KeyesMail Gets Simplified APIs

January 24, 2012 Alex Woodie

It will be easier to automatically send emails from your IBM i applications using the latest release of KeyesMail, an IBM i-based email package developed by Computer Keyes. With KeyesMail version 9, the Woodway, Washington, company has rewritten the APIs to make them easier to use.

KeyesMail is a full function email application that runs natively on the IBM i server. The software includes a SMTP- and POP3-compliant email server, a green-screen text editor for writing and viewing email on IBM i terminal, the capability to create email templates, a set of APIs, for automatically sending email from IBM i applications, and a phonebook. Emails generated with KeyesMail works with all other major email packages, including Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, and handles all ASCI-to-EBCDIC conversions seamlessly under the covers (where it should be).

Previously, the APIs that allow integration into other IBM i apps were difficult to understand, Computer Keyes says in its release notes for KeyesMail version 9, which is available here. With the new version, which was released in late November 2011, the APIs “have been deprecated and replaced with similar APIs that are very easy to understand and use,” the company says.

Why use Gmail and give up your freedom when you can run KeyesMail on the IBM i server and remain in control? Besides, all your hipster friends will be impressed with the retro-cool green-screen interface. Bonus cool points: Access KeyesMail from a 5250-equipped iPhone.

Version 9 also introduces a new API parameter that will assist a user in automatically saving a converted attachment to the IFS. “It can be quite useful for saving generated PDF documents or for printing PDFs that have an overlay,” the company says. It’s also useful for customers that don’t have printers with direct-PDF printing capabilities, as they can save the PDF to the IFS first.

The new version also introduces the capability to automatically generate unique file names for attachments. If a recipient receives multiple attachments in an email, the new feature will ensure that each attachment is saved with a different name. It will also prevent newly saved PDFs from replacing previous ones written to the folder, the company says.

KeyesMail is priced based on the number of mailboxes in use. Pricing starts at $3,750 for the first mailbox, and ranges up to $18,500 for more than 1,000 mailboxes. For more information, see the vendor’s website at www.computerkeyes.com.