EMAIL_SETUP.md

Email Configuration Setup

Overview

This document explains how to set up email functionality for the SheShield application after cloning the repository. The email credentials have been removed from the codebase for security reasons.

Setup Instructions

1. Navigate to the config directory
2. Copy the email_config.example.php file to create a new file named email_config.php:

   cp config/email_config.example.php config/email_config.php
   

3. Open the newly created email_config.php file in your preferred editor
4. Fill in your SMTP credentials:
   • SMTP_HOST: Your SMTP server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
   • SMTP_USERNAME: Your email address
   • SMTP_PASSWORD: Your email password or app password
   • SMTP_PORT: SMTP port (typically 465 for SSL or 587 for TLS)
   • SMTP_ENCRYPTION: Use 'ssl' or 'tls' based on your SMTP server requirements
   • DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL: The email address that will appear as the sender
   • DEFAULT_FROM_NAME: The name that will appear as the sender

Using Gmail

If you're using Gmail, you'll need to:

1. Enable 2-Factor Authentication on your Google account
2. Generate an App Password specifically for this application
3. Use that App Password instead of your regular Gmail password

Security Note

The email_config.php file is included in .gitignore to prevent accidentally committing your credentials to the repository. Never commit files containing sensitive information like passwords or API keys.