Email notifications overview

SimpleBoards sends email when something on a board changes. The plugin does not need a third-party email service. It uses the same email channel WordPress already uses to send password resets and comment notifications. This page explains the three main email flows in the free plugin and gives a forward pointer to the Pro workflow emails.

Where notifications are configured

Go to SimpleBoards > Settings > Notifications in the WordPress admin. The page is split into four groups:

  1. Recipients & Subscriptions. The address that gets admin emails, and the switch for the Subscribe feature.
  2. Notify Admin. Emails sent to the notification address when something needs your attention.
  3. Notify Submitter. Emails sent to the visitor who originally sent an idea.
  4. Notify Subscribers. Emails sent to people who clicked the Subscribe button on an item.
  5. Workflow Automations (Pro). Emails fired by Pro workflow rules.

For every notification in the list you can do two things:

  • Turn the notification on or off with the Enable this notification checkbox.
  • Click Customize email template to edit the subject line and the body of the email.

The default subject and body are written for you. Edit them only if you want to change the wording.

The three free notification flows

The free plugin ships with three core flows. Knowing these three is enough to run a public board.

1. New idea submitted (to admin)

Sent when a visitor submits a new idea.

  • To: the address in Notification Email (which is your WordPress admin email by default).
  • Why: so you know an idea is waiting in the moderation queue, or has just been published.
  • What it says: the idea title, the description, the name and email of the submitter, and a link to the admin Items list.

Turn this off if you publish ideas without moderation and you do not want a per-idea email. Leave it on if moderation is on, so you do not miss new ideas.

2. Idea was not approved (to submitter)

Sent when you reject a pending idea (see How moderation works).

  • To: the email of the visitor who sent the idea.
  • Why: so they are not left waiting forever, wondering what happened.
  • What it says: a short message that the idea was not approved this time, with a thank-you for sharing it.

The default wording is gentle. You can edit it to fit your tone.

There is also an admin-side Item rejected email that goes to the notification address. It is a record-keeping email and is on by default.

3. Item updates (to subscribers)

Sent when something changes on an item that a visitor has subscribed to.

  • To: the people who clicked the Subscribe button on that item.
  • Why: so they can follow an idea or roadmap item without having to keep checking the board.
  • What it says: depends on what changed. Two events trigger the email:
    • The status of the item changed (for example, from Planned to In Progress).
    • A new comment was added to the item.

Each subscriber email includes a one-click Unsubscribe link at the bottom. Clicking it removes the subscriber from that item.

Subscribers can be logged-in users (one click to subscribe) or guests (subscribe with their email). The Subscribe feature itself can be turned off entirely from Settings > Notifications > Subscribe Feature.

Customizing email content

Every notification has a default subject line and a default body. You can edit both. Each template has a list of placeholders you can drop in. Common ones:

  • {site_name} — the name of your WordPress site.
  • {title} — the idea or item title.
  • {name} — the submitter or subscriber name.
  • {email} — their email address.
  • {item_link} — a link straight to the item on the public board.
  • {from_status} and {to_status} — for status change emails.

The default templates use these tags. Look at them to see how the tags work. If you delete a tag you do not want, the email will skip it.

How emails are sent

SimpleBoards calls the standard WordPress wp_mail function to send every email. That means:

  • If your site already uses an SMTP plugin (such as WP Mail SMTP) or a transactional service, SimpleBoards uses that route too. No extra setup is needed.
  • If your site does not have a working email channel, SimpleBoards emails will not arrive. The plugin cannot fix a broken WordPress mail setup. If emails are not arriving, install an SMTP plugin first.

The troubleshooting docs will cover this in more depth.

Pro workflow emails (forward pointer)

The Pro add-on adds a fourth set of emails, fired by workflow rules instead of by user action. Example: an email when a vote rule moves an idea to the roadmap, or when a deadline is overdue. These are listed in Settings > Notifications under Workflow Automations (Pro) and are documented in How workflow rules run.

Last updated

2026-05-23 · SimpleBoards 1.0.4