Setup IMAP fetching (email to ticket)
IMAP is not enabled by default in PHP. Check with your hosting company if PHP IMAP functions are installed and enabled on your server.
HESK 2.7+ supports IMAP fetching - converting emails from an email account into tickets via IMAP protocol.
» Setting up IMAP fetching:
-
Decide which email address you wish to use for support. Preferably this should be a new (unused) email account, such as support@yoursite.com and have a valid IMAP account (check with your email provider if not sure).
-
Send a test email to your support email address (support@yoursite.com). Do not read it!
-
On Linux servers, CHMOD file inc/mail/hesk_imap.php to 755 (rwxr-xr-x).
-
Enable IMAP fetching in HESK Settings (Admin panel > Settings > Email tab > IMAP Fetching: ON).
Enter your email account details in the fields that appear then click the Test IMAP Connection button.
If you receive an Error message double-check your settings and make sure they are 100% correct. Do not continue with next steps until the test succeeds.
If you receive a Success message click the Save changes button at the bottom.
-
Open hesk_imap.php file in your browser, for example:
https://yoursite.com/hesk/inc/mail/hesk_imap.phpIf you have URL Access Key set in Admin panel > Settings > Help desk > Security > URL Access Key (which you should), you will need to append ?key=XXXXXXXXX to hesk_imap.php to access it via an URL address:
https://example.com/hesk/inc/mail/hesk_imap.php?key=XXXXXXXXX
-
Check your HESK admin panel - was a new ticket created?
» YES, ticket created:
Go back to HESK Settings and set the "From:" email setting on Email tab to the email address you use for IMAP fetching (support@yoursite.com). This will allow your customers to reply to tickets via email as well.
» NO, ticket not created:
- wait a few minutes then try again
- still nothing? Try the HESK Support forum
-
To automatically convert emails to tickets you will need to setup a CRON job (scheduled task) to run the hesk_imap.php script for example every 5 minutes. Most hosting companies support CRON jobs, please check your hosting control panel or contact your host.
Hesk Cloud users please contact us, and we will enable the cron job for your help desk.
Alternatively, you may use a third party remote CRON service to call the hesk_imap.php file for you.
Note: HESK will detect identical emails as an Email loop and ignore them. When testing IMAP/POP3 fetching or Email piping make sure that each of your test email messages is unique.
Security tip: you should have an URL Access Key set in Admin panel > Settings > Help desk > Security > URL Access Key. This will prevent anyone unauthorized from running your fetching script.
