The Sending the Emails dialog box is divided into two tabs. Enter the necessary information in order to send emails from PDS.

Email Message

This tab contains your message information.

From

Defaults to the name of your organization from the License window, but you can edit this field if needed.

From Email Address and Reply Email Address

Both fields default to the email address entered in the License window. If it's not listed in your License window, you can enter it here.

• The From Email Address displays where the message is being sent from.
  Note: OnDemand users: By default, our OnDemand server is used to send messages from PDS. The From Email Address will display as notifications@ondemandmail.com. If you want to change this to an email address your parishioners are more familiar with, you can set up your own email server. For steps, see Email and Text Setup.
• The Reply Email Address determines where any replies to the original email will be sent. This may be different than the From Email Address. If you want replies to go to a different address or multiple addresses, make sure to enter them in this field (separated by a comma if there is more than one).
• For example, Father Jacob wants to send an email to parishioners, but he wants all replies to go to his assistant. In that case, you would enter Father Jacob's email as the From Email Address and the assistant's email as the Reply Email Address.

Subject Line

Defaults to "Letter from <your organization name>" as entered in the License window, but you can edit this field if needed.

Other File Attachments

Click Add File and browse to the location of any file you want to send with the email.

Type of Email

You can send the following types of email. Select an option based on your needs and preferences.

• Email as images—Send the text as an HTML email. This works with most email programs and keeps most of the format of the printed letters or statements. It doesn't require the recipient to have Adobe® Reader to view the image.
• Email as Text—Send the text of the letter without using an attachment. The formatting of this email doesn't look exactly like the letters or statements you send out in the mail. Most notably, it doesn't include pictures or bitmaps, which means digital letterheads, logos, and signatures don't display. While this option can be received by most email programs, it produces a visually simple email.
• Email as HTML—Send as an HTML email. This works with most email programs, but may look different on certain devices like phones. It doesn't require the recipient to have Adobe® Reader.
• Email as PDF document attachment—Send a brief note in an email with an attachment that can be viewed and printed with Adobe® Reader. This produces an email attachment that looks exactly like the letters or statements you printed. However, the recipient must have Adobe® Reader to view it.
  • If you select to email the statement or letter as an attachment, click the Graphics Resolution drop-down list to select the resolution. The resolution only affects images contained within the PDF. With a higher resolution, the images are clearer. However, the file size increases and takes more time and bandwidth to email.
  • The Email Body field defaults to a message indicating your organization name and explains that the attachment should be viewed with Adobe® Reader. It also includes a link to download the reader if the person does not already have it. You can edit this message.
  • To allow recipients the option to view the email without having to open attachments, select Include a Plain Text version of the letter in the Email Body.
    Note: This feature is only available in PDS Version 11. For more on upgrading, see Upgrade to the Latest Version.
• Send PDF to Parish Life with a notification email to the head of household/member—Upload a PDF copy of the letter or statement to each person's Parish Life profile, and email the family (via the head of household) or member. Only the individual who is logged in can view/print their documents on their profile. Documents sent to the "family" are only visible on the profile of the head of household.

Preview

View the letter to be emailed. The email itself might look different depending on your email format settings.

Start Email

Email the letters to all the selected contacts.

Email Server Setup

This tab has technical information for connecting to your email server. Obtain these settings from your system administrator or Internet provider.

Use an Email Server Password or Gmail App Password

Select this option if you have an email server that you want to send PDS emails from. Enter the information for your account.

• Email Server (SMTP): SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Obtain these settings from your Internet provider's website or system administrator. For Gmail, the SMTP server address is "smtp.gmail.com".
• Email Server Port: The default setting is 25. Obtain this setting from your Internet provider or system administrator. For Gmail, the server port is "587".
• Server Requires Authentication: Most servers require authentication. Enter your email account name and password. If you're using a Gmail account, you must set up an App Password.
• Select Use TLS (GMail) or Use SSL (AT&T) if you use one of those.

Tip: If you have a Gmail account, we recommend using the PDS Email app option instead.

Use the PDS Email app - Gmail OAuth 2.0 API Method

Select this option if you have a Gmail account that you want to send PDS emails from. This method is more secure and recommended by Google. To use this method, you must authorize access to a Gmail account.

For the best results using this method, you should also select the Simple Email option under "Sending Emails from a Record".

Server Limits Emails

Select if your server restricts the number or size of incoming and outgoing email messages.

Note: If you use Gmail to send emails from PDS: Google limits the number of messages and the number of recipients per message you can send through the Gmail SMTP servers. See this Gmail article for details. If you exceed the limit, you may see an error in PDS when attempting to send the emails, such as "Transmission Failed. Error: 4.3.0 Temporary System Problem". If this happens, you can try sending emails in smaller batches over multiple days, as permitted by your Google settings.

If an Error Occurs, Delay 30 Seconds and Retry Once

If your email server experiences an error, you can request that the PDS program try to resend after a 30-second delay.

Disconnect and Reconnect After Every Email

Select if you want your server to disconnect and reconnect after sending each email.

Preview

View the letter to be emailed. The email itself might look different depending on your email format settings.

Start Email

Email the letters to all the selected contacts.