Configure recipient for all messages

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MPI
New member
Username: Mpi

Post Number: 6
Registered: 09-2011
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2014 - 09:41 am:   

Dear all,

we are creating .req files to send out messages. Right now, these files also contains a line with the recipients phone number.

I remember that there is a way to skip the phone number in the .req file and configure a default recipients number in an .ini file or so. Unfortunately, I cannot find that information anymore.

So if you know where this can be configured, please let me know.

Regards,
Dirk
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 4893
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2014 - 02:30 pm:   

Hi Dirk,

There are default sender settings, but not recipient.

Am I understanding correctly that you are always sending to the same recipient?

--
Des
NowSMS Support
MPI
New member
Username: Mpi

Post Number: 7
Registered: 09-2011
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 07:08 am:   

Hi Des,

So I did not remember correctly and only default sender can be configured.

To explain a bit what I try to accomplish. We are running approximately fifteen scripts to monitor different services. (Before you ask: No, these can not be integrated into one script.) Each time a service fails, an e-mail and SMS is being sent. For sending the SMS, we create .req files including the recipients phone number. This is always the same number. So if the phone number changes (vacation, business trip), we have to edit fifteen files.

In the past, we used another software which is not available anymore. There was a default recipient. If the .sms file (same as .req) contained a phone number, the SMS was sent to that number and not to the default recipient. But if the file did not include a phone number, the default was used.

Maybe that's a feature you might want to think about and maybe include it in future versions.

Regards,
Dirk
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 4897
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 02:18 pm:   

Hi Dirk,

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense.

Is there any possibility that you could modify the scripts to submit via HTTP ... or even e-mail instead?

With either of those approaches, it is possible to send to a distribution list (which might have only one member), so when you need to make a change, you just update the distribution list.

Normally the REQ files have already been pre-processed for distribution list expansion, which is why it is not possible there.

--
Des
NowSMS Support

P.S. - E-mail support for distribution lists requires the version that is currently in beta. We're still working on documenting the setup. But the short version is that you create a POP3 or IMAP e-mail account and NowSMS polls that mailbox for messages to be sent out via SMS and/or MMS. Senders must be in an authorized list, and the recipient number (or distribution list name) must be at the start of the subject line.

An IMAP server with IDLE support for push messaging (like Gmail) works best, because then NowSMS does not have to poll for messages. Without that, you configure a poll interval and NowSMS checks for new email every x seconds.

Note that this email account should be setup special for this purpose only, as NowSMS will delete messages as it processes them, even if they do not match the criteria to be routed via SMS.
MPI
New member
Username: Mpi

Post Number: 8
Registered: 09-2011
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 07:50 am:   

Dear Des,

being able to use an e-mail distribution list will be a great new feature!

I really like NowSMS because with a locally (USB) attached UMTS modem, the monitoring server can send out messages even if network and other servers fail.

I will check the HTTP approach because there is a web server running. Installing an additional mail server seems to be not appropriate.

Best,
Dirk
Des - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Desosms

Post Number: 4900
Registered: 08-2008
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 11:29 am:   

Hi Dirk,

Keep in mind that you don't need a separate web server, you just build an HTTP GET request and then connect to NowSMS directly, as it is listening for HTTP requests.

So it doesn't have external dependencies like an email server.

There is a command line example at http://www.nowsms.com/sending-sms-from-command-line ... as a starting point you could spawn that example.

--
Des
NowSMS Support
MPI
New member
Username: Mpi

Post Number: 9
Registered: 09-2011
Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 12:24 pm:   

I finally changed my scripts to load

http://localhost:8800?PhoneNumber=<distribution list>?text=<alert>

This is working very well and we can change distribution members easily.

Dirk

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