Automatic e-mails from Magic Contest

From a technical points of view, there are two different ways of sending e-mails directly from Magic Contest (read more below about how to configure the two options):

This can be used in various ways:

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Report contest

When you report a contest there are several files that can be created. Among those are website reports, PBN files or text files. If you tick the E-mail checkbox (at the bottom) all reported files will be sent to all players in the starting list (read more below).

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Report contest to ECats

This is by far the best way to report a contest to ECats. The report files will be created and sent to ECats without any manual work. The ECats scoring engine will take care of the files and present scores within ten minutes of the report.

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Send a contest file by e-mail

If you have scored a contest and you want to send it to someone you can click Contest menu, select Send to, and select E-mail recipient. This opens up a window where you can write the e-mail. The contest file will be automatically attached to the e-mail.

If you scored the contest with Bridgemate you can tick the Bridgemate checkbox to attach the Bridgemate database to your e-mail.

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Ask for support

Click Contest menu, select Help, and select one of the two help options (with or without the contest file) and an e-mail will be sent to the official e-mail support address.

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Use Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird for relayed e-mails

This requires that you have Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird installed on your computer with a functioning e-mail account.

During the e-mail process there will be an Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird window opening that says that an external program is trying to send e-mails. Just click Send in this window.

Depending on your Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird settings you may or may not have to click Send inside Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird. This depends on the setting for sending e-mails directly.

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Use built-in e-mail support directly from Magic Contest

A more elegant way of sending e-mails is to enter your e-mail settings directly in Magic Contest. What happens is that Magic Contest will communicate directly over the internet with your e-mail provider so that the e-mails are sent without any further delay.

This requires a few settings:

  • Select Contest menu > Other settings > General and the E-mail tab.
  • Select Enter e-mail settings
  • Enter the fields the same way you would have in your e-mail program

Now Magic Contest is set up to send e-mails automatically.

Note! Unfortunately more and more e-mail providers require increased security. Magic Contest has an old way of sending e-mails, so it is not certain that you can set up built-in e-mail support. For instance, you cannot use a Gmail address as the sending address in Magic Contest.

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E-mail addresses in the member database

If you want to send the contest report to all players of the starting list you need to, in this order, do the following:

  • Save their e-mail addresses in the member file. Do this through the Find player button.
  • Enter the starting list from the member file. This will make sure that the e-mail addresses are imported into the contest.

After this has been set up you can use Report contest together with E-mail to send all contest reports to the players in the starting list.

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