Step 2 – Set up an Account in fmSMS
Once you have created an Account with an SMS Gateway you then need to create a corresponding account within fmSMS so it knows which SMS Gateway to send the messages to and what username/password to use when sending.
Click on the ACCOUNTS button at the top of the screen to view any existing fmSMS accounts (this will be empty for new users). Click the New Account button on the toolbar and enter the details for your account with the SMS Gateway as follows:
Account ID: fmSMS automatically generates a unique Account ID value for each Account record – you can ignore this
Name: enter a name to describe this account (e.g. “Twilio USA Number Account”)
Gateway: select the SMS Gateway from the list
Username: follow the prompts in the Gateway Notes field which will instruct you what to enter here. This is different for each Gateway.
Password: follow the prompts in the Gateway Notes field which will instruct you what to enter here (can be left blank for some Gateways). This is different for each Gateway.
Gateway Notes: some SMS Gateway’s require additional information to be entered for the Account into the Custom Text 1, Custom Text 2 and Custom Text 3 fields. Follow the instructions (if any) in the Gateway Notes field.
Custom Text 1: if instructed in the Gateway Notes field enter the required information
Custom Text 2: if instructed in the Gateway Notes field enter the required information
Custom Text 3: if instructed in the Gateway Notes field enter the required information
Sender ID: this sets the default Sender ID for any new Messages created for this Account (the default is “Sender Mobile”). See the FAQ page for more details on the Sender ID options.
Alphanumeric Sender ID: if your SMS Gateway supports Alphanumeric Sender IDs and you wish to to send messages with an Alphanumeric Sender ID enter the Alphanumeric Sender ID here: these are usually between 3 and 11 characters, e.g. “Databuzz”, and can contain only numbers and the letters a to z.
Default Account: this indicates whether this Account is the default Account to be used for any new messages (click the Set as Default button at the top of the screen to make this the default Account).
Proxy Settings: if your network connection requires you to use a proxy server enter the Proxy Server details here.
Your Account screen should look like this when completed:
At the top of the Account details screen are 3 buttons:
Set as Default: if you would like to make this the default Account for every new outgoing Message click the Set as Default button at the top of the screen (this will save you having to select the Account to use when creating new Messages). If you will only be using one SMS Gateway with fmSMS you should click this button.
Check Credits: click this button to check the current balance of your account with the associated SMS Gateway (not all SMS Gateways support this feature – you will be alerted if this is the case when you click this button). This is also a good way to ensure you have entered the correct account credentials. When you click this button you should see something like this:
If the Check Credits button isn't visible that means your selected SMS Gateway doesn't support checking account credits via their API.
Incoming Messages: some SMS Gateways allow you to “poll” their server for any replies to messages sent from a shared virtual mobile number or a dedicated virtual mobile number. This requires manual intervention – someone needs to click this button to initiate this process. This method is supported when fmSMS is hosted/opened in FileMaker Pro or hosted by FileMaker Server. You could also setup a FileMaker Server script schedule to have this run on a scheduled basis (e.g.every hour) to save you from having to manually download/check for new messages - your script would just need to handle the incrementing of the timestamps.