Sending mail

MODX has an email service built-in, which can send emails through PHPs plain mail() function, or by using SMTP.

There are various scenarios in which emails may be sent:

• When requesting a password reset, or using passwordless login
• When a user submits a form on the front-end, typically handled by FormIt
• In custom code. For instructions about using the email service, see modMail.

In all of these cases, the MODX core email settings are used. These are found in the manager under System (cog icon) > System Settings. Search for "mail" or select the "Mail" area filter.

By default, email is sent using PHPs mail() feature. This uses server-level settings, but is typically not recommended due to poor deliverability. Instead, configure sending via SMTP.

Enabling sending via SMTP¶

1. Enable the mail_use_smtp system setting
2. Enable the mail_smtp_auth system setting
3. Configure the host the SMTP server is available from in the mail_smtp_hosts system setting.
4. Configure the SMTP port in the mail_smtp_port system setting. In many cases, port 25 is blocked, so you'll need to use a different one, typically 587 or 465.
5. Enter your SMTP credentials in the mail_smtp_user and mail_smtp_pass fields.
6. If necessary, set the mail_smtp_prefix to tls or ssl.

For steps 3-6, the exact details will depend on the mail server or mail service you're using. Consult their documentation, setup instructions, or support for the information to use.

More specific instructions are available for:

• Amazon SES
• Mailtrap.io

Testing email sending¶

Once you've configured the sending, you'll want to make sure it works. The simplest way to do so is by installing the QuickEmail extra through the package manager.

Once installed, add the following snippet call to a resource.

[[!QuickEmail? &debug=`1`]]

View the resource on the front-end. QuickEmail will try to send a test email, and will render a detailed debug log. If it fails, it usually comes down to the wrong port, prefix, or authentication.

When it works as expected, remove the snippet call. If you don't, someone else may stumble across it, which may leak your email credentials.

Testing and improving email deliverability¶

Sending emails is one - but if it actually arrives in the recipients inbox is another question.

This can be affected by anything from the email content (does it seem spammy?), but also by various mail protection systems such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Mail server IPs may also get blacklisted if they send too much spam.

These systems are configured on the server level, and are out of scope for this documentation, but to make sure your emails arrive it is strongly recommended to make sure those are properly configured.

There are various services and tutorials online to help you with that. mail-tester.com is an excellent one that can be used for free. It provides you a single-use email address to send an email to (tip: use QuickEmail, adding the &to property), and will check a large part of what can influence your deliverability.

Other relevant settings¶

Unless otherwise configured on a snippet or in code, the From email header will be set to the value of the emailsender system setting, and the name will be your site_name system setting.