Send SMS with Skype 3+

By Mark Plumpton ~ Custom Data Solutions Ltd
and Edited by Garry

Here I will show you a simple way to send an SMS using Access VBA and Skype. For this you will need Skype version 3 or higher and some skype credit.

Private Sub cmdSendSkype_Click()

' By Mark Plumpton
' Custom Data Solutions Ltd


  SkypeSMS txtNumber, txtMessage


End Sub

Public Function SkypeSMS(strNumber As String, strBody As String)
'strNumber is in international format

Dim sky As New SKYPE4COMLib.skype
Dim sms As SKYPE4COMLib.SmsMessage

Set sms = sky.CreateSms(smsMessageTypeOutgoing, strNumber)
sms.Body = strBody
sms.Send

'you can loop here and wait till the message is sent or fails
Debug.Print sms.Status
Set sms = Nothing

End Function

Notes

'Uses Skype4Com.dll
' https://developer.skype.com/Docs/Skype4COM/Start

' Anyway you need skype 3 or higher which installs skype4com library for you

Cost per SMS in Australia works out as 6 cents a message (May 2007)

Download sample Here

Another reader added this

Garry

We wrote a routine to send SMS by connecting dial-up with an access number supplied by the various telephone companies There is a standard protocol for injecting SMS messages using these gateways It was painfull - lines dropping out, a limit with the number of SMS messages in a session, line busy, etc

There appears to be no common standard to talk to a locally connected mobile.

So we have now found the easiest solution is to use a web portal to SMS

One of the most reliable and cheapest, with excellent tech documentation, is www.clickatell.com

They are based in South Africa, and messages cost about Euro 0.045 ($Aus 0.07), going down for volume

They support HTTP, SMTP, FTP, XML, Com

We found the easiest is HTTP, using the MSINET control

You can also get SMS replies via email

Clickatell also supports bulk SMS - you send 1 http request with the message plus a list of SMS numbers

As a developer you need to register, and buy 'SMS credits'
You are then issued with a code that you pass with the http request



regards...

Trevor Finch
Research Services New England
http://www.rsne.com.au

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