Issue with PHP email (fatal error result of deprecated case-insensitive constants)

[Jainsatex]

Deprecated: define(): Declaration of case-insensitive constants is deprecated in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\htmlMimeMail.php on line 183

Deprecated: define(): Declaration of case-insensitive constants is deprecated in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\htmlMimeMail.php on line 187

Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; smtp has a deprecated constructor in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\smtp.php on line 13

Deprecated: define(): Declaration of case-insensitive constants is deprecated in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\smtp.php on line 10

Deprecated: define(): Declaration of case-insensitive constants is deprecated in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\smtp.php on line 11

Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; Mail_RFC822 has a deprecated constructor in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\RFC822.php on line 25

Deprecated: Non-static method smtp::connect() should not be called statically in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\htmlMimeMail.php on line 690

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Using $this when not in object context in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\smtp.php:91 Stack trace: #0 C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\htmlMimeMail.php(690): smtp::connect() #1 C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\MiscFunctions.php(358): htmlMimeMail->send() #2 C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\StockAdjustments.php(385): SendMailBySmtp() #3 {main} thrown in C:\Jaisantex\www\casitadelpan\includes\smtp.php on line 91

Como se puede arreglar ?
J

[timschofield]

These classes (smtp.php and htmlMimeMail.php) are external libraries that are now very old and unmaintained. We need to decide whether we want to keep this functionality (ability to email reports directly from within webERP) or just to allow webERP to create files that the user can email themselves.

PHP does have it's own functionality to do this, but it needs the work doing.

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

Are there any known issues now for WebERP due to these libraries? I.e. is this a "critical" issue to resolve now or a future maintenance task to migrate to the current preferred project for long-term support?

Here's the list of email features from the weberp.org features page. Any errors or omissions?

• Invoice can be emailed to customers together with pdf attachments dependent on items invoices eg. warranty, datasheets, instructions, manuals etc.
• Report definitions can be saved for re-running or automating email delivery from a scheduled job.
• Email of invoices and credit notes.
• Purchase orders can be emailed to one of the defined supplier contacts email addresses.

Fwiw, I found only one "email" item in the menu ([Main Menu > Asset Manager > Inquiries and Reports > Maintenance Reminder Emails]).

Imho, WebERP needs to be able to email at least system and other regular reports, and I expect automated emailing purchase orders to all the vendors for all the raw material required for a production build could be useful. However, if I was using webERP interactively I wouldn't be bothered if I had to generate a PDF report and then email it in a seperate step.

[timschofield]

Hi Dale, one of the errors in the initial post is a Fatal error, so it won't work. My point was we should either do it right, probably using the PHP internal functions, or we shouldn't do it. I don't have strong feelings on it.

The following scripts use htmlMimeMail.php:

BackupDatabase.php
CounterSales.php
DeliveryDetails.php
EDIProcessOrders.php
EDISendInvoices.php
EDISendInvoices_Reece.php
EmailConfirmation.php
includes/DefineOfferClass.php
includes/DefineTenderClass.php
includes/UserLogin.php
InternalStockRequestFulfill.php
InternalStockRequest.php
MailInventoryValuation.php
MailSalesReport_csv.php
MailSalesReport.php
MaintenanceReminders.php
OffersReceived.php
PDFDeliveryDifferences.php
PDFFGLabel.php
PDFSalesBySalesperson.php
PDFShipLabel.php
PDFWeeklyOrders.php
PDFWOPrint.php
PO_PDFPurchOrder.php
PrintCustStatements.php
PrintCustTrans.php
PrintCustTransPortrait.php
RecurringSalesOrdersProcess.php
report_runner.php
StockAdjustments.php
StockLocTransferReceive.php
Timesheets.php
Z_CreateCompanyTemplateFile.php

Do people have strong feelings about any/all of these?

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

one of the errors in the initial post is a Fatal error

My bad, I should have read from beginning before starting typing....

Is it possible to put the list into a hierarchy to show what files are used for what user functionality? I tried accessing PO_PDFPurchOrder.php directly and was told I needed to have previously selected a purchase order number.

Is the list shorter if it only includes a) files directly available to user from a main or sub-menu link (or included when the menu link is executed), b) used to send repeating user reports, c) provide EDI functionality, or d) send system reports.

[timschofield]

Changing the code to use a different library is not too hard. The main issue as I see it is that the scripts give the impression that the user just has to click the option and an email will be sent. The reality is that the user needs access to a properly configured SMTP server. These days that is a lot harder than it was. Gmail is popular for this purpose, but to try and curtail spammers this is now a lot harder - https://mailtrap.io/blog/phpmailer-gmail/

Many many years ago I wrote SMTPServer.php to setup the SMTP server details, but now it is more complex. That is why I wonder if the time has come to just remove the code. At the very least I think we should only have the options available if a working SMTP server details are setup in a revamped SMTPServer.php

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

The reality is that the user needs access to a properly configured SMTP server.

I relay mail from my server (about 10 seperate web apps and services) via my DNS provider noip.org and also relay by SendGrid (Twilio) with no issues.

I suggest WebERP only needs to work correctly with a properly configured SMTP server (pick your 3 favorite for testing), but how to configure WebERP must be the responsibility of the implementer for the SMTP server of their choice.

[Jainsatex]

Existe en Wordpress un plugins y se llama smtp y funciona bien , voy a mirar y les comparto (spanish) Gracias ... El mié, 26 mar 2025 a la(s) 3:19 p.m., Tim Schofield ( ***@***.***) escribió:

…

Changing the code to use a different library is not too hard. The main issue as I see it is that the scripts give the impression that the user just has to click the option and an email will be sent. The reality is that the user needs access to a properly configured SMTP server. These days that is a lot harder than it was. Gmail is popular for this purpose, but to try and curtail spammers this is now a lot harder - https://mailtrap.io/blog/phpmailer-gmail/ Many many years ago I wrote SMTPServer.php to setup the SMTP server details, but now it is more complex. That is why I wonder if the time has come to just remove the code. At the very least I think we should only have the options available if a working SMTP server details are setup in a revamped SMTPServer.php Thanks Tim — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#396 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BQ3GNWRBSLDFX634SZKBDOL2WL4SPAVCNFSM6AAAAABZ2WRTYCVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTENRTGMZDQMQ> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

-- Muy atentamente envió a ustedes cotización para orden de compra según conversación, esperamos tener una excelente relación comercial que permita servirle a satisfacción Atte Sandra E. Herrera Rojas Gerente de Ventas JAISANTEX S.A.S Modas, Diseños, Estilos - Uniformes y Dotaciones Empresariales . Modas & Diseños exclusivos Calle 7b No. 62-39 Villa Olímpica Tels.3226424971 - 3225298328 Galapa - Atlántico ***@***.*** ***@***.***

[timschofield]

Creo que el plugin de WordPress necesita que configures los detalles de tu servidor SMTP. Todo esto se puede hacer en webERP, solo es cuestion de si es necesario. - disculpas por mi mal espanol.

In English:
I think that the Worpress plugin requires you to enter the details of your SMTP server. All this can be done in webERP it's just a question of whether it is needed.

Tim

[pakricard]

Hi:

I am currently (last commit) sending emails from webERP without problem, and we use this functionality daily. It saves time and human mistakes compared to downloading a PDF, drafting an email, attaching the PDF, sending.

In SystemParameters.php there is this setting:

So, I am not using SMTP and it works on my Unix VPS.

I couldn't setup WAMMP on my local Windows machine to send emails, thought. I am not sure if it is a WAMMP or webERP issue. (Didn't devote much time)

@Jainsatex could you check this setting in SystemParameters.php?

@timschofield I guess we could better encapsulate the functionality of sending an email, as an example, this code structure is repeated many times, with several variations around webERP.

				if($_SESSION['SmtpSetting']==0) {
					mail($_SESSION['FactoryManagerEmail'],$EmailSubject,$FactoryManagerEmail);

				} else {
					include('includes/htmlMimeMail.php');
					$mail = new htmlMimeMail();
					$mail->setSubject($EmailSubject);
					$Result = SendmailBySmtp($mail,array($_SESSION['FactoryManagerEmail']));
				}

Probably we could benefit from a

function SendEmailFromWebERP($From, $To, $Subject, $Body)
that encapsulates all the tricks behind the scene. It has been on my to-do list for years, but there's always something more urgent or important.

Thanks,
R

[dalers]

Hi all, can anyone describe a couple simple user procedure that can be used for basic email testing? I'm looking for two user procedures: 1) send text-only email, and 2) send text email with PDF attachment.

Ideally the procedures would only require having items in the database (my database only has part numbers, with no stock, sales orders or purchase orders).

Thanks everyone! :-)

[timschofield]

@pakricard: are you just sending emails to users on the local network, or are you sending emails to outside email addresses, eg gmail? Also what version of PHP is running on that server?

@dalers "but how to configure WebERP must be the responsibility of the implementer for the SMTP server of their choice." I agree. My concern is that as webERP currently is written, users are given the impression that if they click on the option, then an email is sent. As you say, it needs proper configuration.

The consensus seems to be that we do need the facility to email directly from webERP, so we need to look at how that can be done. I think it would make sense to only show the options to email if a correctly configured server is setup. Do we agree?

Thanks
Tim

[timschofield]

This is from the htmlMimeMail project:

"PROJECT NO LONGER BEING MAINTAINED
Because of non-reparable issue with sending secure emails with SMTP,
this project has been dropped in favor of PHPMailer, which I
recommend as a robust, well maintained project.

https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer"

[timschofield]

I have played around with PHPMailer and it was fairly painless to send an email from my gmail account with a PHP script. The only real gotcha was that it requires a separate password that is auto generated by Google, and not my normal gmail password. It wasn't immediately obvious how to do that but I got there with a bit of searching.

Tentative proposal:

We move to using PHPMailer, and store the server settings in the emailsettings table via the SMPTServer.php script all of which currently exists. If no record exists in that table then the option to mail won't even be offerred. The onus on getting the setup right is still on the user.

[dalers]

are you just sending emails to users on the local network...

@PhilDaintree I don't think it should matter. Many (most?) organizations use managed services (i.e. not the local network), and an organization cable of running their own mail server within their network will likely know how to configure it with appropriate security (hackers are not just outside the walls).

... as webERP currently is written, users are given the impression that if they click on the option, then an email is sent.

@PhilDaintree This would seem require only wording changes to clarify the behavior. What "options" are you referring to? I'm still looking for a couple simple procedure to use for testing that don't require purchase orders, sales orders or stock quantities......

Do we agree?

Agree 150%! :-) PHPMailer seems to be the obvious choice for a PHP app - and not just because of the clue in the name ;-)

[timschofield]

Hi Dale, I am assuming you meant to tag me and not Phil? :)

"I don't think it should matter. Many (most?) organizations use managed services (i.e. not the local network), and an organization cable of running their own mail server within their network will likely know how to configure it with appropriate security "

Actually most webERP installations that I know of are running on a server on their local network. Setting up a web server these days is relatively easy, and there are pre-packaged LAMP servers available. Running a mail server is harder, not to mention the fact that a lot of ISPs block SMTP.

" What "options" are you referring to? I'm still looking for a couple simple procedure to use for testing that don't require purchase orders, sales orders or stock quantities."

Well the original poster was using StockAdjustmants.php. Setup an Inventory Manager email in SystemParameters.php, and then do a stock adjustment. It should email details of the adjustment to the address you setup.

I think a more interesting qurestion, is where should it be offerred. For instance look at ReorderLevel.php in Invenory module. It currently has buttons for 'Print PDF' and 'View'. Would it make sense to have another button called 'Send by email' to all reports?

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

t to tag me and not Phil? :)

Yes, my apologies, not sure how that happened. Sorry for the intrusion Phil.

[dalers]

Actually most webERP installations that I know of are running on a server on their local network.

with respect ;-) I suggest you might have a selection bias based on the installations you know of, although I don't have any data to prove it.

I don't disagree it's relatively easy for someone so inclined to self-host WebERP, but imho more business-oriented people would rather purchase a managed server (@pakricard is my go-to example ;-) )

[dalers]

Setup an Inventory Manager email in SystemParameters.php, and then do a stock adjustment. It should email details of the adjustment to the address you setup.

Thanks. I will use this for testing.

[dalers]

Btw, if the email security key is in the database it will end up in database backups, test databases, etc. What would you think of a general policy that all system security keys are ONLY in config.php? (with the database user password)

[pakricard]

@pakricard: are you just sending emails to users on the local network, or are you sending emails to outside email addresses, eg gmail? Also what version of PHP is running on that server?

Hi @timschofield:
I can send emails to my domain and to the outside world (gmail.com) for example:

PHP version is 8.2.28 running on a VPS with Plesk.
I can also send emails with attachments succesfully (always with $_SESSION['SmtpSetting'] = 0)

Hope it helps,
R

[timschofield]

Hi Ricard, your server must have sendmail or equivalent configured on it. The PHP mail() function uses this, and the settings must be in the php.ini. Under what I am proposing this would still be used if the parameter SmtpSetting in SystemParameters.php is set to 0. The problem is that many ISPs (in Europe at least) block this, for fear of being used to send spam. PHPMailer would be used instead of htmlMimeMail.php when that parameter is set to 1.

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

Hi Ricard, your server must have sendmail or equivalent configured on it.

I have same assumption, in particular since the gmail screenshot from @pakricard appears to be HTML format, which (at least on my system) isn't supported by the base unix mail command.

Using the same VPS provider as @pakricard would certainly simplify email config, but imho I suspect "most" users will be using an commercial email server - either a relay server e.g. SendGrid (which I use) and for the less technical their MS Office365 mail server, Google Office mail server, or a personal gmail account. I feel strongly WebERP should support an arbitrary SMTP server configured with current authentication practices.

Carrying on from my proposal for putting the SMTP server authentication parameters in config.php, I also recommend WebERP provide a SMTP debug log showing the communication for sending for a test email. Perhaps PHPMailer (or FluentSMTP) have tutorial code that can be borrowed (e.g. "send test email" button and a window showing the communication protocol and error message if there is one) .

[Jainsatex]

Este plugins esta en algunas versiones de WordPress, alguien la conoce?

/*
GoSMTP's Mailer API connecters are derived from Fluent SMTP:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluent-smtp/
(C) FluentSMTP & WPManageNinja Team

FluentSMTP is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
*/
JM

[timschofield]

No estoy al tanto de ese complemento, pero eso puede ser porque no he usado WordPress con frecuencia. Estoy pensando en usar PHPMailer (https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer), tienes alguna opinión al respecto?

Tim

[timschofield]

On Fri, 28 Mar 2025 at 18:20, Dale Scott ***@***.***> wrote: with respect ;-) I suggest you might have a selection bias based on the installations you know of, although I don't have any data to prove it.

Of course you're right, but my point is that we cannot make assumptions while we are developing as to how people are hosting their webERP. Tim

[dalers]

my point is that we cannot make assumptions while we are developing as to how people are hosting their webERP.

Agree 150%, but for testing the options have to be limited to be practical. I suggest: 1) the configuration @pakricard is using, 2) Twilio/SendGrid (I can test), 3) Gmail, and 4) (optional) whatever server is used next most by WebERP developers.

[dalers]

I might also consider migrating in phases to simplify implementation and testing.

1. text-only system reports
2. workflow following main or sub-menu links available to the user,
3. automatic reports that are scheduled to run periodically
4. EDI functionality

I recommend we discuss potential new functionality now, but wait to implement until the current email functionality has been migrated and tested. Discussion of new functionality may also affect how to migrate current functionality.

E.g. @timschofield #396 (reply in thread)

ReorderLevel.php in the Invenory module, which has buttons for 'Print PDF' and 'View', should also have a 'Send by email' button, and if, in general, a 'Send by email' button should be added to all reports.

[dalers]

I performed a stock adjustment and received an email notification but the email is missing any contents.

Is it possible a text-only message is NOT sent and only the HTML version? ? I.e. WebERP sends an HTML version to PHP mail(), then my system strips it off as only text mail is supported.

Btw, I don't really understand email at all.....

[pakricard]

@timschofield:

I think a more interesting qurestion, is where should it be offerred. For instance look at ReorderLevel.php in Invenory module. It currently has buttons for 'Print PDF' and 'View'. Would it make sense to have another button called 'Send by email' to all reports?

As I use webERP, most of the PDF reports are meant for “self consumption” by the user generating it, because of the very granular role security system. In a very few circumstances, we need to forward a report by email to someone.

So, if it is easy to add a button to "email a PDF" alongside "Print PDF", it's great. If it is a lot of work, I guess we can leave it for post v5. Anyway, the initial post was about the errors caused by the current htmlMimeMail library, and seems like PHPMailer is the way to go ahead.

Hi Ricard, your server must have sendmail or equivalent configured on it. The PHP mail() function uses this, and the settings must be in the php.ini. Under what I am proposing this would still be used if the parameter SmtpSetting in SystemParameters.php is set to 0. The problem is that many ISPs (in Europe at least) block this, for fear of being used to send spam. PHPMailer would be used instead of htmlMimeMail.php when that parameter is set to 1.

I really don't understand much how the VPS is setup. The VPS supplier set it up for me, so I can't offer much info. If you need further details, I could ask. I am perfectly OK for the change from htmlMimeMail to PHPMailer. I will try it too ;-)

@dalers: The stock adjustment email is text only, not HTML.

Thanks,
R

[dalers]

@pakricard:

The stock adjustment email is text only, not HTML.

Thanks. Guess I'm going to be looking at error log files to learn why the email wasn't constructed correctly in the first place...

[timschofield]

Before I commit, is anybody against me replacing htmlMimeMail with PHPMailer or can I go ahead and do it?

Tim

[andrewcouling]

No objections from me.

[dalers]

Please! Thanks @timschofield

[pakricard]

OK for me.
Thanks!

[timschofield]

I have installed PHPMailer, and written a new function in MiscFunctions.php called SendEmailBySmtp(). I have then updated StockAdjustments.php to use this function. The SMPT server settings need to be entered in SMPTServer.php. I have tested this using the Gmail SMPT server and it works - I will write a tutorial for setting this up later. It would be great if others can test this using other SMPT servers and possibly write up how to do it.

I have tried to make SendEmailBySmtp() as generic as possible. It will hadle one to many recipient addresses, and 0 to many attachments.

Once we are happy I will update all the scripts that used hmlMimeMail.php to now use this function.

Thanks
Tim

[timschofield]

For illustration, I have done an email option in ReorderLevel.php

The code is easy, and can mostly be just copy and pasted between reports.

Tim

[dalers]

Unfortunately email from ReorderLevel.php is not working for me. Clicking "Email" in ReorderLevel.php results in "This page isn’t working weberp.dalescott.net is currently unable to handle this request. HTTP ERROR 500" (after 30 seconds of "Loading" in the Chrome tab).

Error in Apache error log:

[Sun Mar 30 14:14:11.953645 2025] [php:warn] [pid 13421] [client 174.0.43.39:35056] PHP Warning:  Undefined array key "auth" in /usr/local/www/weberp/SMTPServer.php on line 103, referer: https://weberp.dalescott.net/index.php
[Sun Mar 30 15:29:33.047630 2025] [php:error] [pid 14093] [client 174.0.43.39:39968] PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\Exception: SMTP Error: Could not connect to SMTP host. Failed to connect to server in /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php:2282\nStack trace:\n#0 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(2058): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->smtpConnect()\n#1 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(1687): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->smtpSend()\n#2 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(1521): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->postSend()\n#3 /usr/local/www/weberp/includes/MiscFunctions.php(761): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->send()\n#4 /usr/local/www/weberp/ReorderLevel.php(167): SendEmailBySmtp()\n#5 {main}\n  thrown in /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php on line 2282, referer: https://weberp.dalescott.net/ReorderLevel.php
dale@whizzer:~ $ 

Also, I needed to first increase the size of the password field in the emailsettings table to allow SendGrid's 70-char crypto key ("varchar(80) NULL"), otherwise attempting to save SMTP Server Settings with a 70-char password silently fails for the user.

Error in Apache error log:

[Sun Mar 30 14:14:02.522918 2025] [php:error] [pid 12620] [client 174.0.43.39:53360] PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught mysqli_sql_exception: Data too long for column 'password' at row 1 in /usr/local/www/weberp/includes/ConnectDB_mariadb.inc:58\nStack trace:\n#0 /usr/local/www/weberp/includes/ConnectDB_mariadb.inc(58): mysqli_query()\n#1 /usr/local/www/weberp/SMTPServer.php(47): DB_query()\n#2 {main}\n  thrown in /usr/local/www/weberp/includes/ConnectDB_mariadb.inc on line 58, referer: https://weberp.dalescott.net/SMTPServer.php`

[dalers]

did the StockAdjustments email work for you?

Unfortunately not, although instead of an HTTP ERROR 500 the page finally refreshed (I'm guessing after a timeout with SendGrid) but showing ONLY the page heading and "Inventory Adjustment" title.

Error in Apache error log:

[Sun Mar 30 16:04:09.295507 2025] [php:warn] [pid 15749] [client 174.0.43.39:40392] PHP Warning:  Undefined array key "tag" in /usr/local/www/weberp/StockAdjustments.php on line 348, referer: https://weberp.dalescott.net/StockAdjustments.php?identifier=1743372210
[Sun Mar 30 16:07:54.452470 2025] [php:error] [pid 15749] [client 174.0.43.39:40392] PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\Exception: SMTP Error: Could not connect to SMTP host. Failed to connect to server in /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php:2282\nStack trace:\n#0 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(2058): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->smtpConnect()\n#1 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(1687): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->smtpSend()\n#2 /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php(1521): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->postSend()\n#3 /usr/local/www/weberp/includes/MiscFunctions.php(761): PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer->send()\n#4 /usr/local/www/weberp/StockAdjustments.php(386): SendEmailBySmtp()\n#5 {main}\n  thrown in /usr/local/www/weberp/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/PHPMailer.php on line 2282, referer: https://weberp.dalescott.net/StockAdjustments.php?identifier=1743372210

[dalers]

P.S. my system does relay mail successfully through SendGrid when "Using Smtp mail" is No in [Main Menu > Setup > System Parameters] - although the received email is missing any content, which is presumably a different problem I will investigate.

Do you have any suggestions for how to troubleshoot this further, or experiments you would like me to perform and report the results?

[timschofield]

Hi Dale, this appears to be a problem with your web server not being able to connect to your email server. On your web server can you try running

telnet <smtp_server> <port>

(replacing your mail server address and SMTP port) and see what happens.

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

Thanks for help @timschofield. Your suspicions are correct, I specified port 25 in [Main Menu > Setup > Smtp Server Details] which it seems is blocked by my ISP.

Fwiw, SendGrid responds on ports 25, 587 and 2525.

dale@whizzer:~ $ telnet smtp.sendgrid.net 25
Trying 44.239.172.8...
^C
dale@whizzer:~ $ telnet smtp.sendgrid.net 587
Trying 44.239.172.8...
Connected to smtp.sendgrid.net.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 SG ESMTP service ready at geopod-ismtpd-3

500 Command not implemented
^]
telnet> quit
Connection closed.
dale@whizzer:~ $ telnet smtp.sendgrid.net 2525
Trying 44.239.172.8...
Connected to smtp.sendgrid.net.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 SG ESMTP service ready at geopod-ismtpd-2
^]
telnet> quit
Connection closed.
dale@whizzer:~ $

I changed to port 587 et voila - an email notification that makes sense.

[timschofield]

Glad it worked Dale. Did you try ReorderLevel.php as well?

[pakricard]

Hi @timschofield:

I tested StockAdjustments.php with STMP and works OK with my STMP host server. ;-) Thanks.

I also tested a function SendEmailFromWebERP to encapsulate the email handling, in case in the future there are further adjustments, we only need to modify one function around webERP.

I added these 3 lines on top of MiscFunctions.php

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\SMTP;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

And then this function:

function SendEmailFromWebERP($From, $To, $Subject, $Body){
	if($_SESSION['SmtpSetting']==0){
		mail($To,$Subject,$Body);
	}else{
		$mail = new PHPMailer(true);
		$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS;
		SendEmailBySmtp($mail,
						$From,
						array($To =>  ''),
						$Subject,
						$Body
					);
	}
}

Then in StockAdjustments.php the email bits gets simpler:

		if (($_SESSION['InventoryManagerEmail']!='') ){
			$ConfirmationText = $ConfirmationText . ' ' . _('by user') . ' ' . $_SESSION['UserID'] . ' ' . _('at') . ' ' . Date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
			$EmailSubject = _('Stock adjustment for'). ' ' . $_SESSION['Adjustment' . $identifier]->StockID;
			SendEmailFromWebERP($SysAdminEmail, $_SESSION['InventoryManagerEmail'], $EmailSubject, $ConfirmationText);
		}

If you agree, I can commit it and the modifications in all scripts sending emails should be easier.

Thanks,
R

[timschofield]

Hi Ricard,

Great idea to have SendEmailFromWebERP(), does it need to include the possibility of having attachments?

Tim

[pakricard]

Hi Tim:

I think this is the updated SendEmailFromWebERP accepting attachments:

function SendEmailFromWebERP($From, $To, $Subject, $Body, $Attachments=array(), $Silent = false) {
	/* This function sends an email using either the standard mail function or SMTP.
	 * It uses the PHPMailer library for SMTP functionality.
	 * $From: The sender's email address
	 * $To: The recipient's email address
	 * $Subject: The subject of the email
	 * $Body: The body of the email
	 * $Attachments: An array of file paths to attach to the email
	 * $Silent: If true, suppresses error messages
	 */
	$EmailSent = false;
	if($_SESSION['SmtpSetting'] == 0){
		$EmailSent = SendEmailByStandardMailFunction($From, $To, $Subject, $Body, $Attachments);
	} else {
		$mail = new PHPMailer(true);
		$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS;
		$EmailSent = SendEmailBySmtp($mail,
						$From,
						array($To =>  ''),
						$Subject,
						$Body,
						$Attachments);
	}
	if (!$Silent) {
		if ($EmailSent) {
			prnMsg( _('Email has been sent.'), 'success');
		} else {
			prnMsg( _('Email not sent. An error was encountered: ' . $EmailSent), 'error');
		}
	} else {
		return $EmailSent;
	}
}

function SendEmailBySmtp($MailObj, $From, $To, $Subject, $Body, $Attachments=array()) {
	$SQL = "SELECT host,
					port,
					username,
					password,
					auth
				FROM emailsettings";
	$Result = DB_query($SQL);
	$MyEmailRow = DB_fetch_array($Result);
	$MailObj->isSMTP();
	$MailObj->Host = $MyEmailRow['host'];
	if ($MyEmailRow['auth'] == 1) {
		$MailObj->SMTPAuth = true;
	} else {
		$MailObj->SMTPAuth = false;
	}
	$MailObj->Username = $MyEmailRow['username'];
	$MailObj->Password = $MyEmailRow['password'];
	$MailObj->Port = $MyEmailRow['port'];
	$MailObj->setFrom($From, '');
	$Recipients = '';
	$RecipientNames = '';
	foreach ($To as $ToAddress => $ToName) {
		$Recipients .= $ToAddress . ',';
		$RecipientNames .= $ToName . ',';
	}
	foreach ($Attachments as $Attachment) {
		$MailObj->addAttachment($Attachment, basename($Attachment));
	}
	$MailObj->addAddress(substr($Recipients, 0, -1), substr($RecipientNames, 0, -1));
	$MailObj->isHTML(false);
	$MailObj->Subject = $Subject;
	$MailObj->Body = $Body;
	if (!$MailObj->send()) {
		$EmailSent = $MailObj->ErrorInfo;
	} else {
		prnMsg( _('Message has been sent.'), 'success');
		$EmailSent = true;
	}
	$MailObj->smtpClose();
	return $EmailSent;
}

function SendEmailByStandardMailFunction($From, $To, $Subject, $Body, $Attachments=array()){
	// If no attachments, use simple mail function
	if(empty($Attachments)) {
		$result = mail($To, $Subject, $Body, "From: $From\r\n");
		return $result;
	} else {
		// Create a boundary for the email
		$boundary = md5(time());
		
		// Headers for a MIME email with attachments
		$headers = "From: $From\r\n";
		$headers .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
		$headers .= "Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary=\"$boundary\"\r\n";
		
		// Email body with attachments
		$message = "--$boundary\r\n";
		$message .= "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8\r\n";
		$message .= "Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64\r\n\r\n";
		$message .= chunk_split(base64_encode($Body)) . "\r\n";
		
		// Attach each file
		$allFilesExist = true;
		foreach($Attachments as $Attachment) {
			if(file_exists($Attachment)) {
				$file_content = file_get_contents($Attachment);
				$message .= "--$boundary\r\n";
				$message .= "Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name=\"" . basename($Attachment) . "\"\r\n";
				$message .= "Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64\r\n";
				$message .= "Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=\"" . basename($Attachment) . "\"\r\n\r\n";
				$message .= chunk_split(base64_encode($file_content)) . "\r\n";
			} else {
				$allFilesExist = false;
			}
		}
		$message .= "--$boundary--";

		// Only attempt to send if all files existed
		if($allFilesExist) {
			// Send the email with attachments
			$result = mail($To, $Subject, $message, $headers);
			return $result;
		} else {
			// Return false if any attachment file was missing
			return false;
		}
	}
}

I encapsulated the standard Mail usage into functionSendEmailByStandardMailFunction() for code clarity, and also added a parameter $Silent to allow webERP to send silent emails.

Silent emails are useful in cronjobs, as we can send several emails and any output to the screen would crash the cronjob.

If it seems OK to all of you, I'll commit it.

Thanks, R

[timschofield]

Seems OK to me Ricard except that in SendEmailFromWebERP() the $To parameter is already an array, so shouldn't be converted into an array again inside the call to the SendEmailBySmtp() function. I think that should read:

    $EmailSent = SendEmailBySmtp($mail,
					$From,
					$To,
					$Subject,
					$Body,
					$Attachments);

Other than that it is good to go for me.

Thanks
Tim

[dalers]

Fyi both ReorderLevel.php and StockAdjustments.php are working correctly with SendGrid SMTP mail relay using domain authentication.

I could quibble with email subject lines but that's just me ;-)

I'm very pleased and happy! :-)

[timschofield]

Glad it's working for you Dale.

Always happy to consider improvements to things like email subject lines.

[dalers]

I will submit an issue for the SMTP password length issue because I think it would be better to upstream this to avoid future issues and avoid implementers having to make local database schema changes when needed.

Fwiw, from ChatGPT:

The longest user password required by a commercial SMTP server service provider varies, but some providers support extremely long passwords for security purposes. Typically:

• Common SMTP services (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.): Allow passwords up to 100 characters.
• Enterprise-grade email services (e.g., AWS SES, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, etc.): Often support passwords (API keys or SMTP credentials) up to 256 characters or more.
• Some high-security services: May allow passwords exceeding 512 or 1024 characters, particularly if they use API keys instead of traditional passwords.

[pakricard]

As all email handling in webERP has been updated to PHP Mailer, can we close this discussion?

[timschofield]

Yes we can Ricard. As you did the bulk of the work do you want the pleasure of removing the htmlMimeMail.php file? :)

[pakricard]

Done with pleasure ;-)

Thanks,
R