==========================================
How to set up CMFNotification in 2 minutes
==========================================

This how-to provides an executive summary for those who want a
standard setup of CMFNotification (notification when item are created
and modified, and when a workflow transition occurs) without too much
reading.


About this document
===================

Several users have criticized CMFNotification for being too
complicated to set up. That is a fact; the author is well aware of
that and the available documentation (shipped with the product),
though comprehensive, aims administrators/developers to deploy any
configuration (and possibly complex ones).

Hopefully, CMFNotification can be set up to provide simple, standard
notification features, and you do not have to read the aforementioned
documentation to enable them. (Though you should: see `Further
reading`_ below for more information.)


The executive configuration (a.k.a. how to please your boss in 2 minutes)
=========================================================================

There a few steps which are inevitable when it comes to installing a
new product in a Plone site :

1. Read the `right documentation`_ if you have never installed any
   product before.

2. Install CMFNotification in the file system (as usual).

3. Install the product in the Plone portal of your choice (with Portal
   Quick Installer, as usual).

.. _right documentation: http://plone.org/documentation/tutorial/third-party-products/installing

Now you have installed CMFNotification in your portal. However,
nothing happens, by default. You have to configure it. Since this is
the executive how-to, blindly follow these steps:

1. Go to the control panel (by clicking on the *site setup* link) and
   then click on "Configuration of CMFNotification".

2. By default, nothing is enabled. If you want to allow authenticated
   users to subscribe to items, check the first box (*Enable extra
   subscriptions*).

3. Check the following boxes: *Enable item creation notification*,
   *Enable item modification notification*, *Enable item removal notification*
   and *Enable workflow transition notification*.

4. In *Rules on item creation (users)*, *Rules on item modification
   (users)*, *Rules on item removal (users)*, and *Rules on workflow transition (users)* text areas, add
   the line ``* :: *``.

5. In *Rules on item creation (mail template)*, add the line::

       * :: string:creation_mail_notification

6. In *Rules on item modification (mail template)*, add the line::

       * :: string:modification_mail_notification

6. In *Rules on item removal (mail template)*, add the line::

       * :: string:removal_mail_notification

7. *Rules on workflow transition (mail template)*, add the line::

       * :: string:workflow_mail_notification

8. Click on the *Save changes* button.

CMFNotification is now configured to send e-mail notification when an
item is created or modified and when a workflow transition happens on
an item.

You can now test it by creating an user (if needed) and adding a new
item.


Troubleshooting
===============

If you do not receive any e-mail, read "How to trouble shoot your
configuration" (``how-to-troubleshoot.txt``).


Further reading
===============

This brief how-to explained how to set up a simple, standard
configuration for CMFNotification. But this product can do a lot more.
It is based on rules. These rules let you precisely define who to
notify and which mail template to use on any supported event. To know
more about the syntax of these rules, it is highly suggested that you
read the rest of the documentation.
