Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

First let me explain my environment. I use Windows XP 2005 Media Center as my operating system and Mozilla Thunderbird as my email client.

Before the latest OO update - I used to be able to create a document in OO Writer and then hit the email icon and it would attach the document I had just created to a new email message in Thunderbird.

However, since installing the update - after creating a clocument in Writer - when I hit the Email Icon I get the error message -

OpenOffice.org was unable to find a working e-mail configuration. Please save this document locally instead and attach it from within your e-mail client.

I don't know if this is related or not - BUT:
if I select TOOLS - OPTIONS - OPENOFFICE.ORG WRITER - MAIL MERGE E-MAIL When I select TEST SETTINGS - I get the message that OO could successfully establish network connect and find outgoing mail server.

Also - If I save the document - Close OO - and go through My Documents to get to the directory - from that directory if I select the OO document that I created - then select E-MAIL THIS FILE from the FILE AND FOLDER TASKS - then XP is able to find my e-mail client (Thunderbird) and automatically attach it to a new email message.

Why can XP find my e-mail client, but OO can't and how can I fix this problem?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

This could be a bug because you're few already to report that. See here : OOo QA - reporting bugs.

If someone running Windows could confirm if this is really a bug, it could help (can't reproduce that on my Ubuntu box).

NB: moved your thread to the Windows forum.

Edit:  no multiposting (Please read the Survival Guide for the forum for next threads). I've deleted your other thread in the Writer section.

You may like to see the thread that I posted which is similar to this:

[Solved] Web Browser & Mailer selection

My conclusion is that OOo is probably well-behaved in using the Windows interface but mail clients may not have a good MAPI interface.

i appreciate the reference to the similiar problem - in reading what was done before triggered an idea. I decided to check what did Windows show as my default e-mail client. I had presumed it was Thunderbird since I have Thunderbird set up so that it verifies that it's the default mail program when I start it up. Howeveer, in going into START-CONTROL PANEL-INTERNET OPTIONS - under XP - when I selected the PROGRAMS tab - I quickly discovered the box that was suppose to list my email client - was blank. When I changed it to Thunderbird - OO Writer then was able to find Thunderbird as my email client.

I am still puzzled over why in XP's File and Folder Tasks, when I told Windows to Email a file - it always used Thunderbird. It makes me wonder if within Windows there are more than one location where the operating system stores the information about which program is being used a your default email client.

Also - Why is OO looking at your system's INTERNET OPTIONS - in order to determine what program is being used as the default email client?

Thanks for your help - Tony!

P.S. Hagar - The only reason I posted this question a second time - was because no one replied to the post I made days previous in the Beginners forum. Also - how did this thread get into the MS Windows forum? I thought when I had done the second post - I was posting to the Writer forum. Thanks for moving it to a forum where the problem could be resolved.

pauliw25 wrote:Also - Why is OO looking at your system's INTERNET OPTIONS - in order to determine what program is being used as the default email client?

In the help file it is said :

On UNIX systems, specifies the e-mail program to use when you send the current document as e-mail.

So it may not be used under Windows.

pauliw25 wrote:P.S. Hagar - The only reason I posted this question a second time - was because no one replied to the post I made days previous in the Beginners forum. Also - how did this thread get into the MS Windows forum? I thought when I had done the second post - I was posting to the Writer forum. Thanks for moving it to a forum where the problem could be resolved.

If nobody answer your post, no need to create another one. You can bump it by replying your post so that the thread jumps up in the index list. It may mean that nobody has any idea at all.
In fact, as your second post was more detailed than the first one, I removed the first one and moved the second one here because the e-mail setting is system wide and that issue has an impact on all OOo applications.

I tag this thread as solved.

I'm still having trouble with this one, but I think it has something to do with windows, not Ooo. When this first appeared it was a simple task to tell windows that Thunderbird is our default email client. Everything was fine for a couple of months. Then one day, out of the blue, my wife got the message about not having a working email configuration. When I tried sending from my user account, everything worked fine. As I was not satisfied, I began to look into the problem. I did some routine management, chkdsk, registry cleanup and so on... And lo and behold: I was not able to send email from Ooo anymore! I checked all the necessary settings, everything seems to be ok. So there is a "bug" somewhere, but as always with windows, it's impossible find out where...

jmeri wrote:I did some routine management, ..., registry cleanup ... And lo and behold: I was not able to send email from Ooo anymore!

I bet that's a key in the registry. Usually, the cleaning tool keep a backup. Try to restore the removed keys and see if it works again.

Nope. No help from registry backup... What strikes me most odd is this gradual degradation of functionality. Where does Ooo look when it tries to find a working email configuration?

I guess it looks in the Windows configuration to find the registered mail client.
Have you tried to set again TB as your default mail client?

Yes, I have been through every location where the change can be made. The next step is probably to go into the registry directly, but as windows registry is an invention of the devil, I've been postponing that...

So I went digging I uninstalled Thunderbird and removed - by hand - all related information from the registry. Then installed Thunderbird again. Now it works. Differently from two different user accounts (on one, it opens the TB main window plus composing window, on other only the composing window), but you can again send document directly as email attachment from within Ooo.

BINGO....I followed much of your advice. I uninstalled TB, but after going into regedit I decided to stay away from it. I re installed TB and can once again send an OOo doc via the document. Thanks.

RMarhefka wrote:BINGO....I followed much of your advice. I uninstalled TB, but after going into regedit I decided to stay away from it. I re installed TB and can once again send an OOo doc via the document. Thanks.

DID THE SAME IT'S WORKING NOW