How to Send Email When Computer is Locked?

I want to send Outlook emails using Excel VBA.

The code Sendupdate works when run manually.

My second macro StartTimer is intended to execute the above at a set time when I am not at my desk.

When the computer is locked the email does not send. When I come back to my desk the email is hanging there as a draft, and I need to click the send button.

Sub SendUpdate()
    Recipient = "[email protected]"
    Subj = "update"
    Dim msg As String
    msg = "hello”
     
    HLink = "mailto:" & Recipient & "?"
    HLink = HLink & "subject=" & Subj & "&"
    HLink = HLink & "body=" & msg
    ActiveWorkbook.FollowHyperlink (HLink)
        Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("0:00:01"))
        Application.SendKeys "%s"
    End Sub
     
    Sub StartTimer()
    Application.OnTime TimeValue("18:00:00"), "SendUpdate"
     
End Sub

Is there a way to make sure the email gets pushed?


Solution 1:

I will break this "Tutorial" in 3 steps

1) Writing your Excel Macro

2) Preparing your vbscript file

3) Setting the task in Windows Task Scheduler


WRITING THE EXCEL MACRO


Open a new File in Excel and in the module, paste this code

Option Explicit

Const strTo As String = "[email protected]"
Const strCC As String = "[email protected]"  '<~~ change "[email protected]" to "" if you do not want to CC
Const strBCC As String = "[email protected]" '<~~ change "[email protected]" to "" if you do not want to BCC

Sub Sample()
    Dim OutApp As Object, OutMail As Object
    Dim strbody As String, strSubject As String

    strSubject = "Hello World"
    strbody = "This is the message for the body"

    Set OutApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")

    Set OutMail = OutApp.CreateItem(0)

    On Error Resume Next
    With OutMail
        .To = strTo
        .CC = strCC
        .BCC = strBCC
        .Subject = "This is the Subject line"
        .Body = strbody
        .Send
    End With
    On Error GoTo 0

    Set OutMail = Nothing
    Set OutApp = Nothing
End Sub

Save the Excel File as C:\Tester.Xlsm if you are using Excel 2007 onwards or C:\Tester.Xls if you are using Excel 2003 and exit


PREPARING THE VBSCRIPT FILE


Open Notepad and then paste this code. Change the extension ".xls" as applicable.

Dim xlApp
Dim xlBook

Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
Set xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open("C:\Tester.xls", 0, True)
xlApp.Run "Sample"
xlBook.Close
xlApp.Quit

Set xlBook = Nothing
Set xlApp = Nothing

Save the File as Tester.vbs and close it

enter image description here


SETTING UP THE TASK IN WINDOWS TASK SCHEDULER


Could you confirm your windows operating system? – Siddharth Rout 36 mins ago

Windows XP. Its my work computer (so has the usual logins etc). – keynesiancross 18 mins ago

Click on the Start Button | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Schedule Tasks to get this window

enter image description here

Double click on "Add Scheduled Task" to get this window

enter image description here

Click Next

enter image description here

Click on "Browse" and select the vbs file that we created earlier and click on "open"

The next window that you get is crucial as it is here we need to mention when script needs to run

enter image description here

After you have done the needful, click on next.

enter image description here

In this window, enter your login details so that the script can run even when your screen is locked.

Click "Next" when done and then click "Finish" in the next window. Your task scheduler now looks like this

enter image description here

And you are done


Lock your pc and go take a coffee break ;) When you come back (depending on what time you set in the task scheduler and how much time is your break), the email would have been sent.

HTH

Solution 2:

I used HTML and JavaScript setInterval to run vba code to overcome such problem. Code:

<html>
<script>

var flag = false;
var xlApp;
var xlBook;
var i = 0;

function processExcel()
{
//Open the excel containing macro for the first time
if(flag==false)
{
  xlApp = new ActiveXObject ( "Excel.Application" );
//Your Excel containing VBA code
  xlBook=xlApp.Workbooks.Open("Count1.2.xlsm")

}
// "a" is the VBA macro
 xlApp.Run("a");

flag=true;


 i++;
 window.status="Last Updated " + new Date();


}

var w
function run()
{

processExcel();

 w= setInterval("processExcel()",120000);


}
function stop()
{

 clearInterval(w);


}

</script>

<body >

<input type="button" value="Start" onclick="run()" />
<input type="button" value="Stop"  onclick="stop()"/>


</body>
</html>