Send SMS
The Send SMS action node sends a custom text message to a given recipient via SMS.
Each Appfarm solution has settings for Daily and Monthly SMS limits, meaning an upper limit on the number of SMSs sent daily and monthly. When this occurs, the Send SMS action node will throw a DailyQuotaExceededException or MonthlyQuotaExceededException. Read more on exception handling and error codes here. By default, the limit is low (20 per day, 100 per month). You may increase the limit by contacting Appfarm.
Usage
Appfarm uses GatewayAPI to deliver SMS messages.
The sending of SMS messages is subject to Appfarm's SMS usage policy. Sent messages are charged according to the price schedule laid out in your customer agreement. The total number of SMS messages sent from a solution is available under Resource Usage Overview on the Dashboard.
Validation
Appfarm does not validate the recipient's number before attempting to send the message. It is your responsibility to verify that the number is in the correct format. The number should include the country code and adhere to the MSISDN format.
Settings
Sender
Set the sender's name. This value can be up to 11 characters long.
We recommend using the name of your business or service. If no value is set, the short name of the solution will be used.
Using human names or phone numbers is not allowed
Leading or trailing whitespace will be stripped
Multiple whitespace characters within text will be replaced with a single space
If the provided name is longer than 11 characters, it will be trimmed
The string must otherwise adhere to the regex
^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-øæåÆØÅ!]+( [a-zA-Z0-9_\-øæåÆØÅ!]+)*$(all Nordic characters, numbers, -, _ and !)
Some countries have local restrictions on Sender for SMSs not originating from a personal phone number, which is the case when using Send SMS from Appfarm. Singapore (+65) has introduced such a restriction, and we are working on a solution to this.
Message
Set the message to be sent. The message can be a static text string, a property value from a data binding, or the return value of a function.
You can send a message of any length, but messages of more than 160 characters will be split into separate messages of 153 characters each.
All characters included in the GSM 03.38 standard are supported. If you use any character outside of this range, such as emojis or other non-Western characters, the message will be automatically transcoded to ensure proper delivery. This will take up significantly more of the character limit and potentially increase delivery costs.
If you include a URL in the message body, first generate a shortlink with the Create Shortlink action node. This uses Appfarm's link shortener service, af.link. Links to other domains in the message body will, in some cases, be blocked by the SMS service provider.
To check the length of your message, you may use tools such as the SMS Length Calculator.
Broadcast
Check this box to send to multiple recipients at once. Selecting Broadcast enables further options in order to select the recipients.
Single Recipient
Set the recipient's phone number. The value must be a string. It can be a static text string, a property value from a data binding, or the return value of a function.
The country code (e.g., 47) must be prefixed to the number, but a leading + is not required.
Recipient Data Source
Visible only if Broadcast is checked.
Select the data source that contains the recipients you wish to send the message to.
Selection
Visible only if Broadcast is checked.
Select specific objects to use or apply filters to the data source.
Phone Number Field
Visible only if Broadcast is checked.
Select the field from the data source that contains the recipient's phone number. The value must be a string. The country code (e.g., 47) must be prefixed to the number, but a leading + is not required.
Tags
Add one or more tags. Tags are useful for later filtering SMS logs, particularly if you are using Send SMS for several different use cases in the same solution.
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