Is email hosting needed for email in zencart to work?

[shadowcast]

Hi, i am going to set up a site
Is email hosting needed for email in zencart to work?

[Twaddle]

erm.. yes.

Though I'm not sure I really understand the question to be honest. How else do you expect to communicate with a customer?

[shadowcast]

thanks, because zencart comes with its own email features so im not realy sure. well time to get the domain and pay for it and get to work

[Twaddle]

The mind boggles

[schoolboy]

The FUNCTIONS that drive email are server-based and have nothing to do with zencart.

When you install zencart, it needs to be configured to work within the email system that is already set up on the server.

All web hosting accounts these days will include mail services, so it's a case of setting up POP and SMTP mail accounts first.

One that is done, you configure ZC to operate using these accounts (or any email address, actually), and select the mail transport system that is operational on your server.

[Twaddle]

All web hosting accounts these days will include mail services, so it's a case of setting up POP and SMTP mail accounts first.
.

I have to correct you on this one.

There are some GoDaddy accounts I know of for example that DON'T include email. It took me a while to figure it out, but so far so good you can spoof it using [email protected] as your send address. Ultimately though that's as much use as a chocolate fireguard if you intend to make a business out of your site

[DrByte]

One could effectively argue that GoDaddy accounts aren't real hosting accounts anyway, but I digress.

[Twaddle]

One could effectively argue that GoDaddy accounts aren't real hosting accounts anyway, but I digress.

One could say more, but one thinks that one might be pushing his luck with verbals and one might get banned LOL

[RodG]

I have to correct you on this one.

I'll see your correction and raise you one :-)

I'm totally with Schoolboys comments on this one.

There are some GoDaddy accounts I know of for example that DON'T include email.

I find this VERY hard to believe. Not even godaddy are foolish enough to implement any kind of user account that doesn't automatically include an email address on their own server(s) for billing and other 'important information" emails .. in fact it is probably harder for them to NOT provide such an account.

This however doesn't have any bearing on whether an outgoing mail server is available for use by zencart, other ecommerce sites, etc.
Most sites these days would be severely crippled without outgoing email capabilitiy, even if only used for sending out lost password messages..

It isn't a requirement that the webhost also support inbound emails. Zencart doesn't make use of them in any way.

It took me a while to figure it out, but so far so good you can spoof it using [email protected] as your send address. Ultimately though that's as much use as a chocolate fireguard if you intend to make a business out of your site

As usual, I did a little research before composing this response, and found many examples of PHP code that people are using to send emails via their godaddy sites, but sadly, didn't find a single one that indicated that "There are some GoDaddy accounts I know of for example that DON'T include email".

I acknowledge that goddady apparently don't make it *easy* to utilise their mail server via PHP, but that isn't quite the same as not being available.

Anyway, to simply answer the OP's question...
"Is email hosting needed for email in zencart to work? "

No, you will not need email hosting (defined as incoming emails) to run zencart - you can use your existing email address as given by your ISP, or even a yahoo or gmail account.

Your webhost will need to provide some kind of access to their outgoing mail server in order for zencart to function, and I don't know of any webhost that doesn't support this as part of their package (with the possible exception being of some godaddy accounts, and perhaps similar difficulties with other 'budget' hosts). .

Cheers
Rod

[Twaddle]

Rod as always stumbles in....

Just do a google search for 'zen cart emails godaddy', you'll see what I mean.