How to Setup Notifications in Total Upkeep

Setting up Notifications

The Total Upkeep WordPress Backup plugin provides an option to send notifications through email. Notifications can be sent for completion of WordPress backups and for restorations. The following tutorial will show you how to set up the option in the Total Upkeep Settings.

1. Login to the WordPress Dashboard
2. Scroll down to the Total Upkeep menu
3. Select Settings. You will then see the Total Upkeep and Restore Settings. Click on Notifications.
4. Here you can set the email address where the notification will be sent. Click in the box to set the email as needed.
5. By default, the options for sending an email for completed backup or restore are selected. Click on the box to select or de-select the options.
6. Click on the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page in order to save any changes.

Congratulations, you have now set up backup notifications.

You can now set the option to have an email sent whenever a backup or restoration is completed by the Total Upkeep plugin. Check out the screenshot below to see an example of the email that is sent:

Authorizing Total Upkeep Email Notifications

Email Format used by the Total Upkeep Notification

The Total Upkeep plugin uses the following format for its notification emails:

`$headers = 'From: ' . $site_title . '<' . $admin_email . '>' . "\r\n" . 'X-Mailer: PHP/' 
. phpversion() . "\r\n";

$status = wp_mail( $admin_email, $subject, $body, $headers );`

The email notification does pass the admin email as the “From” address.

Recommendations for Using SMTP Notification

Though the phpMail option for sending notifications does work, it unfortunately was made before security issues were as much of a concern as they are at this time. Most mail servers now require SMTP authentication in order for mail to be properly delivered. If you configure SMTP authentication on your WordPress site, then there is a much better chance that the email notifications will not be blocked.  Here are a few plugins that you can apply to WordPress in order to use SMTP authentication:

• WP Mail SMTP by WPForms
• My SMTP WP
• SMTP Mailer

You now have enough information to help prevent your Total Upkeep notifications from being blocked due to lack of authentication.