Why add email alerts?

Email alerts give you a persistent, searchable trail of important events (orders opened/closed, errors, drawdown warnings). They are especially useful when you cannot monitor the MT4 terminal 24/7 or prefer triaged notifications on mobile or desktop email clients.

MT4 email configuration (required)

Before using SendMail() your MetaTrader 4 must be configured with SMTP settings. In MT4:

1. Tools → Options → Email tab.
2. Enter your "SMTP server" (e.g. smtp.gmail.com), login, password, and "From" and "To" addresses.
3. Check Enable and press OK. Test by clicking Test.

Note: Some providers (Gmail) require app-specific passwords or enabling "less secure apps" settings. Use secure credentials and consider a dedicated sending account for automated alerts.

Basic MQL4 email example

The simplest way to send an email is via SendMail(subject, body). Here is a helper function you can add to any EA.

// Simple send helper
```

void SendAlert(string subject, string body)
{
bool ok = SendMail(subject, body);
if(!ok)
Print("SendMail failed: ", GetLastError());
}

// usage inside your EA
SendAlert("EA: Buy executed", "Symbol: " + Symbol() + "\nPrice: " + DoubleToStr(Ask, Digits));

This sends a single message. For production, implement throttling, retries, and formatting to keep messages readable and actionable.

Robust patterns — throttling, retries, and batching

1) Throttle duplicate alerts

Avoid spamming email for repeated signals by tracking the last alert timestamp per alert type and enforcing a cooldown window.

// Throttle example
```

datetime lastEmailTime = 0;
int EMAIL_COOLDOWN = 60 * 5; // 5 minutes

void ThrottledSend(string subject, string body)
{
if(TimeCurrent() - lastEmailTime < EMAIL_COOLDOWN)
{
Print("Email skipped (cooldown)");
return;
}
if(SendMail(subject, body))
lastEmailTime = TimeCurrent();
else
Print("Email failed: ", GetLastError());
}

2) Retries with exponential backoff

On failure, retry a few times with delays — this helps transient network or SMTP hiccups.

bool SendWithRetries(string subject, string body, int maxRetries=3)
```

{
int attempt = 0;
while(attempt < maxRetries)
{
if(SendMail(subject, body)) return true;
int err = GetLastError();
PrintFormat("SendMail attempt %d failed: %d", attempt+1, err);
Sleep(1000 * (attempt+1)); // backoff
attempt++;
}
return false;
} 

3) Batching low-priority alerts

Aggregate minor events into a single summary email every hour rather than sending each event separately.

// pseudo: collect messages in a string and send once per hour
```

string queuedMessages = "";
void QueueMessage(string msg) { queuedMessages += msg + "\n"; }
void SendQueuedMessages()
{
if(StringLen(queuedMessages) == 0) return;
SendMail("EA Summary", queuedMessages);
queuedMessages = "";
} 

Practical message examples & formatting

Make emails actionable: include symbol, price, time, ticket number, and a short action line.

Subject: RFXSignals — Order Opened: EURUSD BUY
```

Body:
EA: RFXSignals v1.2
Symbol: EURUSD
Action: BUY
Ticket: 123456
Price: 1.07895
SL/TP: 1.07500 / 1.08500
Time (server): 2025.10.14 12:12
Comment: London session breakout 

Use plain text for compatibility; if you need HTML emails, keep them simple — many MT4 setups only support plain text reliably.

Handling sensitive info

Do not include API keys, passwords, or private data in email bodies. If you must transmit sensitive state, encrypt it or use secure server-side logging.

Error handling & logging

• After each SendMail call, check GetLastError() and log useful diagnostics.
• On persistent failure, notify via alternative channel (e.g., WhatsApp) or write to a remote log if available.

SEO & Link strategy (inbound & outbound)

Internally link to related cornerstone pages to boost authority (example internal links below). Outbound links should point to authoritative documentation and best-practice references.

• RFXSignals — Home (internal)
• Related: The Future of Forex Signals (internal)
• MQL4 documentation (outbound)
• Gmail SMTP guide (outbound)

Add structured data (FAQ JSON-LD) and clear H1/H2 headings. Use canonical tags and a concise meta description when publishing via Elementor to improve CTR.