Contents

  1. About

  4. Install

  7. Credits

  2. Requirements

  5. User Settings

  8. History

  3. Features

  6. Contact Us

 

 

1. ABOUT

 

POPMail is a free web based PHP email program using your web browser to send email messages to a SMTP server and to check your email from a POP3 server. See paragraphs 2 and 3 below for requirements and features of POPMail, respectively.

 

The developer, Roel Beukelaers, had originally started this project in 2002 to receive emails from a website, hence the original program name POPMail. Because Roel didn't find a program that fitted his needs, he started to write his own PHP email program. In December 2002, Gerhard Steinbeis joined Roel and stayed onboard, contributed immensely with project development and became an active support team member and developer.

 

The goal of the POPMail program is to provide a fast and a user friendly webmail program where the server and the client requirements are maintained as low as possible through constant developing and the updating process.


Other considerations incorporated into POPMail solve potential compatibility problems when using different browsers and web servers. The web browser requirements are kept as low as possible without the user needing any additional tools or plug-in's for the browser to work with POPMail. Development has tried to avoid using javascript and java applets. The amount of images used is kept to a minimum to greatly improve the speed of POPMail.

 

Resource Specifications

Developer:

Roel Beukelaers

Database Support:

None

Company:

Tinned-Software

Platform:

Unix, Windows

Website 1:

http://www.tinned-software.net

Program:

POPMail

Website 2:

http://www.tinned-mail.net

Version:

2.4.RC2

License:

GPL (GNU Public License)

Category:

Email POP/SMTP

Programming Language:

PHP 4.0 or higher for compatibility

Cost:

Free

Tinned-Mail Forum: http://forum.tinned-mail.net

 

POPMail is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

 

POPMail is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of

MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details.

 

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with POPMail; if not, write to the Free Software

Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307 USA

 

 

2. REQUIREMENTS

 

  • Web Server with PHP 4.3.4 or higher installed.

(version 4.0.1 is the minimum but POPMail has not been tested on versions prior to 4.0.4).

  • Minimum PHP memory limit must be 16MB.
  • Web Server must allow outgoing connections to the SMTP server to send the emails.
  • Web Server must support sessions.
  • Read Permission on POPMail Configuration Files.
  • Read & Write Permission on POPMail userdata Directory & its Files.
  • Web browser must have cookies enabled.

 

!!!Attention!!!
If you install PHP, default all required packages are installed together. However this is not always the case. So if you're having problems with POPMail, check that the following packages are also included in the PHP installation:

  • Support Perl Compatible Regular Expression (PCRE) library.
  • Support Session.

 

For more information about the PHP installation, please consult the PHP official website at:  http://www.php.net

 

3. FEATURES

 

  • Send Emails with Multiple TOs, CCs and BCCs recipients.
  • Works on Unix and Windows.
  • Word Wrap.
  • Read Emails from a POP3 Server.
  • View Text and HTML Emails.
  • Download Attachments.
  • Send Emails through a SMTP Server.
  • SMTP Authentication (LOGIN & PLAIN).
  • Support Multiple Attachments (javascript is used).
  • Request Read Requests.
  • Request Receive Notifications.
  • Send Emails to a Group.
  • Create Personal Folder to Store Emails.
  • Maintain an Encrypted Address Book.
  • Support  Multiple Users.
  • Support Personal Settings.
  • Set Message Priority.
  • Changeable Text Message Box Size.
  • Hide POP3 Server Information on Logon Page.
  • Add new Email address to the address book from within a received email.
  • Sorting of emails based on date and time zone.
  • Auto Fill in of BCC Field when Composing New Email.
  • Support Multiple Languages:

    Bulgarian / Dutch / Eesti / English / French / German / Greek / Hungarian /

    Italian / Portuguese / Russian / Spanish / Swedish / Traditional Chinese /

 

4. INSTALL

 

1.  Unzip popmail.zip to a temporary folder (e.g. c:\popmail).

2.  Open config-mail.php with your favorite text editor.

 

User Configuration of:  config-mail.php

Variable

Remarks

$languageFile: 

Available user languages are:  Bulgarian / Dutch / Eesti / English (default) / French / German / Greek / Hungarian / Italian / Portuguese / Russian / Spanish / Swedish / Traditional Chinese /

$stylesheet:

Available system display styles are:  standard (default) / lightblue / lightgreen / yellow

$logout: 

Timer in seconds to automatically log you out, counting down since logon.

$MsglistDelay: 

Allows message list to be fully created before displaying that list.

$ListMessages: 

Allows long or short display of message list.

$fixedServer: 

Name or IP of your single fixed POP3 incoming mail server.

$changeableServer: 

Changes incoming POP3 mail server to a different server at login.

$hideServer: 

Hides POP3 server name & server port on login page.

$fixedServerPort: 

POP3 Port for incoming mail server.

$msg_rows & $msg_cols:

Control the size of message text field in rows and columns for composing the message body.

$fixedSender:

User’s full name & email address for POP3 incoming mail server.

$fixedUser: 

POP3 logon name for incoming mail server.

$changeableSender: 

Users can modify the FROM-field when composing a message.

$useSMTPauth:

Allows authenticated username & password for logging into a SMTP server that requires authentication.

$signature: 

Automatically adds a personalized signature line to end of all the outgoing messages.

$footer: 

Automatically adds a footer line to each outgoing message.

$addressbook: 

Stores your email addresses in an encrypted text file addressbook.

$encrypter: 

An encryption key used to encrypt each email address stored in the addressbook.

(Detailed information is included line by line in the config-mail.php file.)

 

Note: Many servers of today will not allow using CHMOD 777 for reasons of security!

 

3.  Create the folder “popmail” on your server & CHMOD to 755 (e.g. http://your.domain.com/popmail)

4.  Upload all files and subfolders to your server into the folder “popmail”.

5.  CHMOD the file "address.txt" (the one you defined at address book in config-mail.php) to 755.

6.  Create the folder "userdata" & CHMOD the folder "userdata" to 755.

7.  Go to your browser and type the URL to point to index.php (e.g. http://your.domain.com/popmail/index.php).

8.  Login with your POP3 username and password.

9.  Go to the Preferences (Pref) page in the main menu after you log in and enter your SMTP outgoing mail server information.   

     If nothing is filled in, then the default POP3 server will be used as SMTP server.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. USER SETTINGS

 

 

 

 

Login

 

 

Login Label

Login Condition

Login Solution (config-mail.php)

E-Mail Address:

Displays address for single POP3 user account for incoming mail server

$fixedSender = "Your Name <user@mydomain.com>";

Server:

Hides POP3 incoming mail server name or IP on login screen

$hideServer = 1;

Port:

Hides POP3 incoming mail server port number on login screen

$hideServer = 1;

Username:

Displays single POP3 username for incoming mail server

$fixedUser = " user@mydomain.com ";

Password:

Enter  POP3 incoming mail server password manually

-

 

 

 

 

Logout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inbox

 

 

Inbox

Functions

Buttons

 

Inbox:

New:

AddrBook:

Help:

Pref:

Logout:

 

Select all:

Deselect all:

Delete:

Main Menu

Home page for POPMail Main Menu

Compose a new email to send out

Storage location of your email addresses which have been encrypted for security reasons

Displays online basic help file for general info about POPMail

Displays specific preferences which may be modified by the user online or in config-mail.php

Terminates POPMail manually

Message Delete

Selects all email messages

Deselect all email messages that were selected

Invokes permanent deletion of the selected email messages

Folders

copy to:

move to:

Test:

Backup:

OK:

Copy selected emails to a specific folder for storage

Move selected emails to a specific folder for storage

Specific email storage folder name goes here – the Test folder is an example (top left corner of Inbox under Folder)

Specific email storage folder name goes here – the Backup folder is an example (top left corner of Inbox under Folder)

Invokes the copy to or move to command for a selected storage folder

Column Headings

Subject:

Address:

Date:

Size:

Displays subject of incoming email messages

Displays sender’s address of incoming email messages

Displays date of email receipt

Displays size of incoming email messages in Kilo Bytes (KB)

Indicators

10.06.08

10:45:22

00:33:18

Displays current date in format DD.MM.YY (top left corner of Inbox)

Displays current local time in format HH:MM:SS (top left corner of Inbox)

Displays time left before automatic log off in format HH:MM:SS (bottom left corner of Inbox)

 

 

 

 

 

 

New

 

 

New

Functions

Row Titles

 

To:

CC:

BCC:

From:

Priority:

Options:

 

 

Attachment:

Subject:

Message:

 

To:

CC:

BCC:

Manual Entries

Assigns recipient’s email address to the composed email to whom the email is being sent

Assigns Carbon Copy (CC) address to the composed email being sent to recipient(s)

Assigns Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) address to the composed email being sent to recipient(s)

Assigns Sender’s email address to the composed email

Selects Send Priority of the composed email – Ranges are:  Highest / High / Normal / Low / Lowest – Default is Normal

Read Notification – Requests notification that the composed email has been read by the recipient

Receive Notification – Requests notification that the composed email was received by the recipient (remote server must support)

Save message to – Saves a copy of the composed email to a specified storage folder before user sends email to the recipient

Browses local computer to locate file that will be attached to the composed email

Assigns the subject to the composed email

Displays the message body of the email as it is being composed in real-time

Group Contacts

Automatically enters contact’s saved email address or Group name into the To-field (right hand side of New)

Automatically enters contact’s saved email address or Group name into the CC-field (right hand side of New)

Automatically enters contact’s saved email address or Group name into the BCC-field (right hand side of New)

Buttons

Send:

Clear:

Invokes sending of composed email to recipient(s)

Resets displayed email composing form to a cleared blank default state

 

 

 

 

AddrBook

 

 

AddrBook

Functions

Group Actions

 

Group:

Add:

Clear:

 

Name:

E-mail:

Group:

Add:

Clear:

 

Delete:

Name:

E-mail:

Group:

Edit:

Remove:

Sort:

 

Delete:

Group:

Edit:

Remove:

Add Group

Assigns a new Group category for use in the user address book

Invokes addition of a new Group category for storing incoming contact info within the user address book

Resets displayed Add Group form to a clear blank default state

Add Incoming Contact Info to Group

Displays Name associated with incoming contact info

Displays E-mail address associated with incoming contact info

Assigns incoming contact info to a previously created Group category (i.e., Friends, Family, Business) in the user address book

Invokes addition of the selected incoming contact info into the user address book

Resets displayed Incoming Contact Info form to a cleared blank default state

Remove/Sort/Edit Email Contact Info within a Group

Displays selected email contact info within a Group check marked for deletion

Displays Name assigned by user to incoming contact info

Displays E-mail address assigned by user to incoming contact info

Displays the Group name assigned by user for similar emails

Edits selected incoming contact info

Invokes permanent removal of selected incoming contact info within a Group

Sorts name of incoming contact info in alpha descending order within each assigned Group

Remove/Edit Name of Groups

Displays selected Group name(s) check marked for deletion

Displays user assigned Group name

Edits selected Group name

Invokes permanent removal of selected Group name(s)

 

Help

The basic online help file is called README.html and can be called by clicking the Help button under Inbox Main Menu.  The contents of the basic help file are already part of this global document, only the content listing has been renumbered.

 

Pref

 

Pref Label

Pref Condition

Pref Solution (config-mail.php)

Language:

Selects Language for system displays

$languageFile = "english";

Style:

Selects Stylesheet for system displays

$stylesheet = "standard";

Log out:

Assigns time in seconds to automatically log you out of POPMail

$logout = "2000";

Msg List:

Selects number of messages to be displayed at once in Message list

$ListMessages = "0";

Subject Length:

Assigns number of characters displayed in the subject-field

No entry provided

SMTP Server:

Assigns SMTP name or IP address for outgoing mail server

No entry provided

Signature:

Creates Signature block at end of message

$signature = "";

Folder(s):

Creates new Folder(s) for storing incoming emails (i.e., Test,Backup). Each folder must be on a separate line and should not contain spaces.

No entry provided

Auto BCC:

E-mail address that will be automatically used in the BCC field when composing new messages

No entry provided

Save:

Invokes saving of user defined Preferences

Not Applicable

 

6. CONTACT US

 

Normal POPMail Users

 

Bug Reporting

If you have found a bug, please send us a detailed description about the bug,

including the version of POPMail used and attach any log file to:

    bugreport@tinned-software.net

or you can use the bug report form at our website at:

    http://www.tinned-software.net/tinned-mail/index.php?ps=contact

 

Information

If you have suggestions, remarks, questions or comments, you can always contact us via e-mail at:

    info@tinned-software.net

or you can use the information form at our website at:

    http://www.tinned-software.net/tinned-mail/index.php?ps=contact

 

 

Registered Support Team

 

Development Support

We are looking for beta volunteers to help us in all support tasks during the development of the program.  We are not especially looking for new developers, but if you are familiar with PHP, we would ask you to code some small portions of the Tinned-Mail scripts.  List of tasks needed to be accomplished:

  • GUI Design
  • Maintenance of the Tinned-Mail forum
  • Gathering Technical Documentation and Descriptions of all Kinds (e.g. protocols)
  • Testing (and maybe even bug correction)
  • Writing User Manuals

 

If you want to actively assist the Tinned-Mail effort and become a support team member, please contact us at:

    team@tinned-mail.net

 

You may register on-line at:

    http://www.tinned-software.net/tinned-mail/index.php?p=login

 

This area is reserved for registered members and provides additional information about beta versions, test of updated versions of POPMail, translate the program to other languages and state problems or wishes for future versions.

 

POPMail users who do not wish to be a registered member may contact us normally as indicated under the heading of Normal POPMail Users above. 

 

 

 

7. CREDITS

 

POPMail Translators

Bulgarian:

Stanoev Stanislav

Hungarian:

Tiszberger Levente

Dutch:

Roel Beukelaers

Italian:

Ostorero Renato

Eesti:

Astrik Marek

Portuguese:

Taboada Joao

English:

Roel Beukelaers & Gerhard Steinbeis

Russian:

Unknown

French:

Renaud Devaliere

Spanish:

Léon Iván

German:

Gerhard Steinbeis

Swedish:

Johan Sandberg

Greek:

Mandalianos Iraklis

Traditional Chinese:

Kevin Wong

 

 

Support Team Members

Team Members

Ctry

Support

Frank Robbins

US

Help Files, Proofing, Testing, Coding.

Gerhard Steinbeis

AT

Developer.

James Joyce

AU

Testing, Coding.

Josh Davidson

US

Forum administrator, Testing, Coding.

Roel Beukelaers

BE

Developer.

avestica

AT

Testing, Coding.

Your name could be here too!

 

 

8. HISTORY

 

March 2008

 

Between 2004 and today a lot of things happened.


First of all we started redesigning the entire program. We made some first tries but each time we had to stop because of other (un)planned activities and jobs that take a lot of our spare time. And getting started again is the most difficult part.


As you might have noticed, we found a new name for the new version: Tinned-Mail. The name is based on Tinned-Software, the name of our "company". We choose Tinned because we try to put as much features into a small program. And a new name also needs a new website and a logo. I would like to thank Gerhard for creating this nice logo.


In the mean time, we continued releasing new versions of POPMail. Most of these releases did not contain new features but only bugfixes. We decided not to implement new stuff but wait for the new reworked version.

 

 

 

 

July 2004

 

Last summer, July 2004, we decided to rewrite the whole program because implementation of new features was too hard. And so we are now working on a new future for POPMail. As a result of this, the name POPMail will be abandoned and a new name is going to be introduced, a name that suits more to the new program and its possibilities. This new name will be announced, together with the release of the new version. The project name for all these changes, is POPMail 3.0, call it a tribute to POPMail.

 

December 2002

 

In December 2002, a person helped me with a problem of attachments. After a few e-mails we decided to work together on POPMail. Ever since we have been solving bugs and implementing some great features that even popular programs don't have (encryption, user-dependant settings, personal addressbook, ...).

 

August 2002

 

The time is now August 2002 and the first release was a fact. It took some time before people started finding my program but very soon I got requests for new features which I implemented with great pleasure. And with these new features, bugs came along. Many thanks to all those people that reported bugs in the very early days of POPMail.

 

June 2002

 

The story of POPMail starts in the summer of 2002. I was looking for a PHP program to check my e-mails for a website from any location in the world, instead of using Outlook Express. I tried a few programs but it was too difficult to install, or it didn't work or I should have my own SMTP server. So the only solution was to write my own one. Looking at other programs I learned the basic of POP3 communication and after long days and weeks of programming, I had a program that fitted my needs at that time.


It was a simple program with very low requirements and I wanted to share it with the rest of the world and thus I created a website for it. But I needed a name for the program: POPMail was born. POP because the program checked a POP3 server and I think that the Mail does not need to be explained.


END