Unfortunately, there is no best sending method for your bug reports - each way have its own advantages and drawbacks.

Important note: there are events for customizing sending: such as OnAttachedFilesRequest, OnZippedFilesRequest, and OnCustomWebFieldRequest.

First, let's start with common properties for each group:

E-mail methods

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Web methods

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Web-trackers methods

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Note: bug trackers and e-mail methods are close-related: bug trackers are usually able to parse incoming e-mails and insert them as issues into database. Thus, you can get non-supported bug tracker working (by setuping it to parse e-mails and setup e-mail sending in EurekaLog). Also, web trackers usually can generate e-mail notifications about new issues.

Now, let's take a look at each method (common advantages/drawbacks aren't listed). Only major points are listed below. For detailed pros/cons of each method - please see description of each method.

E-mail: Shell (mailto protocol)

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good for "last resort" measure only, have many limitations. See also: Dealing with send failures

Note: due to "no way to get real send result" - it's best to place this method last, if you select several methods.

E-mail: Simple MAPI

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good for e-mail sending in corporate environments, but no longer a good choice on modern desktops, which use web-clients for e-mails (e.g. there is no desktop e-mail app). Suitable as "last resort" measure. See also: Dealing with send failures

E-mail: MAPI (also known as "Extended MAPI" or "MAPI 1.0")

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good as alternative for SMAPI in case your users use Outlook/Exchange. Avoid in typical software outside of controlled corporate environments.

E-mail: SMTP client

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: best choice for most cases.

E-mail: SMTP server

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good method with low limitations, but only if it's not blocked by client's firewall, ISP or your e-mail server. Not very reliable on practice. Worth trying as "last resort" measure.

Web: HTTP

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good as base for building custom sending. Very good for hiding passwords behind a facade. For simple file uploads - FTP is a preferred way.

Web: FTP

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Conclusion: good if you need simple and reliable file send (upload). Often it is better than e-mail methods.

Web-trackers

No additional points, except common items listed above in the "Web-trackers methods" section. Please read through descriptions of each bug tracker. There are also setup manuals available. You can read through manual to get idea of bug tracker's capabilities and working process.

See also:

Conclusion: best if you need a complete bug tracking solution. For simple file sending HTTP or FTP is preferable.

Remarks:

(*) That's because, if you have two e-mail client installed (say, Windows Mail and Outlook) - both will definitely support mailto protocol, but only one can support simple MAPI, so you may launch non-default e-mail client (which is not configured). For example, if you have Outlook 2010 as your default e-mail client and you use simple MAPI - it will launch Windows Mail client, because Outlook 2010 doesn't support simple MAPI. The same example holds true for MAPI, if you use Windows Mail as your default e-mail client (because Windows Mail doesn't support MAPI).

Recommended order of send methods

We recommend the following order:

If you don't want (or can't) use some method in this list - just exclude it and place the rest in this order.

For example, if you want a reliable "mail only" delivery - use this:

If you can't afford storing password - use this:

(however, this has greater chances to fail sending)

This is just recommendation, not final rule. For example, you may use this sequence:

1. Mantis

2. Shell

It's your choice, it's up to you.

Note: usually there is no big reason to enable both SMTP client and SMTP server modes. Use either first or second, but not both. I.e. if you can afford storing the password from your real e-mail account in application - use SMTP client. Otherwise use SMTP server.

See also: