Email Piping with Google Apps

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If you use Google's hosted email services such as Google Apps or Gmail, but would like to take advantage of Trellis Desk's email piping functionality, then follow the instructions below.

This functionality, in true Google fashion, is still in beta.™ Don't blame us if your server blows up or something.

Contents

Instructions

Step 1: Download and upload

First, download a package containing a special version of the pop3.php file. You'll need to unzip the package using the built-in Windows or Mac extraction functionality, or with products like 7-Zip or StuffIt Expander. Then, with your favorite FTP client, upload the pop3.php file to the Trellis Desk "sources" folder on your web server -- overwriting the existing copy in the process.

Step 2: Set file permissions

Set permissions (CHMOD) for the updated pop3.php file to 0755 (rwxr-xr-x). Your FTP client should have this capability. Do not skip this step!

Step 3: Configure your email account

Login to the Google Apps or Gmail account you wish to setup for Trellis Desk. Click on "Settings" in the top right corner of the Google Apps / Gmail screen. Then, click on the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" section of the Settings panel. From there, you need to enable POP for your email account.

Step 4: Configure your Trellis Desk department

In your Trellis Desk Administration Control Panel, go to the "Management" section, then click "Manage Departments". Click the blue "Edit" capsule button next to the department you want emails to be piped into. Setup the following configuration options:

  • Enable POP3 Checking: Yes
  • Mail Server Address: pop.gmail.com
  • Username: *your full Google Apps / Gmail email address* (ex.: support@yourdomain.com)
  • Password: *the password to the email address you entered above*

Step 5: Setup a cron job

Setup a cron job to run your sources/pop3.php file at a desired interval (i.e. every 5 minutes). Every time this script is executed, Trellis Desk will retrieve new emails from your Google Apps/Gmail account. You should be able to setup a cron job from your site control panel, such as cPanel. Depending upon your server configuration and the location of your sources/pop3.php file, your cron job may look like this: 

/usr/bin/php -q /home/mywebsite/public_html/trellis/sources/pop3.php

Or this: 

php -q /home/mywebsite/public_html/trellis/sources/pop3.php

We invite you to share your results over on our company forums.

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