3.5.3 Creating an Item by sending an email
This subsection describes how to register an Item in JP1/IM - Service Support by sending an email. The following figure shows an overview of this process.
The following describes the steps in the figure:
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A user sends an email.
An enterprise system user sends an email that explains a desired Item to a specific address.
Only users who have previously been set in the Email definition file can send such an email. The Email definition file also contains information such as the destination address and the email server. For details about this file, see Email definition file (jp1imss_mail_setting.conf) in Chapter 12. Definition Files.
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The system executes the email-driven Item registration command.
The Item management server executes the email-driven Item registration command. The JP1/Service Support - Task Service can execute this command at regular intervals. For details about the email-driven Item registration command, see jssitementrybymail (registers emails as Items) in Chapter 11. Commands.
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The command registers the accumulated Items.
The emails that have been accumulated on the email server are registered on the Item management server by an email-driven Item registration command.
The emails accumulated on the email server are deleted after they are registered on the Item management server. If email-driven registration of an Item fails, the header and text of the relevant email are output to the following folder as a temporary email save file:
IM-SS-path\log\command\jssitementrybymail_mail_tmp_file
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The responder handles the registered Items.
The incident specialist reads the text of the emails that have been saved as attached files for the registered Items, and then handles the Items. The incident specialist designated for an Item depends on the process work board of that Item. The user set as Person in charge of the registered item from email for the process work board is automatically assigned as the incident specialist. This setting can be specified in the New process work board window or the Edit the process work board window. For details, see 8.14 Setting an environment for registering Items by email.
- Organization of this subsection
(1) Overview of the temporary receipt process work board and master system
The temporary receipt process work board is the default process work board in which Items created via email will be registered. If the ID of a specific process work board is specified in the subject of an email, the corresponding Item will be registered in the specified process work board. Items are registered in the temporary receipt process work board for all emails without a process work board ID specified in the subject. The temporary receipt process work board is displayed in the List of process work boards in the main window (Item list).
The master system is the target system in which the temporary receipt process work board is registered.
The temporary receipt process work board and master system can be created by using either the setup command or by using the command for creating a master system and temporary reception process work board, which is provided specifically for that purpose.
For details about the setup command, see jsssetup.bat (sets up JP1/IM - Service Support) in Chapter 11. Commands.
For details about the command for creating a master system and temporary reception process work board, see jsscreatesysandpwb (creates the master system and the temporary receipt process work board) in Chapter 11. Commands.
The following tables lists and describes the settings that can be specified during creation of the temporary receipt process work board and master system.
Setting |
Description |
|
---|---|---|
Basic settings tab |
Process work board ID |
|
System# |
A master system is set. |
|
Process# |
Incident management is set. |
|
Item form |
The process standard item form is used check box is selected. |
|
State |
Operating is set. |
|
Process work board administrator |
JP1 administrator is set. |
|
Settings for pre-deadline email notification |
The Notify by email before the deadline check box is not selected. |
|
JP1 event configuration |
The Issue JP1 event check box is not selected. |
|
Person in charge of the registered item from email |
JP1 administrator is set. |
|
View permissions for individual Items |
The Set reference permissions for individual Items check box is not selected. |
|
Comment |
The following string is set: Temporary receipt of process work board for the item function using email |
|
Settings - Automatic item input tab |
The Property file for automatic Item-defaults input setting is being used check box is selected. |
|
Threshold setting tab |
The Item accumulation property file is being used check box is selected. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
System ID |
|
System name |
Master system is set. |
Comment |
The following string is set: Master system for the item function using email |
You can edit or delete the temporary receipt process work board in the same way as for other process work boards. Similarly, you can edit or delete the master system in the same way as for other target systems.
(2) Email elements used for registration of an Item
An email sent by the user is registered as an Item as described in the following table.
Email element |
Description |
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Subject |
The subject of an email sent by the user becomes the title of the Item to be created. The registration-destination process work board can also be specified in the subject. To specify the destination process work board, add #process-work-board-ID# at the beginning of the title. |
Text |
The text of an email is saved in a text file that is attached to the created Item. Therefore, attachment must be permitted in the Item forms that are used for the temporary receipt process work board and other process work boards in which Items might be registered. |
Attached files |
For security reasons, files must not be attached to any emails that are sent for registering Items. Files attached to such emails are not added to the Item management database. These files are saved in the attachment management folder on the Item management server. |
(3) Settings of an Item registered via an email
Any Item registered via an email will have settings as described in the following table.
Item settings |
Description |
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Title |
The subject of the email is used as the title of the Item. Note that if the ID of the registration-destination process work board was specified in the subject, the ID specification (#process-work-board-ID#) is removed. |
Item ID |
The lowest available Item ID is automatically assigned when the Item is registered. |
Update date and time |
The date and time that the Item was registered on the Item management server is automatically set. |
System |
A master system is set. If the registration-destination process work board was specified in the subject of the email, the target system of that process work board is set. |
Process |
Incident management is set. If the registration-destination process work board was specified in the subject of the email, the process of that process work board is set. |
Person in charge |
The Person in charge of the registered item from email setting of the registration-destination process work board is specified. Note that the person set as Person in charge of the registered item from email is permitted to:
|
Status |
Received (status ID: JIMSD_STAT_INQUIRY) is set. |
Inter-process ID |
The lowest available inter-process ID is automatically assigned when the Item is registered. |
Registration date and time |
The date and time that the Item was registered on the Item management server is automatically set. |
Registrant |
JP1 administrator is set. |
Any one of extended user information 01 to 05# |
If the option to set view permissions for individual Items is enabled for the target process work board, the user specified in the Person in charge of the registered item from email parameter for the target process work board is automatically set. |
In addition to the above settings, settings whose values are automatically input might be specified. Automatic input settings can be specified in the Settings - Automatic item input tab of the New process work board window or the Edit the process work board window.
(4) Conditions in which an email is deleted from the email server
After an email that requests Item registration is sent to the email server, when an Item is registered on the Item management server, the email is deleted from the email server. Note, however, that the system might sometimes fail, for some reason, to output a temporary email save file or to save attached files in the attachment management folder. In such cases, the relevant email is not deleted from the email server. The following table shows the conditions under which an email is deleted or is not deleted.
Result of email-driven Item registration |
Status of files attached to the email |
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---|---|---|---|
No files are attached |
Attached files are saved in the attachment management folder |
Attached files are not saved in the attachment management folder |
|
Registration succeeded. |
Y |
Y |
N |
Registration failed, but a temporary email save file was output. |
Y |
Y |
N |
Registration failed, and a temporary email save file was not output. |
N |
N |
N |
If an email fails to be deleted although conditions for its deletion exist, manually delete the email.
Emails sent from users that are not registered in the email definition file are deleted from the email server.
(5) Notes on email-driven Item registration
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To prevent text corruption in an Item being registered, do not use any platform-dependent characters or any of the following characters in the subject and text of the email: ~, \, , , ?, , , ,
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Do not request creation of an Item using encrypted email. If you do so, text in the Item might be corrupted or registration of the Item might fail.
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If the registration-destination process work board specified in the email subject does not exist, the Item will be registered on the temporary receipt process work board.
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If the registration-destination process work board specified in the email subject is not in the Operating state, the Item will be registered on the temporary receipt process work board.
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If the Item form of the registration-destination process work board prohibits file attachment, the Item will be registered on the temporary receipt process work board. However, if the Item form of the temporary receipt process work board also prohibits file attachment, the Item will not be registered.
Before you register Items, make sure that the Item form of the destination process work board permits file attachment. For details about Item form customization, see 8.8 Customizing Item forms.