To enable E-mail confirmations, the appropriate settings need to be configured first -- go to Maintenance / Park Setup / SMTP (Send Mail) Setup. This enables sending E-mail messages from within Campground Master. (SMTP stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol", which is the current standard E-mail system used on the Internet.) These settings are similar to configuring most E-mail applications in Windows, like Microsoft Outlook.
To use the E-mail confirmation function, Campground Master must be able to access an SMTP mail server via the internet. It will not work directly with web-based E-mail interfaces like Gmail or Yahoo often use, however those services also have an SMTP server available that Campground Master will work with (check with your E-mail provider).
Global settings vs. different settings on each computer
If you're using the networking option, you'll see an option to either use global settings or use different settings on this computer. In most cases you'll want to use global settings, since each computer on a local network generally needs to be set up the same (except for possibly the bind-to IP address, which is always a local setting anyway). However if you use a computer to connect remotely, e.g. through the internet from various places, then you might need to use different settings on that computer depending on the specific internet connection (ISP) you're using at the time.
Note: Be sure to select the option to use "different" settings before making changes to the settings, so you don't inadvertently change the global settings for everyone else!
Sender (defaults) Settings
Your name & E-mail address can be entered in the Sender section. The Name and E-mail entered here are used for both the "From" and the "Reply-To" for every E-mail you send. Optionally you can check the options to have it use the Park's Name and Park's E-mail address, as defined for the Park (or Parks) through Park Setup. This is useful if you have more than one park set up in the database, and want to use a different Reply address in confirmations depending on which park it's for. (If an E-mail is sent to a customer without reference to a reservation, the park specified as the Park shown on non-reservation receipts will be used, and that setting is specific to each workstation.) Note that if you do check these options, the name and E-mail addresses entered here will be ignored when appropriate park information is available. However you should still fill in a default Name and E-mail address here, in case an the Park record doesn't have the E-mail field filled it.
Important: Many SMTP servers require these to be in the same "domain" as the SMTP host you're using. For instance if you're using SMTP through your web host and your web site is myrvpark.com, then you might need to use an E-mail address that has @myrvpark.com in it. Likewise, if using AOL you may need to use your screenname@aol.com address.
If you want to keep a copy of all E-mails sent, the best way is to fill in BCC all mail to with your E-mail address. This will blind-copy each E-mail to yourself (or any address desired. If you want to enter multiple E-mail addresses for the BCC, use the semicolon character (;) between each address to separate them.
SMTP Server Settings
In most cases, you will only need to enter one thing in the Server section, which is the Host name/address. The rest of the settings default to the most common values. The host name/address is usually "mail" or "smtp" followed by your ISP or web host domain name. A couple examples are below:
smtp.myrvpark.com (for instance if you have your own domain name for your web site)
mail.myisp.net (for instance if you do E-mail through an ISP like Earthlink)
Many SMTP servers use port number 25, no authentication, no SSL, and the other settings as shown by default in the SMTP Setup dialog. However it's common for ISP's to block port 25 for any SMTP access besides their own server, so most web hosts and other E-mail providers provide alternate ports.
The "Automatic" setting for Authentication Method should work in most cases, with the username and password filled in. There are some cases where it cannot be automatically detected, though, so you can set it to one of several manual settings. Also, the "Automatic" setting will not work if "POP3 before SMTP" authentication is required.
POP3 before SMTP authentication -- Some SMTP servers, typically ones used by web hosting services, may not have a login on the SMTP itself but may require you to read your E-mail (through the web host's POP3 server) before you can send mail through their SMTP server, with a time-out. In other words you need to log in to the POP3 server, then it will allow you to send mail through the SMTP server within maybe 30 minutes. If this is the case for your SMTP host, select the "POP3 before SMTP" authentication method and provide the login, host, and port for the POP3 server. Campground Master will do a quick log-in to authenticate your computer (without actually retrieving or removing any incoming mail) before sending the outgoing mail.
If you have any questions about the proper settings to use in SMTP Setup, please contact your internet provider, web host, or whatever service you're using to send mail.
Note that the Return Receipt option simply sets a flag in the E-mail requesting a return receipt when the E-mail is opened, but this does not guarantee anything since many E-mail programs don't support return receipts.
You can use the Test button on this Setup dialog to test your settings by sending an E-mail to yourself.
America Online Settings example
If you use America Online for your Internet access, there is an SMTP server available for you to use. The following Server settings should be used:
Host Name/Address: smtp.aol.com
Port Number: 587 (although 25 may also work for the port)
Use SSL: Unchecked
Use TLS: Unchecked
Authentication method: Automatic
Username : (your AOL screen name)
Password : (your AOL password)
Also, the Sender E-mail address should be in the Internet format (your AOL screen name followed by "@aol.com"), such as: myscreenname@aol.com. Note that any spaces in your screen name must be removed, so "My Screen Name" would become MyScreenName@aol.com.
Gmail Settings example
If you use Gmail (Google mail), their settings are similar to AOL but you also need to select the "SSL" option:
Host Name/Address: smtp.gmail.com
Port Number: 465
Use SSL: Checked
Use TLS: Unchecked
Authentication method: Automatic
Username : (your Gmail login)
Password : (your Gmail password)
Hotmail Settings example
If you use Hotmail, their settings are similar to Gmail but you also need to select the "TLS" option:
Host Name/Address: smtp.live.com
Port Number: 587
Use SSL: Unchecked
Use TLS: Checked
Authentication method: Automatic
Username : (your Hotmail login)
Password : (your Hotmail password)
Using the SMTP function to send E-mail
Once the SMTP configuration is done (particularly the Sender and Server information as mentioned above), then a new button will be available on the Reservation Transactions dialog for any reservation that's not yet checked in (it assumes there's no need for a confirmation once they're checked in). Likewise, it will appear when you use Quote/Confirmation from the Reservation Details dialog.
You can also send E-mail messages to customers using the blue E-mail "link" on Customer Details (like before, but now it uses the built in E-mailing instead of opening the default E-mail program in Windows).