Auto Shop Writer Bulletins

Recently we heard from a couple of shops that their gMail accounts were no longer working.  This is because Google setup a new system for authentication ( as discussed in the last bulletin ).  Our teams have done a lot of work on this, and we do have two options now in version 12.52.32.  In addition, we know that Microsoft 365 ( formerly Office 365 ) also established an oAuth protocol but implement it differently.  We will address that one soon in case any of you use that system.

Here are the two options:

MAPI – 

If you have an email program on your desktop that supports MAPI, and your gMail ( or other service ) is setup, then you can select this checkbox ( Tools -> Setup -> Email ).  Do not check other boxes.  At this point whenever you send an email it will automatically use your normal desktop email program.  HOWEVER, it may be necessary to have that program open ( even if minimized to the task bar ) for it to be successful.

GMAIL –

We have implemented the gMail oAuth2 protocal and it is working fine in our tests.  Here are the steps to get it setup.

1). You must be sure your Google Account is set to allow 3rd party programs to access email.  You do this in your Google account.

2). In MLS12, go to the Email setup screen.  Click in the gMail checkbox and make sure the mark is there showing it will be used.  Then click on the Connect button.

3). You will see a Google account login screen.  Enter your email address as requested to sign in ( and your password or other method ).  You will now see warning screens telling you Auto Shop Writer is not authorized.  ( We have to submit info and wait on Google to verify the application ).  Continue until you see the screen that shows a Go to Auto Shop Writer in small red letters on the bottom left side.  Click on it.

4). You will see more warnings but there will be a screen where you must check a box ( upper right side ) that allows the program to send emails.  Click on it and continue.

5). You will proceed until you see a blank screen with a small message on the top that says you are connected and can exit the screen.  Click on the x at the upper right to close it.

6). This process obtains an authorization code which is then stored on your server.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN.  When you send an email through any of the areas in the program where it is provided, the system already has the code stored and will handle your request.  Even after exiting the program or even shutting down the computer, it will still work when you go back in.

MASTERLINK SOFTWARE DOES NOT recommend, or support, gMail.  We do offer the interface to those who wish to use it, but we do not have it on our systems or use it ( due to valid security concerns ).  IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS we can only help with the ASW side.  We cannot assist with your Google account.  This you will have to handle with them.

Email Issues:

We have received some calls where ASW’s email system was no longer working with gmail accounts.  We do not use gmail, so we had to do some research.  Google and Microsoft are adopting a new standard to make emails more secure.  It is using oAuth, a protocol that is emerging.  We are working to find the simplest way to have you implement these changes, but both companies have made it very complex, and there are lot of “hoops to jump through”.  The bottom line is that you will end up having to do some complex work on your end to get the proper authorization codes from these companies, and to set your accounts to allow you to send emails through their services.

 

Quickbooks:

Some people are using Quickbooks for their accounting and may have implemented the interface that writes your invoice and customer data directly to QB from ASW when you close a workorder.  This was all included to work with the desktop version of QB.  Now, Intuit is moving to their cloud based system only and fully phasing out the desktop versions.  ( Of course you don’t have to upgrade away from that if you are using an earlier version ).  We decided to look at being able to output directly to the cloud version, and it really should be a simple process.  However, so far we are finding a lot of red tape, new fees, etc. that complicate the process.  We’ll keep working on this.

 

AI:

There is a lot of talk about AI, and MANY companies are providing their own products.  When you use them on their webpage, you can do some things for free, but when interfacing with them in a program, they have fee based models.  Even so, there are two implementations of AI in ASW, and we are working on a rather fascinating option to also implement on your local data.  However, please remember that AI is in it’s infancy, and you should NEVER count on it’s accuracy.  

CoPilot:  ( F3 key ):  This is Microsoft’s initial AI model built into Windows 11.  You can enter a question, it will search for answers and display what it finds.  It may be fairly limited.

Gemini: ( F4 key ):  This is newly implemented in this version, but it’s a bit more complex.  You will need to go to Google’s website and get an ID key for Gemini.  Copy it, then in ASW, under Tools -> Setup you will see AI Key.  Click on that and paste in your gemini key.  Exit ASW and when you come back in, the F4 key will give you the prompt for a question.  Be specific if you want realistic answers.

All AI models are designed for the companies to make profits so they will all be asking for money.  Also, again remember they are in their infancy, and though they may appear to be impressive, they have a whole lot to learn, and they don’t always hit the right target.

 

We’ll keep you updated as these developments take place.