CMSMailer Test Email Never Received, Windows, Local Install, CMS 1.7, GoDaddy

[patrick208]

I've tried various settings to configure CMS Mailer and never receive the test email, checked all spam settings/folders.  This is a local install.

I first tried SMTP, using the same settings on an account that I have in Thunderbird 3.0 on a email installation that sends & receives ok from the local machine.  I've tried sending to both an email on the domain, and also to a yahoo account.  The domain mailbox is hosted on GoDaddy.  After I click "Send Test Message", the screen returns back to the CMSMailer configuration screen without returning an error.  I did have a typo in the SMTP mail server address at one point, and the "Send Mail" returned an error message.

I then tried the sendmail option, downloading sendmail, unzipping, and pasting the Sendmail location path from right from the Windows file explorer on the local machine.  Again "Send Test Message" returns back to the configuration screen without returning an error.

I've searched the forums, and can't find any troubleshooting guidance on the CMSMailer itself.

Environment:  CMS Mailer 1.73.1, Local Install, CMS 1.7, Windows Visa SP2, PHP 5.3.1, Apache/2.2.14 (Win32) DAV/2 mod_ssl/2.2.14 OpenSSL/0.9.8l mod_autoindex_color PHP/5.3.1 mod_apreq2-20090110/2.7.1 mod_perl/2.0.4 Perl/v5.10.1

[calguy1000]

so, can you send an email with ANY OTHER php script installed on your server?

Diagnosing problems is an issue of
a) learning how things work
    and
b) divide-and-conquor
    until you know the exact place of the problem.

Just because you've installed PHP on your windows server and you can install CMSMS, it does not mean that CMSMS is the cause of your email problems.

Isolate the problem first please, then, once you have concretely determined that it is a CMSMS problem report back to us.

WHY you ask?
  a) because going through these exercises saves YOU time.
  b) because going through these exercises save US time so we can help you with problems faster.
  c) because knowledge is power. (after school special theme rings in your head).
      Once you go through the exercise to determine where exactly the problem is and how to solve it,
      you will have yet more tools in your toolbox to help you the next time another similar problem arizes.

why am I explaining this... it's third grade stuff.

[ridelikeaturtle]

If you're doing this from your local Windows machine, I would suspect it has more to do with your local machine's server settings, and your ISP, than anything to do with CMSMS.  Many ISPs actively block port 25 (used for email) so no matter what you're trying to do from your localhost, it's probably not going to work

Try it from a CMSMS installation on a free hosting site, or on your GoDaddy account.

[calguy1000]

it really comes down to diagnosing what the problem is.

blaming because that is what Installed last, or stabbing blindly at N different possibilities does nothing except estabilishing some personal "voodoo religion"

If people don't understand how the system works at a basic level,  can't  find, read, understand error logs, or diagnose problems at all, then they should find a better school that will teach them basic diagnostic skills

CMSMS is not for my grandmother, aunt, or uncle.  It's made by experienced professionals, for experienced professionals.  nuf said.

[ridelikeaturtle]

With all due respect CalGuy -- and I truly mean that -- if a module is working, gets upgraded, then does not work... and I don't mean "does not work a week later", but immediately, as in seconds later... then without setting up Eclipse to start debugging the underlying PHP code, that module upgrade is very suspect.

I understand that's not the case here, nor the case with many of my personal problems, so I'll eff off and attempt to sort it myself and/or just wait for others to run into the same or similar problems and ask the question in a way that is more appropriate for the forum.

But when the answer seems pretty clear, and the forum is available... sometimes all we're (CMSMS users) looking for is some confirmation that others are seeing what we're seeing, and hopefully if there's an easy answer/fix then they'll post it - e.g., if there's a typo in a file in an upgrade that's causing a problem, it'd be nice to know what file that is, so until the next upgrade is provided by the CMSMS gods (that'd be you, btw) maybe we could just sort it ourselves and leave you to do more important things. 

[calguy1000]

I agree with you that the problem CAN be with the software, particularly when everything is working, and then you upgrade something, and then something doesn't work.... Software developers are not perfect, I am far from it.   But then there are still several variables left, and in order to solve the problem  the issue comes down to how well you explain the problem.   if people can't spend 5 minutes explaining the problem well enough, then how can we be expected to spend time to try to investiage,  reproduce or diagnose the problem.

That is the issue with many (though thankfully not all) of the users.  Though I KNOW this problem is rampant in all software, honestly I DONT CARE.  If users can't bother to explain their problem well enough for me (and the developers of CMSMS have strained themselves enough to explain what we want, and how we want it).  Then USERS DON'T DESERVE AN ANSWER.  

It's like telling your auto dealership 'my car doesn't work'... some times its a problem of 'its out of gas'.... and sometimes it's a more serious problem, but in both cases the user is an idiot because he should know some basic skills when operating a vehicle, like describing the symptoms of the problem.   And if the mechanic gets enough 'Out of Gas' problems he's gonna start painting all of the people that come to him with the same 'idiot' brush.

People need a license to operate cars... sometimes I wish they would need one to be web developers.

ADDED:

Now Imagine your mechanic has 'online' service, and 3 out of every 5 problems are explained as 'my car doesnt work'.... and you're the 6th person to call in that morning.

[patrick208]

So in other words it's best to call the car mechanic first thing in the morning so your the first idiot and not the sixth that day?  

I wasn't going to waste Calguys time with a response with out a resolution to the problem or something actionable, but....I understand EXACTLY his position and message as I've worked around clients and software for years and have wasted a lot a time chasing "it doesn't work...." without details and it does make one grumpy.  I'm new to development on a CMS, and PHP, with experience in other assorted SQL dBs.  I'd spent a couple of hours searching for where next to go, both inside the CMSMS forum, the excellent Beginner's Guide Book and on the web itself and couldn't find one thing about troubleshooting my configuration.  My post didn't say that CMSMailer was broken, just that I didn't know where to go next.  SMTP works fine on the same machine with Thunderbird, and a couple of other aps so I would naively assume that would rule out a port block/firewall issue from the local machine using that config.

I am very hesitant to put up my new CMS site on my host until I get everything worked out...I currently have a simple HTML/CSS site with no PHP, Jscript, nada, and didn't want to blow that site out to test a mailer problem if I didn't have too and debug that installation at the same time.  I now know that I'm faced with that, or learning the ins and outs of PHP mail scripts as a next step.

[janb]

Hi

Maybe you can try this UDT for debugging.

Code: Select all

global $gCms;
$cmsmailer =& $gCms->modules['CMSMailer']['object'];

$cmsmailer->SetSMTPDebug(true);
$cmsmailer->IsHTML(false);
$cmsmailer->AddAddress('yourmailaddress');
$cmsmailer->SetSubject('TestCMSMailer');
$cmsmailer->SetBody('Test');
$cmsmailer->Send();

JanB

[calguy1000]

that's pretty much exactly what the CMSMailer test function does.

[janb]

Hi Calguy

Is SetSNMPDebug(true) included in the test function?


JanB

[luminous]

If it is suspected that smtp port 25 is blocked you could sign up for a gmail address.  That allows (requires) that you send email over a different port using some sort of encryption.

I have cmsms installed on a localhost using Xampp on Win7.  I've managed to get the mail module working through gmail using SSL encryption and SMTP mailing method.  I know I'm new round here, but just posting what worked for me.

[calguy1000]

Okay, this conversation has gone on far enough.
besides it not being a CMSMS issue, not enough information has been supplied to even guess at a solution.

but I have an idea.  Unix hosts by default run a mail server that is (by default) configured to deliver mail locally.  Windows machines dont, so you have to play with installing software, or have a software that supports sending mail via SMTP and know what the settings should be.