# Send Email

<!-- meta: type=send-email; location=Messaging › Email; category=Step (action); platforms=Joomla and WordPress (where applicable) -->

## Overview

Sends an email through the linked Joomla site's mail system. You configure the recipient, subject, and body on the **Design** tab; at run time the flow executes the send and downstream nodes can read whether it succeeded and any message metadata returned by the mailer.

Use this after a trigger or upstream step when you need to notify someone by email — for example order confirmations, alerts, or reports built from earlier payload fields.

When the flow reaches this step, JOrchestrator executes **Send Email** against your linked site or an external integration, using the field values you set on **General** and **Design**. Downstream steps can read the output payload fields defined for this node.

## Why use this node

Send Email is a **action step** in the **Messaging › Email** group. Action steps run in the middle or end of a flow. They perform work on your CMS, call external services, or transform data for the next step.

Typical reasons teams add **Send Email** to a flow:

- Confirm orders or registrations with a branded HTML email
- Alert staff when a high-value form is submitted
- Deliver reports built from upstream query or API data
- Send password-reset or notification emails using the site's configured mailer

## Example workflows

Common patterns on the canvas:

1. **Form Webhook** → **Set JSON** → **Send Email** (confirmation to submitter)
2. **Event Stripe** → **If** (amount threshold) → **Send Email** (finance alert)
3. **Select Row** → **Iterator** → **Send Email** (digest per recipient)

## How to set it up

Set **To**, **Subject**, and **Body** on Design. Choose **bespoke** HTML or assemble the body from upstream payload fields. Pick recipients manually, via placeholders, or from the Joomla user list.

## Good to know

Delivery uses the site's configured mailer (SMTP/global config). SPF/DKIM and inbox placement depend on server DNS — test with **Debug** before going live.

## Properties panel

The designer shows these tabs for this node:

| Tab | Purpose |
|-----|---------|
| **Info** | Plain-language description and output payload fields for downstream steps |
| **General** | Canvas label and read-only node ID |
| **AI** | Optional assistant to help draft settings from plain language |
| **Design** | Node-specific configuration fields |

### System (automatic — not edited by the user)

These fields are managed by the designer or runtime — you do not type into them directly:

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `_nodeId` | Node ID | `node-id` | No | — | — |
| `_payloadFields` | Available Fields | `payload-panel` | No | — | — |

### User-configured — General tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `label` | Label | `text` | No | — | Node label |

### User-configured — Design tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `subject` | Subject | `payload-text` | **Yes** | — | Email subject or drag a payload field |
| `bodyType` | Body Type | `select` (`payload` \| `bespoke`; default: `bespoke`) | No | — | — |
| `body` | Body | `wysiwyg` | No | `bodyType === 'bespoke'` | Email body |

### CMS-backed or hybrid (loaded from the linked site at design time)

These fields can pull live options or values from the Joomla/WordPress site linked to the flow:

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `to` | To | `email-recipient` | **Yes** | — | recipient@example.com or select user... |

### CMS site configuration (not on this node's properties panel)

Credentials, API keys, mailers, SMTP, and integration defaults are configured in the CMS plugin under **Node Configuration**, not per step on this node. Link the flow to a domain before testing CMS-backed fields.

## Output payload fields

After this step runs, later nodes can reference these fields using placeholders such as
`{{send_email.sent}}`.

| Field key | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `sent` | boolean | Whether the message was sent successfully. |
| `to` | string | Recipient address or user. |
| `subject` | string | Email subject line that was sent. |
| `messageId` | string | Provider message or email identifier. |

## Validation rules

- **Subject** (`subject`) must be filled before the flow can be saved.

## Related nodes

Other steps in the same area of the palette:

- **Discord Message** (`discord-message`) — Messaging › Social
- **Send Notification** (`send-notification`) — Messaging › Notifications
- **Slack Message** (`slack-message`) — Messaging › Social
- **Twilio MMS** (`twilio-mms`) — Messaging › Mobile
- **Twilio SMS** (`twilio-sms`) — Messaging › Mobile