MMS Gateway - BulkSMS.com
The BulkSMS.com SMS Gateway works differently to other MMS Gateways that fmMMS supports. It doesn't send MMS messages but rather allows you to upload files to be added as links to a standard SMS Message. The BulkSMS.com SMS Gateway delivers SMS messages internationally.
An SMS sent from fmMMS using the BulkSMS.com Gateway with an upload media file from your computer looks like the following to the recipient:
Recipents can click on the link to view the media file/attachment and download to their phone if required. Whilst not stricly an MMS message it does allow you to upload files to be included with an SMS Message which recipients can view so we have decided to include support for the BulkSMS.com SMS Gateway with fmMMS. This saves you from having to upload the file somewhere and generate a URL link to then manually include in an SMS.
You can use the following methods for attaching media files to your outgoing messages:
- Gateway Direct: fmMMS will upload the file stored in the FileMaker container field directly to BulkSMS.com who will store the media for 30 days. BulkSMS.com will return a URL that can be included in the Message Body like in the above example.
You can get further information on supported media files and limitations here:
https://www.bulksms.com/developer/json/v1/#tag/Attachments
Incoming Messages/Replies (SMS Only)
You can only receive SMS replies to your BulkSMS.com number - MMS messages are not currently supported for sending or receiving.
You can get incoming SMS messages/replies to your BulkSMS.com number into the fmMMS file in a number of ways:
- Manually Download Incoming Messages
- Use Webhooks to have BulkSMS.com push these automatically to fmMMS
- Use Otto Webhooks
Using Webhooks is the preferred method as it saves you from having to poll/check for any new messages - with Webhooks new messages are forwarded to fmMMS automatically by BulkSMS.com as they are received.
Manual Download Incoming Messages (SMS Only)
You can download incoming messages manually via the Account Details screen. Simply enter the date range you wish to download messages between and click the Get Incoming Messages button:
Any incoming messages to your BulkSMS.com number that have not been previously downloaded will then be downloaded. 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.
BulkSMS.com Webhooks Setup (SMS Only)
We have added support for creating and deleting Webhooks using the BulkSMS.com API in the fmMMS file.
To receive incoming SMS messages to your BulkSMS.com number, including replies to previously sent messages, you will need to use the supplied WebhooksIncomingMessages.php webhook file to act as the webhook receiver. See our Webhooks guide for what you need to do host the WebhooksIncomingMessages.php file on your chosen web server. Once you have the publicly accessible URL for this file click on the Webhooks tab in the fmMMS Account Details screen and click the Create Webhook button:
Enter the https URL to your WebhooksIncomingMessages.php file in the Address field and select Incoming Messages for the Type field. The Webhook details should look something like this:
Click the Create Webhook button to create a Webhook using the BulkSMS.com API. If this request was successful the BulkSMS.com Webhook ID will be populated in the Gateway ID field, otherwise you will get an error message in the Last API Result field. Once you have successfully created the Webhook any new incoming messages will be forwarded by BulkSMS.com to that URL.
You can also create a webhook online via your BulkSMS.com account settings as follows:
- login to your BulkSMS.com account via their website
- click on Settings, then Advanced, then Webhooks
- click the Create Webhook button
- enter the URL in the URL field.
- click Create Settings
It should look similar to this screenshot:
Twilio Otto Webhooks Setup (SMS Only)
Please visit the Webhooks using Otto guide for instructions on setting up Otto Webhooks for your Twilio number.