The only trick I had to do was including the characters for CR and NL at =
the end of each line of the attachment to avoid the attachment lines be =
fixed in a unique line. To get this I concatenated at the end of each =
line two variables defined as hexadecimal (type x) with the values =
corresponding to hexadecimal representation of CR and NL.

After this I could send an attachment with a shortcut to the SAP inbox =
of each user.

Some months later, we configured SSO access to the system using Kerberos =
and modified the attachment to get single sign on access from it.

If you need more help I can try to recover that code to be more =
explicit.

Regards,

Daniel Lago

-----Original Message-----
From: Nicholas Brand [mailto:nicholas.n.brand at uk.ibm.com]
Sent: jueves 27 de noviembre de 2003 23:59
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

I go away for a day and come back to find a load of replies...thank you.

Tomasz, Jocelyn and Phil, to answer your questions:

We don't *have* to have a URL in the email to launch the SAPGUI for =
Win32,
N.B. NOT the Web GUI - i.e. this is not a portal/web based solution.
Our ABAPer was having difficulties sending out a .SAP file (SAPGUI for
Win32) attached to the email and was exploring alternatives.

His idea was that, when clicked, the URL would run the SAPSHCUT.EXE file
installed *on each SAP user's PC*. The URL would pass the SAPSHCUT.EXE =
file
the necessary parameters so the user only has to enter his SAP password =
in
the logon pop-up that appears when the SAPSHCUT.EXE file is executed
(*i.e.the user must enter his password*).

Phil, what is the 'open document command' you mentioned as an =
alternative
to the cmd.exe command?

The other approach is attaching a .SAP file (SAPGUI for Win32) to the =
email
with the relevant SAP parameters (but NOT the SAP password).
We can send out a .TXT file with no problems but when we try and send =
out a
.SAP file it arrives with most of the parameters truncated (we can =
analyse
it in Notepad by saving it as a .TXT file when the email comes through).
We're investigating the point at which SAPconnect handles the email to
check whether this is where the truncation is occurring.

We'll also have a look at the R3M attachment route too, though I thought
the R3M attachment was only an option if you're using SAPform based
workitems, and we're not.

And finally thanks to those that pointed me to the new version of =
RSWUWFML
v2 - some really useful functions as standard in this.

Phew...isn't it easy to broadcast one's ignorance on http commands and =
URLs
to 500 consultants simultaneously! ;-)

Kind regards,
Nicholas Brand

                      "Soady, Phil"
                      <phil.soady at sap.com        To:       =
SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
                      >                          cc:
                      Sent by: SAP               Subject:  Re: RSWUWFML =
- with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox
                      Workflow
                      <Owner-SAP-WUG at MITV
                      MA.MIT.EDU>

                      27-11-03 00:33
                      Please respond to
                      "SAP Workflow
                      Users' Group"

The file cmd is not the intended use of SAPGUI shortcutz.

As an attachment with no logon details. Just the object/tcode to be
launched.
The user is the prompted for logon.

SAPGUI Shortcutz already support the piggy back on SSO2 ticket when used
in the portal environment. You "just" need to generate the shortcut
properly.

A version of RSWUWFML that can do this is expected soon.
(Cue Alan....)

For more details on SSO and Shortcutz see the Security papers on the
Portals website
at SAP.

I don't recommend people send shortcutz externally.
(Mail firewall should remove them on outgoing mail) .

If people are supposed to logon with a the WN32 gui to SAP from outside =
the
extranet,
then perhaps this ok.  But I would look to have this start as an open
document command
not as an explicit file://cmd.exe

WebGUI is more common is such scenarios. But if you must send the =
shortcut
externally,
and use WN32 gui, then if the user has a gui, surely his PC should
recognise the shortcut
as it does .doc or .pdf
Surely the short cut can be opened in the same manner a pdf ?
Perhaps I misunderstood something here but I don't see why it is
necessary to use a URL instead of an attachment.
 Is it necessary to use a URL ?

I feel uncomfortable with URL that commences file://cmd.exe

regards
Phil

Phil Soady
Senior Consultant - Business Technologies
Professional Services
SAP Australia
Level 1, 168 Walker Street, North Sydney 2060, Australia.
M   +61 412 213 079
E   phil.soady at sap.com

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of
Nicholas Brand
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 4:00 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: RSWUWFML - with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox

Ramki,

Thanks for the reply, however this won't/doesn't work because the URL =
then
has spaces in which the browser doesn't like.

Kind regards,
Nicholas Brand

                      Workflow99 at aol.com
                      Sent by: SAP               To:
SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
                      Workflow                   cc:
                      <Owner-SAP-WUG at MITV        Subject:  Re: RSWUWFML =
-
with attachment to launch user's SAP inbox
                      MA.MIT.EDU>

                      25-11-03 13:53
                      Please respond to
                      "SAP Workflow
                      Users' Group"

Nichloas,

Try making the URL exactly what you pasted into the DOS prompt. (Remove =
the
file:///cmd.exe and the quotes)

Regards,
Ramki Maley
Workflow Developer, USCBP.
248-613-1287 (C)

In a message dated 11/25/2003 8:02:22 AM Eastern Standard Time,
nicholas.n.brand at uk.ibm.com writes: Hello,

A quick question on the email notification program.

We're using SAP v4.7.

Here's what we want to happen:

Users get notified by email when they have new workitems - the email has =
an
attachment or URL that when executed launches SAP, after logging on the
user is taken directly to his Business Workplace.

We've copied RSWUWFML and made some additions to it.
We can send an email with a url to the user's MSOutlook address. The URL
looks like this: <file:///cmd.exe "c:\Program
Files\SAP\FrontEnd\sapgui\SAP\FrontEnd\sapgui\sapshcut.exe" =
-user=3Dnberkland
-language=3Den -system=3DSRD -client=3D140 -sysname=3DR/3 DEV =
-command=3DSO01>

The <> enclosing the URL means MSOutlook interprets the whole string as =
a
URL.

If we click the URL from MSOutlook we get the message 'Cannot find
file...followed by the parameter list'

This URL does not work; yet if we paste part of it into a DOS prompt it
does work - i.e. "c:\Program
Files\SAP\FrontEnd\sapgui\SAP\FrontEnd\sapgui\sapshcut.exe"
-user=3Dnberkland -language=3Den -system=3DSRD -client=3D140 =
-sysname=3DR/3 DEV
-command=3DSO01

Our ABAP developer assumed the <file:///cmd.exe command was an http =
command
to execute a file.

So, the question is how can we launch the same program (the SAPGUI
shortcut) from a URL, including passing the necessary parameters (e.g.
userid) from MSOutlook.

Can anyone provide the missing link? Hmmm

Kind regards,
Nicholas Brand