Setting Up Outgoing Email in the Truehost Reseller Panel

Why outgoing email configuration matters #

Your reseller panel is a billing and support system, and almost everything it tells your clients arrives by email:

• Invoice notifications
• Payment reminders
• Invoice payment confirmations
• Domain renewal reminders
• Service suspension notices
• Support ticket replies

If outgoing email is not configured correctly, none of these reach your clients. Invoices go unpaid because nobody saw them, renewals lapse without warning, and clients think their support tickets are being ignored.

This guide shows you how to configure the SMTP settings in your billing panel, from collecting your credentials to testing delivery, customising your email templates, and diagnosing problems. You do not need any prior SMTP experience.

Step 1: Prepare your business email and SMTP credentials #

Before you open the panel, gather the details it needs to send mail from your own address, for example, [email protected].

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the technology that lets your panel send email through an external mail server. Your panel does not host your mailbox. It logs in to your mail server and asks it to send each message.

You need five details from your email hosting provider:

Detail	What it is	Example (yours will differ)
SMTP Host	The address of your provider’s mail server	mail.yourbrand.co.ke
SMTP Port	The connection port	587
SMTP Username	The account the panel logs in with, usually the full email address	[email protected]
SMTP Password	The mailbox password	(your mailbox password)
SMTP Encryption	How the connection is protected	TLS (STARTTLS)

The SMTP hostname must come from your email provider. mail.yourbrand.co.ke is only an example, so do not copy it. Look for these details in your email hosting control panel or in your provider’s email configuration guide. Many providers label them “SMTP settings,” “outgoing mail server” or “mail client configuration.”

If your mailbox is hosted by Truehost, check your email hosting control panel or Truehost’s email setup guide for the exact location of these details, and describe it here once verified.

Two ports are common. Use the combination your provider specifies:

Port	Encryption	Purpose
587	TLS (STARTTLS)	Common authenticated email submission connection
465	SSL/TLS	Encrypted email submission connection

Step 2: Connect your mail server to the Truehost Reseller Panel #

Navigation path: Setup → General Settings → Mail Configuration

For reference, the public Truehost article on standard WHMCS gives the path Setup → System Settings → General Settings → Mail tab. Your reseller panel may use either label, so follow the menu you actually see and use the matching names below.

1. Log in to your reseller panel’s admin area.
2. Open the mail settings at the path above.
3. Set Mail Type to SMTP.
4. Tick Enable outgoing emails
5. Fill in the fields in the table below.
6. Save.

Field	What it means	What to enter
System Email Address	The address the panel uses as its system sender and for relevant panel notifications	Your business email address
Email From Name	The sender name recipients see	Your business or billing name
Mail Type	The method used to send outgoing messages	SMTP
Enable outgoing emails	Controls whether the panel sends email at all	Ticked
SMTP Host	The address of the external mail server	Your provider’s SMTP hostname
SMTP Port	The connection port	The port your provider specifies
SMTP Username	The account used to log in to the mail server	Usually the full email address
SMTP Password	The mailbox password	The password set for that mailbox
SMTP Encryption	How the connection is protected	TLS (STARTTLS) or SSL, as your provider specifies

Enable outgoing emails: do not skip this #

If Enable outgoing emails is switched off, the panel sends none of the automated emails your clients depend on. No invoices, no reminders, no ticket replies. This setting is easy to overlook, so check it every time you change your mail settings.

Why choose SMTP instead of PHP Mail? #

PHP Mail asks the web server that runs your panel to send the message itself. That only works well if the server has a properly configured mail system, and messages from such servers are often rejected or marked as spam.

SMTP connects the panel to a mail server you choose, logging in with your mailbox credentials. Your provider sends the message, so it comes from your own domain with your provider’s reputation behind it. That is why SMTP is the recommended choice for a billing panel.

 The brief suggests tying this recommendation to the reseller panel’s Docker environment. Truehost’s public guide does not mention Docker, so do not state that the environment lacks a local mail server unless Truehost confirms it.

Match encryption to the port #

The encryption setting and the port must agree with each other and with your provider’s requirements. As a general rule, port 587 pairs with TLS (STARTTLS) and port 465 pairs with SSL/TLS. A mismatch is one of the most common reasons a connection fails.

Save before you test #

Select the save button and wait for the panel to confirm the settings were stored. Do not move on until you see that confirmation, because the test in the next step uses the saved settings. Reopen the page and check that your values are still there.

Step 3: Send a test email to verify the configuration #

The test email confirms that the panel can log in to your mail server and send a message.

1. Save your mail settings.
2. Find Send Test Email on the same page.

3. Enter or confirm the destination address if the panel asks for one. Use an address you can open, such as a personal mailbox.
4. Send the test message.
5. Open the destination inbox.
6. If the message is missing, check the spam or junk folder.

A received test message proves that your SMTP host, port, encryption, username and password work together. It does not guarantee that every future email reaches every recipient’s inbox. Other mail systems can still filter messages.

If the test fails, check:

• The SMTP hostname, for typing mistakes
• The port
• The encryption setting, matched to the port
• The username, usually the full email address
• The password
• That the mailbox is active
• That your email provider allows SMTP connections from other servers

Fix any test failure before you rely on the panel for real client communications.

Step 4: Configure email authentication to improve deliverability #

Connecting SMTP gets your emails sent. Authentication helps receiving servers trust them. These are DNS records on your domain, and your email provider tells you what to publish.

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lists the mail servers allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to each message, so receiving servers can check that it really came from your domain and was not altered.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM. It tells receiving servers what to do with messages that fail those checks. A monitoring policy such as p=none is a common starting point when it is configured correctly.

What you need to do:

1. Contact your email hosting provider.
2. Ask for the correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records for your domain.
3. Add the records in your domain’s DNS settings if they are not already there.
4. Ask the provider to verify that they are set up correctly.

The exact records depend on your provider, so do not copy values from other websites. Publish only one SPF record per domain, because duplicate SPF records cause failures. Authentication improves trust and deliverability, but it cannot guarantee that a message never lands in spam.

Step 5: Customise your outgoing email templates #

SMTP controls how emails are sent. Email templates control what clients read.

Navigation path : Setup → Email Templates. This also matches the path in Truehost’s public standard-WHMCS article.

Templates you will want to customise include:

• Invoice Created
• Invoice Reminder
• Invoice Payment Confirmation
• Domain Renewal Reminder
• Service Suspension
• Support Ticket Reply

To edit a template:

1. Open Email Templates.
2. Select the language you want to edit.
3. Find the template you need.
4. Select Edit.
5. Change the Subject.
6. Edit the Body (HTML).
7. Select Save Template.

Select the language first. Templates are stored per language, so if you edit the English version, clients whose account language is different will still receive the original text.

Describe these status labels only after checking what each does in your panel. 

Tips for good template content: #

• Use a recognisable business sender name.
• Write clear subject lines, for example “Invoice {invoice_num} from {CompanyName}”.
• Make invoice and payment details easy to find.
• Say what action the client needs to take, such as paying by the due date.
• Keep branding consistent across templates.
• Keep messages short.

Do not remove important transactional details such as the invoice number, amount, due date, or payment instructions.

Step 6: Understand and use email merge fields #

Merge fields are placeholders. When the panel generates an email, it replaces each placeholder with real client or transaction information.

 Standard WHMCS usually writes merge fields with a dollar sign, for example {$client_name}, and Truehost’s public WHMCS article uses that form. Check the exact syntax in your panel’s template editor and use whichever form it shows.

Merge field	Information inserted
{client_name}	Client’s name
{client_email}	Client’s email address
{CompanyName}	Your company name
{invoice_num}	Invoice number
{invoice_total}	Invoice amount
{invoice_due_date}	Invoice due date
{domain}	Domain name
{expiry_date}	Domain expiry date
{reg_date}	Domain registration date
{service_domain}	Associated service domain
{product_name}	Product or service name
{service_username}	Service username
{ticket_id}	Support ticket identifier
{ticket_subject}	Support ticket subject
{ticket_dept}	Support department
{ticket_reply}	Support ticket response

Merge fields depend on context. Invoice fields work in invoice templates, ticket fields in ticket templates, and so on. Use a field only in a template that supports it.

Example: the template and the email the client receives

Template:

Subject: Invoice {invoice_num} from {CompanyName}

Hello {client_name},

Your invoice {invoice_num} for {invoice_total} is due on {invoice_due_date}.

Please pay by that date to avoid any interruption to your services.

Thank you,

{CompanyName}

Generated email:

Subject: Invoice 10452 from Yourbrand Hosting

Hello Chelangat Kalya,

Your invoice 10452 for KES 1,500.00 is due on 20 November 2026.

Please pay by that date to avoid any interruption to your services.

Thank you,

Yourbrand Hosting

A misspelled or unsupported merge field can show up as raw text, such as {invoce_num}, in the email your client receives. After every template change, trigger a real message of that type and read it before you rely on it.

Step 7: Check sent emails using Email Logs #

Navigation path (from the brief): Utilities → System Logs → Email Logs.

 Truehost’s public WHMCS article refers to a different location (Configuration → System Logs) and does not describe an email log viewer, so verify what your panel shows.

Email Logs show what the panel has recorded about messages it sent. Where available, expect columns such as:

• Date and time
• Recipient
• Subject

When a client says they did not get an invoice, reminder or ticket reply:

1. Find the message in Email Logs.
2. Check that the panel recorded it.
3. Confirm the recipient address is correct.
4. Review the subject and the sending time.
5. If the address is right, check your SMTP configuration, then ask the client to check spam or contact their mail provider.

A log entry shows that the panel handed the message to your mail server. It does not prove that the message reached the recipient’s inbox. Treat the log as evidence the panel did its part, not as a delivery receipt.

Step 8: Troubleshoot common outgoing email problems #

Not every email problem comes from SMTP. Some start in the panel, some at your email provider, and some in the recipient’s mail system.

Problem	What to investigate	Recommended action
Send Test Email fails	SMTP connection details	Verify hostname, port, encryption and credentials
SMTP authentication fails	Username and password	Confirm the mailbox credentials and that the mailbox is allowed to use SMTP
Incorrect SMTP connection	Hostname or port	Get the correct connection details from your email provider
Encryption mismatch	Port and encryption combination	Match the settings to your provider’s requirements (for example 587 with TLS, 465 with SSL/TLS)
Mail Type shows “log” instead of SMTP	Mail delivery configuration	Select SMTP and save the settings
Clients receive nothing	Outgoing email setting	Confirm Enable outgoing emails is ticked
Emails arrive in spam	Email authentication and sender reputation	Review SPF, DKIM, DMARC and your sending practices
Template changes do not appear	Template language	Confirm you edited the language the client uses
Merge fields appear in braces	Incorrect or unsupported placeholders	Check the exact spelling and that the template supports the field
Email appears in logs but client reports no delivery	Recipient address or downstream mail handling	Check the address and spam folder, then your email provider’s delivery diagnostics

Outgoing Email Setup Checklist #

• Business email address is ready.
• SMTP credentials have been obtained.
• SMTP settings have been entered and saved.
• SMTP is selected as the Mail Type.
• Enable outgoing emails is ticked.
• Test email has been received.
• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC have been checked.
• Important email templates have been customised.
• Merge fields have been checked.
• Email Logs have been reviewed.

The three checks that matter most: SMTP set up → Test received → Email Logs checked.

Frequently asked questions #

1. Why are my Truehost Reseller Panel emails not sending?

Check three things first: that Enable outgoing emails is ticked, that Mail Type is SMTP (not “log”), and that your SMTP host, port, encryption, username and password are correct. Then send a test email to see whether the connection works.

2. What SMTP port should I use? #

Use the port your email provider specifies. The common choices are 587 with TLS (STARTTLS) and 465 with SSL/TLS.

3. What is the difference between SMTP and PHP Mail? #

SMTP sends through a mail server you choose, logging in with your mailbox credentials. PHP Mail relies on the web server’s own mail setup, which is often unreliable and more likely to be marked as spam.

4. Why do my outgoing emails land in spam? #

Usually because the domain lacks proper SPF, DKIM or DMARC records, or because of the sender’s reputation. Ask your email provider for the correct records and check that they are published.

5. How do I change the sender email address? #

Change the System Email Address and Email From Name in your mail settings, and update the SMTP username and password if the new address is a different mailbox. Save, then send a test email.

6. How do I customise invoice email templates? #

Open Email Templates, choose the language, select the invoice template, then edit the Subject and Body (HTML) and save the template. Test the result with a real invoice.

7. What are email merge fields? #

Placeholders such as {client_name} or {invoice_num} that the panel replaces with real information when it sends each email.

8. Where can I check emails sent by my reseller panel? #

In Email Logs5. Remember that a log entry shows the panel sent the message, not that it was delivered.