Send Email

Server and Sender

Click on "Edit Server and Sender" in the email editor to open the settings.

 

 

 

There are 2 options available:

1. Send the Email directly - PHP mail()
2. Send the Email via an Email Account - SMTP Server

 

 

Which option should I use?

Unfortunately, we cannot give a clear answer here, as this depends solely on your hosting provider or the configuration of the web server.
However, there are a few pointers to keep in mind:

 

• With some hosting providers the sending is not or hardly restricted at all, so that you can simply use "1. Send the Email directly - PHP mail()" to send emails and autoresponders.
  
  
• Other providers, however, only allow local senders when using the internal mail function of the website "PHP mail()".
  An example would be the website: www.example.com and the email address: you@example.com.
  
  
• In some cases, the internal mail function of the website "PHP mail()" only works if the email address of the sender and recipient (!!) match the domain of the website. This means that you may only be able to send to recipients whose email addresses match the domain of the website (local recipients).
  An example would be the website: www.example.com and the email address: you@example.com.
  
  
• If "PHP mail()" does not work, please first check whether the use of a local sender and recipient solves the problem. If this is the case, you can be sure that your hosting provider or server does not allow external email addresses when using the internal mail function "php Mail". In most cases "PHP mail()" works perfectly with local recipients and senders.
  
  
• You should use option "2. Send the Email via an Email Account - SMTP Server" if you want to send an email to external recipients and your provider has restricted the use of the internal mail function "PHP mail()".
  
  
• However, some providers do not support SMTP at all or only to a limited extent.
  In these cases, SMTP usually only works with an email account and server that belongs to the website or hosting provider.
  
  
• If the send process fails, a corresponding error code is displayed on the error page. It is often a bit of trial and error.
  See also: List of Error Codes

1. Send the Email directly - PHP mail()

 

php contains a built-in function that allows emails to be sent directly via the web server.
This does not require the specification of an SMTP server.

• To be able to use the function, PHP mail() must be activated on the web server.
  
  
• Also when sending by "PHP mail()" an email account (email address) must be specified, which should be used to send the email.
  It is recommended to use an email address that corresponds to the domain of the website.
  
  
• You can use the same email address for the sender and recipient of the message.

 

Please note that some hosting providers restrict the use of the internal mail function "PHP mail()" in such a way that the email may only be sent to local recipients. This means that you may only be able to send to recipients whose email addresses match the domain of the website.
An example would be the website: www.example.com and the email address: you@example.com.

2. Send the Email via an Email Account - SMTP Server

 

Arclab Web Form Builder also makes it possible to send emails via an SMTP mail server.
Specify the email account data exactly as in the configuration of a normal email program:

 

 

• We recommend using the mail server belonging to the domain of the web server as this will speed up the processing.
  However, it is possible in principle to use any mail server.
  
  
• Please note that there are cases where SMTP only works with an email account and server that belongs to the website or hosting provider.
  The corresponding server and account data can usually be found in the web configuration of your hosting package.
  
  
• As "Connection Security" (or "Encryption") the setting "TLS - Default Port: 582 or 25" is recommended, which works with most email accounts.
  You can also select "SSL" from the dropdown-menu. Please note, that there is a difference between TLS and SSL!
  In rare cases, no encryption is necessary if the mail server is configured to accept all messages from the web server.
  
  
• The "SMTP User" is in many cases identical to the email address, but this does not necessarily have to be the case.
  
  
• Please contact your mail administrator if you do not know the details of your email account.

Email Type and Recipient

Click on "Edit Recipient" in the email editor to open the settings.

 

 

There are two types of emails available:

 

• Send Email (Default)
  An email containing the form data and/or custom text will be sent to a fixed email address.
  
  
• Send Autoresponder Email
  An "autoresponder" or "automated response" email will be sent to an email address entered by the user in a form field.

 

Please note that some hosting providers restrict the use of the internal mail function "PHP mail()" in such a way that the email may only be sent to local recipients. This means that you may only be able to send to recipients whose email addresses match the domain of the website.
An example would be the website: www.example.com and the email address: you@example.com.

If your web server only allows local recipients and you would like to send an autoresponder message, then you should use "2. Send the Email via an Email Account - SMTP Server" in "Server and Sender" instead of "PHP mail()".

CC and BCC Recipients

You can send a copy using CC (Carbon Copy) and BCC (Blind Carbon Copy).
Insert the email address in the CC or BCC editbox in the main email dialog:

 

 

Use a comma to specify multiple CC or BCC recipients, e.g.

person1@yourdomain.tld, person2@yourdomain.tld

 

PHP mail() Warning:
Please note that some hosting providers restrict the use of the internal mail function "PHP mail()" in such a way that it may only be sent to local recipients.
This means that you may only be able to send to recipients whose email addresses match the domain of the website when using this option. This affects both regular recipients as well as CC and BCC recipients. An example would be the website: www.example.com and the email address: you@example.com.

Reply-To

Click on "Edit Reply-To" in the email editor to open the settings:

 

 

The "Reply-To" address specifies the email address used when the recipient of the message clicks on "Reply".

The reply address can either be a fixed email address or an email address entered by the user in the form.
The latter is recommended for contact forms:

If you want to reply after receiving the email, the answer should normally not be sent to the sender of the form (the sending account set) but to the person who completed the form. Please create an input element "Editbox" first and choose the type "Emailaddress".

Important: Some providers might not allow a custom "Reply-To" for external recipients!
Disable (remove) the custom "Reply-To" address, if your provider does not support external email addresses!

Email Format

Click on "Email Format" in the email editor to select the email format:

 

 

You can choose between automatically generated and user-defined formats. For automatically generated emails, the "field section" is automatically generated by the program, but you can change the field order, edit the labels, add a custom (HTML) header/footer and change the email styles (fonts, colors, etc.). With a "Custom Email" you can edit the complete (HTML) source code of the email.

In most cases, it is best to first choose an automatically generated format.

 

Email Options

Click on "Email Options" to access the options:

 

 

Here you can make further settings, such as the treatment in case of error.

 

If you want to add the IP address of the user to the form data when using an automatically generated email format, activate the "Include Server Environment Variables" option. Here, the user's IP address will be captured and sent via email to you. Please observe the valid legal situation, especially regarding the European Data Protection Regulation EU GDPR.

 

Enable the option "Remove Empty Fields" to remove the field label and the (empty) field content from the HTML email.
The HTML comments <!--START:Fieldname--> and <!--END:Fieldname--> mark the beginning and the end of the output belonging to the respective field.
If the option "Email Options" > "Remove Empty Fields" is enabled, this area will be hidden.

Sample:

The form contains an optional field for "Company".

...

<!--START:LastName-->
<table class="t-t"><tr><td class="t-l">LastName:</td><td class="t-r">{LastName}</td></tr></table>
<!--END:LastName-->

<!--START:Company-->
<table class="t-t"><tr><td class="t-l">Company:</td><td class="t-r">{Company}</td></tr></table>
<!--END:Company-->

<!--START:Email-->
<table class="t-t"><tr><td class="t-l">Email:</td><td class="t-r">{Email}</td></tr></table>
<!--END:Email-->

...

If the user has not entered a company in the input field "Company", the entire area including the comments will be removed from the HTML email. If you use the email format "Custom HTML", you can also include custom text or other fields within the area between <!--START:Fieldname> and <!--END:Fieldname-->, which are unwanted without this information.

 

See also:

• PHP mail() Compatibility Mode
• XML and CSV File Attachments
• iCalendar Appointments
• List of Error Codes