Outlook is only one scenario ... and in this case, yes, they would need Outlook. Automating Outlook should not be too hard; there's enough material around from other people.

If everyone was hooked up to the Internet, then one could probably employ one of the "chat" services.

A VFP only solution would involve a "mail" table on the server and probably a "timer" running on the client that would query the table at regular intervals.

In any case, there needs to be "something" that is polling on the client computer for "messages" ... be it VFP, Outlook, or a chat or other "instant messaging" client.

>> This means that users must have MS Outlooks, right? This whole automation stuff is very new to me.