SendWAPI × Smart School — Complete Integration Guide

Send WhatsApp notifications (fees, attendance, exams, etc.) from Smart School using your SendWAPI account.

📋 Table of Contents

Prerequisites
Step 1 — Get Your SendWAPI Credentials
Step 2 — Replace the Customsms.php File
Step 3 — Configure API Key & Sender Number
Step 4 — Enable Custom SMS Gateway in Smart School
Step 5 — Test the Integration
Troubleshooting
API Reference

Download Link

✅ Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

RequirementDetails
Smart School	Version 7.x or later installed and running
SendWAPI Account	Register at sendwapi.com
Connected WhatsApp Device	A WhatsApp number linked to your SendWAPI dashboard
Server Access	FTP/SFTP or cPanel file manager access to your Smart School files

🔑 Step 1 — Get Your SendWAPI Credentials

You need two things from your SendWAPI dashboard:

1.1 — Copy Your API Key

Log in to sendwapi.com
Go to Dashboard → API Settings (or Profile)
Copy your API Key

sendwapi

[!IMPORTANT] Your API key looks something like: a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0 Keep it private — never share it publicly.

1.2 — Note Your Sender Number

In the SendWAPI dashboard, go to Devices
Find the WhatsApp number that shows Connected status
Copy the full number with country code, without the + sign

[!TIP] Number Format Examples:

*CountryRaw NumberCorrect Format*
India	+91 98765 43210	`919876543210`
Indonesia	+62 888 1234 5678	`6288812345678`
USA	+1 (555) 123-4567	`15551234567`
UK	+44 7911 123456	`447911123456`

❌ Wrong: +919876543210, 09876543210, 98765-43210 ✅ Right: 919876543210

📁 Step 2 — Replace the Customsms.php File

2.1 — Locate the File

The file you need to replace is located at:

your-smart-school/application/libraries/Customsms.php

Full path example (cPanel):

/home/yourdomain/public_html/application/libraries/Customsms.php

2.2 — Backup the Original File

[!WARNING] Always back up the original file before making changes!

Open your File Manager (cPanel) or connect via FTP
Navigate to application/libraries/
Find Customsms.php
Right-click → Rename it to Customsms.php.backup

2.3 — Upload the New File

Download or copy the new Customsms.php file provided with this guide
Upload it to the same directory: application/libraries/
Make sure the filename is exactly Customsms.php (capital C, lowercase rest)

[!CAUTION] The filename must be exactly Customsms.php — not customsms.php or CustomSms.php. Linux servers are case-sensitive!

⚙️ Step 3 — Configure API Key & Sender Number

3.1 — Open the File for Editing

In your File Manager, right-click Customsms.php → Edit (or Code Editor)
You will see the file contents

3.2 — Set Your API Key (Line 19)

Find this line:

private $SENDWAPI_API_KEY = "your-sendwapi-api-key";

Replace your-sendwapi-api-key with your actual API key from Step 1.1:

private $SENDWAPI_API_KEY = "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0";

3.3 — Set Your Sender Number (Line 22)

Find this line:

private $SENDWAPI_SENDER = "your-whatsapp-sender-number";

Replace your-whatsapp-sender-number with your WhatsApp number from Step 1.2:

private $SENDWAPI_SENDER = "919876543210";

3.4 — (Optional) Set a Footer Message (Line 28)

If you want a footer text under every WhatsApp message:

private $SENDWAPI_FOOTER = "Sent via Smart School";

Leave it empty ("") if you don't want a footer.

3.5 — Save the File

Click Save Changes in your editor.

[!NOTE] Quick Summary — You only need to change 2 lines:

*LineWhat to ChangeExample*
19	`your-sendwapi-api-key` → your real API key	`"a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0"`
22	`your-whatsapp-sender-number` → your WhatsApp number	`"919876543210"`

🟢 Step 4 — Enable Custom SMS Gateway in Smart School

4.1 — Log in to Smart School Admin Panel

Open your Smart School URL: https://your-school.com
Log in with your Admin or Super Admin account

4.2 — Navigate to SMS Settings

Go to System Settings → SMS Setting (left sidebar)
You will see multiple tabs for different SMS gateways

4.3 — Open the Custom SMS Gateway Tab

Click on the "Custom SMS Gateway" tab (the last tab on the right)
You will see two fields:
Gateway Name — Enter: sendwapi
Status — Select: 4.4 — Save the Settings

Smart School

Click the Save button
You should see a success confirmation

[!IMPORTANT] Make sure no other SMS gateway is enabled! Smart School only uses ONE active SMS gateway at a time. If Twilio or another gateway is also enabled, go to its tab and set Status to Disabled.

🧪 Step 5 — Test the Integration

5.1 — Send a Test Notification

Go to Communicate → Send SMS in Smart School
Select a group (e.g., a single student or parent)
Type a test message: Hello! This is a test from Smart School via SendWAPI.
Click Send

5.2 — Verify on WhatsApp

Check the recipient's WhatsApp
They should receive the message from your sender number

5.3 — Check Logs (If Message Didn't Arrive)

Connect to your server via FTP/SSH
Check the Smart School log file at:

application/logs/log-YYYY-MM-DD.php

Search for SendWAPI — you'll see either:
✅ INFO - SendWAPI message sent to 919876543210
❌ ERROR - SendWAPI send failed to 919876543210: Invalid API key

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

ProblemCauseSolution
Messages not sending at all	Custom gateway not enabled	Go to SMS Settings → Custom SMS Gateway → set Status to Enabled
Messages not sending at all	Another gateway is also enabled	Disable ALL other gateways (Twilio, Clickatell, etc.)
`Invalid API key` error in logs	Wrong API key in Customsms.php	Double-check the key from SendWAPI dashboard
`Sender not found` error in logs	Wrong sender number or device disconnected	Check SendWAPI dashboard → Devices → ensure the number is Connected
`cURL error` in logs	Server can't reach sendwapi.com	Ask your hosting to allow outbound HTTPS to `sendwapi.com`
`404` or `500` HTTP error in logs	API endpoint issue	Verify the endpoint is `https://sendwapi.com/send-message`
Message sent but not received	Wrong recipient number format	Ensure recipient numbers in Smart School include country code (e.g., `919876543210`)
File upload didn't work	Wrong filename casing	File must be exactly `Customsms.php` (capital C)

How to Read Log Errors

Open application/logs/log-YYYY-MM-DD.php and search for SendWAPI:

# ✅ Success

INFO - 2026-05-02 23:00:00 --> SendWAPI message sent to 919876543210

# ❌ API Error

ERROR - 2026-05-02 23:00:00 --> SendWAPI send failed to 919876543210: Invalid API key

# ❌ Network Error

ERROR - 2026-05-02 23:00:00 --> SendWAPI cURL error: Could not resolve host: sendwapi.com

# ❌ HTTP Error

ERROR - 2026-05-02 23:00:00 --> SendWAPI HTTP 500: Internal Server Error

📖 API Reference

Endpoint

POST https://sendwapi.com/send-message

Content-Type: application/json

Request Body

{

"api_key": "your-api-key",

"sender": "919876543210",

"number": "918765432109",

"message": "Hello from Smart School!",

"footer": "Sent via Smart School"

}

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
`api_key`	string	✅ Yes	Your SendWAPI API key
`sender`	string	✅ Yes	Your WhatsApp sender number (with country code)
`number`	string	✅ Yes	Recipient number (with country code)
`message`	string	✅ Yes	Message text to send
`footer`	string	❌ No	Footer text below the message
`msgid`	string	❌ No	Message ID to reply to
`full`	number	❌ No	Set `1` for full response with message details

Success Response

{

"status": true,

"msg": "Message sent successfully!"

}

Error Response

{

"status": false,

"msg": "Invalid API key"

}

📂 File Reference

What Gets Changed

FileActionLocation
`Customsms.php`	Replace (only file changed)	`application/libraries/Customsms.php`

What Does NOT Change

FileWhy
`Smsgateway.php`	Already calls `Customsms->sendSMS()` when custom gateway is active
`smsList.php` (view)	Already has the Custom SMS Gateway tab in admin UI
`smsconfig_model.php`	Already handles saving/loading custom gateway settings
Database	No new tables or columns needed

[!TIP] Need Help?

SendWAPI Documentation: sendwapi.com/docs
SendWAPI Support: sendwapi.com

Last updated: May 2026