Email course notes - alternative to javascript?
Mar 30, 2016
Hello heroes. My team and I have been trying to implement Stephanie Harnett's method for print and email of notes using javascript. However, after much testing we have come to the conclusion that - in our course - the email function will not work consistently with IE 11, due to a restriction on characters in a mailto: link (the script "works," but if the text in the variable[s] max out the character limit, nothing happens).
We are actively seeking out any viable alternative to this method that would accomplish the same goal but without the character limit - The learner enters notes or reflections on certain questions throughout the course, and at the end has an option to email those responses to an address they input. Can anyone provide suggestions?
8 Replies
Hi, Nick -- Thanks for reaching out, and aside from Stephanie's solution, perhaps you will find some of the ideas offered over here in this post to be helpful. Otherwise, I'll need to defer to your fellow community members to assist you further.
I wonder if something like the code here would correct your issue: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2241274/mailto-fails-in-ie-where-there-is-a-long-body-text-is-there-any-way-to-resolve
Personally, my own email script uses "window.location.href" and I'm not sure how that differs from "document.location.href" stated in that link.
Hmmm...emails are getting cut off for me with that code...doing more testing.
Christie and Mike, I appreciate the input. Following up on this, we were looking into the possibility of a server-side solution utilizing a mailer.php file (to circumvent the limitations of javascript/IE). Unfortunately, the client uses Saba Enterprise Cloud as its LMS - which evidently does not use PHP and does not have access to run code of any type?
So now we're really stumped. Is this idea of an email at the end of the course such an unusual thing to want to do? Can anybody shed light on how common/rare it is to attempt this functionality?
Furthermore, how common/rare are these limitations we're running into with Saba? We have limited experience with LMSs, so not sure if this is a problem we would face with any LMS or if it's specific to Saba.
Hi, Nick -- Thanks for your reply and for the update! Unfortunately, as all LMSs are unique and I cannot really speak on that side of things, I will need to defer to your fellow community members to chime in with additional thoughts or ideas to assist.
Nick,
I was unable to get the longer emails to work no matter what I tried, so I think you're on the right track of using a server based emailer. Can you insert a web object that executes the php on a 3rd party server? I'll test this myself later if I get some time.
Mike
Mike, thanks for the suggestion. I don't know, all of this scripting business (javascript, php) is way outside of my wheelhouse so I'm not even sure how I would go about this. If you do happen to test this and have any success, please let me know. We are definitely in need of expert assistance to solve this problem.
I've been unable to find a quick solution to this. You might need to contract with a programmer to get this done in a timely manner.
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