The following provides details about the email settings and server options on the Global Settings—Email Settings panel.
SMTP Server Information
SMTP Server:
You must specify the SMTP server name for sending emails. SMTP is a simple, text-based protocol used to send messages to one or more recipients. For example, for Gmail you use ‘smtp.gmail.com’.
Use SMTP Server Authentication:
By selecting the check box, you choose to apply the server authentication settings which are chosen using the options available. By choosing SMTP Server Authentication, you control how and who can send emails.
Use SSL:
Mark the option, if you want to protect the confidentiality and security of data being transmitted between your email program and the servers. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer.
Allow User Preferences to Override these Email Settings:
By default, email settings specified in the Global Settings screen override the ones in User Preferences. If these settings are blank in Global Settings, only then the user preferences are used. However, you can reverse that and ask Web Suite to override the global settings by these preferences.
Send Invoice Attachments as a Single File:
When checked, Web Suite automatically compresses all the invoice attachments into a single zip file, making it easy for your client to view all the attached documents in one folder.
This
feature is available in Web Suite Enterprise and Professional editions
only.
User Information
Your Name:
Your first name, say Allen. This is provided to the recipient for identification.
Email From:
This is your email address used for sending and receiving emails. E.g., allen@gmail.com.
Mail To:
This is the email
address to which the test email is sent when you click Test SMTP Settings
.
It is used for testing purposes only.
CC Mail To:
You can enter the email address of a person to whom you want to send a copy of your emails. You may enter your own email ID or your supervisor’s. When you email an invoice or a report to someone, the CC field is auto populated with this address.
BCC Mail To:
Optionally, you can enter the email address of a person to whom you want to send a blind carbon copy (Bcc) of your emails. When you email an invoice or report to someone, the Bcc field is auto populated with this address.
Login Information
User Name:
You need to specify the relevant user name to log in to the SMTP Server.
Password:
Enter the password to log in to the SMTP Server. You should create strong passwords.
Test SMTP Settings :
Click the icon to verify the settings you have specified for sending emails. A message will appear on the screen if the specified information is accurate. The test email is sent to the Mail To address.
Other Settings (optional)
Delivery Method:
Three options are made available to the user—Network, Specified Pickup Directory, Pickup from IIS. In Pickup from IIS, the email file is dropped in the default location where IIS looks for emails. In Network, the email file is sent directly through the network. In Specified Pickup Directory, the email file is delivered to the specified directory location.
Directory Name:
If the selected delivery method is Specified Pickup Directory, enter or browse the directory path to the pickup folder in this field.
Port:
The SMTP Server Port number needs to be mentioned for outgoing mails. The SMTP client initiates a TCP connection to server's port 25. However, some servers can have their own configurations, for example, Gmail uses port SMTP number 465.
Authentication Type:
The options available are Anonymous, Basic and NTLM. Using anonymous authentication, there is no way to verify the sender. Basic authentication allows clear text user names and passwords for authentication. NTLM or Integrated Windows Authentication only works in configurations where the client computer can contact a domain computer to validate their credentials. In most firewall configurations, it is not possible. There are also other options that the user can choose based on the requirements of the company.
User Name and Password are used for authentication if the mode is not
anonymous so that the user is authenticated before sending the mail.
Default Email Settings
The email settings in the Global Settings screen override the ones selected in User Preferences, unless you specify otherwise by selecting that option at the top.
Invoices/Statements/Reports/Payment Receipt:
Web Suite enables you to set up a default email message for your invoices, statements, reports and payment receipts, thus saving a lot of time. You can further replace or edit the message in the Email screen as needed.
Besides the message, you can set the default Subject and PDF File Name for invoices, joint invoices, statements and reports. In case of reports, you can further set your preferences for general reports and purchase orders. Payment receipts along with a 'Thank You' message can be sent automatically to the clients when their payments are received (Enterprise edition only). Subject for such emails will display “Thank you for your retainer payment.”
The PDF File Name option on all tabs gives you the flexibility to customize the name of all the PDF attachments, say you want to name all attached invoices something other than their default invoice templates. In addition to the typed-in names, you can set variables as part of the invoice naming convention by inserting placeholder fields using the Available Fields option at the bottom. For example, you can use {CLIENTID} {PROJECTID} {INVOICE NUMBER} for Web Suite to auto-fill these IDs when emailing the invoices. This allows the file name to be unique for every project. You can insert the Parent Project ID into the file name in case of multiple project phases. Sometimes you might have 10 phases on one Main project and when sending an invoice to the client, you want the PDF have the Main project name. Also, when exporting PDF files to be stored on a shared drive, it is easier to locate that file based on the parent project.
Some
of the project-specific field names like Project ID and Project Name are
not available for joint invoices. Also, you cannot
customize these file attachment names in case of the MAPI
option.
This feature is available in
the Web Suite Pro and Enterprise editions only.