🚀 Email Service Setup Guide for GISQO System

Choose one of these services to enable email notifications without server restrictions:

🔗 Option 1: Zapier EASIEST RECOMMENDED

✅ Pros:

  • Free tier: 100 tasks/month
  • Very easy to set up
  • Reliable delivery
  • No coding required
  • Works with Gmail, Outlook, etc.

❌ Cons:

  • Limited to 100 emails/month on free plan
  • Requires Zapier account

Step 1: Create Zapier Account

1. Go to https://zapier.com

2. Click "Sign up for free"

3. Use your email (breezytestmail@gmail.com) to create account

4. Verify your email address

Step 2: Create New Zap

1. Click "Create Zap" button

2. In the trigger section, search for "Webhooks by Zapier"

3. Select "Catch Hook" as the trigger event

4. Click "Continue"

Step 3: Set Up Webhook

1. Zapier will show you a webhook URL like:

https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/

2. COPY THIS URL - YOU'LL NEED IT LATER!

3. Click "Continue"

4. Click "Skip test" for now

Step 4: Set Up Email Action

1. In the action section, search for "Gmail" (or your preferred email service)

2. Select "Send Email" as the action

3. Connect your Gmail account (breezytestmail@gmail.com)

4. Authorize Zapier to access your Gmail

Step 5: Configure Email Template

Set up the email fields using webhook data:

  • To: Select "to" from webhook data
  • Subject: Select "subject" from webhook data
  • Body: Select "message" from webhook data
  • From Name: GISQO System

Step 6: Test and Activate

1. Click "Test action" to send a test email

2. Check your email to confirm it works

3. Click "Publish Zap" to activate it

4. Name your Zap: "GISQO Leave Notifications"

Step 7: Update Your Code

1. Open the file: includes/webhook_email.php

2. Find this line:

'zapier' => 'https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/YOUR_ZAPIER_HOOK_ID/',

3. Replace YOUR_ZAPIER_HOOK_ID with your actual webhook URL

4. Save the file

🔗 Option 2: Make.com MEDIUM

✅ Pros:

  • Free tier: 1,000 operations/month
  • More powerful than Zapier
  • Better for complex workflows
  • Visual workflow builder

❌ Cons:

  • Slightly more complex setup
  • Learning curve for beginners

Step 1: Create Make.com Account

1. Go to https://make.com

2. Click "Get started free"

3. Sign up with your email

4. Verify your account

Step 2: Create New Scenario

1. Click "Create a new scenario"

2. Search for "Webhooks" and select it

3. Choose "Custom webhook"

4. Click "Add" to add the webhook module

Step 3: Configure Webhook

1. Click on the webhook module

2. Click "Add" to create a new webhook

3. Give it a name: "GISQO Email Webhook"

4. Copy the webhook URL that appears

https://hook.eu1.make.com/abc123def456

Step 4: Add Email Module

1. Click the "+" button after the webhook

2. Search for "Gmail" (or your email service)

3. Select "Send an Email"

4. Connect your Gmail account

Step 5: Map Email Fields

Configure the email using webhook data:

  • To: Map to webhook "to" field
  • Subject: Map to webhook "subject" field
  • Content: Map to webhook "message" field
  • Content Type: HTML

Step 6: Test and Activate

1. Click "Run once" to test

2. Send a test webhook to verify

3. Turn on the scenario (toggle switch)

4. Update your webhook URL in the code

📧 Option 3: EmailJS EASY

✅ Pros:

  • Free tier: 200 emails/month
  • Direct email service
  • No webhook needed
  • Good documentation

❌ Cons:

  • Requires API keys in code
  • Lower free tier limit
  • More technical setup

Step 1: Create EmailJS Account

1. Go to https://emailjs.com

2. Click "Sign Up"

3. Create account with your email

4. Verify your email address

Step 2: Add Email Service

1. Go to "Email Services" in dashboard

2. Click "Add New Service"

3. Choose "Gmail" (or your provider)

4. Connect your Gmail account (breezytestmail@gmail.com)

5. Note the Service ID (e.g., "service_abc123")

Step 3: Create Email Template

1. Go to "Email Templates"

2. Click "Create New Template"

3. Set up template with these variables:

Subject: {{subject}} To: {{to_email}} Message: {{message}} From: GISQO System

4. Note the Template ID (e.g., "template_xyz789")

Step 4: Get API Keys

1. Go to "Account" → "General"

2. Copy your Public Key

3. Copy your Service ID

4. Copy your Template ID

Step 5: Update Code

1. Open includes/webhook_email.php

2. Find the EmailJS function

3. Update with your credentials:

$service_id = 'your_service_id'; $template_id = 'your_template_id'; $public_key = 'your_public_key';

🧪 Testing Your Setup

Test Script

After setting up any service, test it by visiting:

http://clock.gisqo.com/test_webhook_email.php

This will send a test email to verify your setup works.

Real Test

1. Submit a leave request from employee dashboard

2. Check breezytestmail@gmail.com for notification

3. Check the notifications table in database as backup

🎉 Recommendation

Start with Zapier - it's the easiest to set up and most reliable. You can always switch to other services later if needed.

The system will automatically try multiple methods, so even if one fails, others will work as backup.

⚠️ Important Notes