Question

Sendmail does not work. No email notifications for new users. Webhost confirms send mail location correct. Movable Type on same server uses sendmail just fine. In TWiki.cfg is: $mailProgram = "/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -oi -oeq";

I test signed up 20 new users, not one email sent. I have spent probably 10 hours searching support and the web. I am extremely frustrated with twiki right now. Thank you if you can help.

Environment

-- BruceRProchnau - 09 Feb 2005

Answer

do you have shell access? bin/mailnotify can be run from the command line, perhaps running it that way will give an error or something.

-- MattWilkie - 09 Feb 2005

Did you disable Net::SMTP in your TWikiPreferences? See TWikiSiteTools

-- PeterThoeny - 10 Feb 2005

Both the SMTP in TWIKIPreferences are empty. changes and mailnotify in data/TWiki are chmod 664. Mailnotify in bin is set 755...I have shell access now, but am learning how to use it as I have time, so far I havent used it at all and don't really intend to.

-- BruceRProchnau - 12 Feb 2005

setting up and running twiki without shell access is possible, many have done it, including myself, but it is if anything more finicky than with the shell.

Many would benefit from a more hands-off install (and upgrades!) but it seems to be a difficult problem, or at least one that doesn't attract many developers.

On the brighter side, WillNorris has been busy beavering away with a twiki web based installer for the last several months. However onless you peruse the TWikiIRC logs or watch twikiplugins.sf.net cvs you won't see any action as it's all behind the curtain right now.

Send him a note and he'll likely point you to the starting docs.

-- MattWilkie - 17 Feb 2005

Thanks Matt. I have no problems with any of the configuration so far. Installing ftp is easy now. Just somethings don't work. Mail, mswordashtml file attachments, most skins...will get it eventually.Just thought I'd look for some tips on the mail issue here. That's basic, even Movable Type can find sendmail

-- BruceRProchnau - 19 Feb 2005

Sorry from all of us for not picking up on this before; too used to people dropping by TWikiIRC for support, I guess.

Some questions:

• You have checked data/warning.txt for any warning messages related to mail, yes?
• You have checked your Apache log file for errors, yes?

(Love the MovableType integration, BTW!)

-- CrawfordCurrie - 20 Feb 2005

Thanks Crawford. I don't have access to log files (without asking webhost, and I bug them way too much) Nothing in warning txt. Basically, along with being unable to get MsOfficeAttachmentsAsHTMLPlugin working, I have given up. All my other programs find sendmail no problem. I'll do without it, just aprehensive of a business client of mine asking for it...I have three separate installs of twiki on two different servers, none of them have sendmail that works.

There is a question asked some time ago MsOfficeAttachmentsAsHTMLPlugin that has gone unanswered for some time. It's from a business client too. I know it isn't related to my question, but is related to people giving up, even though it is understood that twiki is opensource and basically unsupported, and everyone is busy. I just hate the amount of time I have put into it, and am sorta being blocked from continuing. This is the sort of thing that makes people move on to other programs though.

-- BruceRProchnau - 21 Feb 2005

Bruce, and others, how about writing a small perl cgi script that you can run from testenv (or otherwise) that executes a 'find / -name sendmail -print' and tells you what you need to set?

-- SvenDowideit - 21 Feb 2005

I too run a business that uses TWiki among other tools. When something blocks me, my approach is somewhat different, though; if I don't get an answer, I go and fix it.

One additional question; do you run mailnotify? When you run it from the command line, does it work? It uses the same code to find sendmail as registration does.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 22 Feb 2005

Thanks Sven and Crawford. I'm not a programmer, per se (whatever that means) lol, but will check the above...I shouldn't write when tired and irritated.I tried mailnotify, it works (runs) but don't send. Will find the answer, I haven't REALLY given up, just irritating sometimes... Thanks!

-- BruceRProchnau - 23 Feb 2005

It's fixed. A configuration problem

-- BruceRProchnau - 01 Apr 2005

yay Bruce!

-- MattWilkie - 02 Apr 2005

I don't see why you need root access to debug this problem. You've been offered help - such as determining where the mail prgram is on your host and ensuring its corectly set in the config file.

TWiki does come with tools such as 'setenv'. The logs and debug capabilities are ... adequate, providing you enable them.

You probably can get at the Apache logs if you have command line access. If you don't, there are plenty of perl tools for log analysis via web interfaces.

... and surely you could write a small, dedicated CGI script that tried to mail out, before and after after reading in the TWiki config file for the settings.

-- AntonAylward - 02 Apr 2005

Well, I, too, ran in to similar problem. All the settings are default, and both the SMTP in TWIKIPreferences are empty, but still the registration and notify emails don't get sent out. When I tried bin/mailnotify.pl on command line it showed the sendmail command is getting invoked but no other details. Then I change the option in TWiki.cfg file to run sendmail with -v verbose option and realized that the '-oeq' otpion could be posing the problem. I removed that option and mails started working for me. I figure it could be because of an older version of sendmail on my hosted site. Just thought of sharing it here, so others in similar situation can benefit.

-- SandeepRao - 12 Aug 2005

Thanks Sandeep for sharing your experience!

-- PeterThoeny - 13 Aug 2005

I have a problem that email sent out by mailnotify dont get properly attached. The mail looks like a jumble: all raw text with links... Its not a proper attached html file... It did work but it stopped working. Have no idea why?

-- IstvanLeelossy - 30 Aug 2005

-- TWikiGuest - 21 Nov 2005

It is probably worth logging my experience with this. I run TWiki on OpenBSD on a local network with no mailbox - so no valid email return address. This means that notification emails get bounced with a 554 error. I fixed this with the following in TWiki.cfg:

$mailProgram = '/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -freal@email.address'

where real@emailPLEASENOSPAM.address is my reachable email address. Note the single quotes - otherwise sendmail complains about the @ symbol

-- TWikiGuest - 21 Nov 2005