# Notification channels

> Set up the email, SMS, Teams, Slack and other channels that rules and pipelines use to send messages to people, and send a test message.

Source: https://proxus.io/docs/connect/notification-channels

At the end of this guide, Proxus can send messages through your email server, SMS provider or chat tool, and you
have checked it with a real test message. A **notification channel** is one way of reaching people, with its
settings. Rules, pipelines and scheduled deliveries then send through it.

## Before you start

You need:

- The account details of the service: for example the SMTP server, user and password for email, or the incoming
  webhook URL for Slack, Teams or Discord.
- Outbound network access from the hub to that service.
- A user role that may create notification channels.

## The channel list

Go to **Connect > Notification Channels**.

*Screenshot: The notification channel list with sample channels for Discord, Email, Teams, Slack, SMS and others, all marked Sample values*

1. **New** creates a channel.
2. **Status** says whether the channel is ready:
   - **Configured**: every required parameter is filled in.
   - **Sample values**: the parameters still hold the placeholder values of a sample.
   - **Missing: …**: the named parameters are empty.
   - **Delivery failing**: the parameters are filled in, but the last notification sent through the channel failed
     after the last one that went out.
3. **Actions**: how many rule actions send through the channel.
4. **Last Success** and **Last Failure**: when a notification last went out through the channel, and when one last
   failed. Open the channel to read **Last Error**, the reason the provider gave.

Proxus comes with one sample channel per type. They hold placeholder values and do not work until you replace them.

## Step 1: Create the channel

1. Select **New**, or open the sample of the type you need and select **Clone...**. The sample has every parameter
   of its type already listed.
2. Choose the **Notification Type**.
3. Enter a **Name** (unique), for example `Ops Slack #alerts`, and a **Description**.
4. Under **Parameters**, fill in a **Key** and **Value** for each setting. Values of passwords and tokens are masked.
5. Select **Save**.

The keys each type reads (required ones in bold):

| Notification Type | Parameters |
| --- | --- |
| **Email Notification** | **SmtpServer**, SmtpPort (587 if empty), **Username**, **Password**, **From**, **To**, Cc, Bcc, UseSsl |
| **SMS Notification** | **AccountSid**, **AuthToken**, **From**, **To** (a Twilio account) |
| **WhatsApp Notification** | **AccountSid**, **AuthToken**, **From**, **To** (a Twilio account) |
| **Push Notification** | **Token**, and the Firebase Cloud Messaging settings: FCM_V1, ProjectId, AccessToken, ServerKey |
| **Slack Message** | **WebhookUrl**, BlocksJson |
| **Microsoft Teams Message** | **WebhookUrl** |
| **Discord Message** | **WebhookUrl** |
| **Telegram Message** | **BotToken**, **ChatId**, ParseMode |
| **Line Message** | **AccessToken**, **UserId** |
| **Facebook Messenger Message** | **AccessToken**, **RecipientId** |

> **Note:**
**Pusher Notification** is listed as a type but cannot send in this version. A test on such a channel says so.

## Step 2: Send a test message

On the channel's page, select **Test**.

*Screenshot: The Test window for the Slack channel with an empty Send To field, a passed configuration check and the Send Test button*

1. **Send To (override)**: send the test to another recipient than the channel's own, for example your own email
   address. Leave it empty to use the channel's recipient. This works for email, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Line,
   Messenger and push channels.
2. **Configuration Check**: whether every required parameter is present. Missing or invalid ones are listed.
3. **Send Test** sends a real message, with the **Title** and **Body** shown. You can change both.

The **Result** box shows **Sent successfully. The provider accepted the message.**, how long it took and the
provider's reference. Acceptance by the provider does not prove that the message reached the inbox or the app:
check that it arrived.

If it fails, the result says why, for example **Not sent: channel parameters are incomplete.** or **Not sent: the
attempt timed out.** Tests are limited to one every 15 seconds.

> **Warning:**
**Send Test** sends a real message to real people. Use **Send To (override)** to send it to yourself when the
channel's recipient is a team.

## Step 3: Use the channel

- **Rules**: a rule action of type **Notification Action** sends through the channel you choose in **Notification
  Channel**. See [Rule actions](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rule-actions).
- **Pipelines**: the **Notification** node sends through a channel. See [Pipelines](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/pipelines).
- **Scheduled reports**: a scheduled delivery can send its report through an email channel. See
  [Scheduled delivery](https://proxus.io/docs/analyze/scheduled-delivery).

When messages do not arrive, select **Logs** on the channel's page: it shows the system log entries of sends
through channels of this type.

## Copilot insights through a channel

**Copilot Insights** on a channel sends it the new [Copilot insights](https://proxus.io/docs/monitor/copilot#insights): **Do not send**
(the default), **Critical only** or **Warning and critical**. Each insight is sent once, when it opens, with what was
found and the suggested next step, in the hub's language. The checks are fixed rules: no AI service is used. Turning
the option on does not send the insights that were already open.

## What's next

- [Notification channels reference](https://proxus.io/docs/reference/notification-channels)
- [Rule actions](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rule-actions)