RUNNING CATALOG FROM CD-ROM - EMAIL PROBS

[imac]

I am exploring the possibility of distributing the catalog to customers on a Windows compatible CD-ROM - running on one of the portable Apache type servers now available.

 

As customer accounts and orders will be stored on the local machine, ordering will depend on the 'send extra order emails to:' facility.

 

When the local machine is on-line and connected to the net this works fine.

 

Problem is that when local machine is not connected to the net, the catalog still returns the message that emails have been succesfully sent - when they haven't!

 

I have tried using a portable SMTP server but the result is the same - email success is confirmed but the message ends up in a spool on the local machine and goes no futher.

 

I can put a warning messages on the order pages but there is no guarantee customers will notice them. If they believe they have made an order when they haven't, then the damage to business would outweigh the advantages of distibuting a CD.

 

Possible solutions I've thought of would be:

EITHER

- transfer the email to the default mail client as happens with the the mailto function,

OR

- kick off the dial-up connector by sending the email on a path outside the server e.g. http://www.mysite.com/catalog... etc.

 

I have spent several days playing with the code but am still not familiar enough with the email functions to hack it.

 

I'm hoping there may be someone who is up-to-speed on the email code who can help point me in the right direction and save me a lot of thrashing around in dark!

 

All ideas gratefully received

 

Ian