Subscription Notifications -- Drive paid subscriptions & renewals

[Ted S]

Paid Subscriptions are a means of driving revenue for thousands of forums but what do you do when a subscription is about to expire? On most forums, if the subscription does not recur automatically, users lose their status and only if they notice a change in benefits do they think to renew. By proactively informing users of their subscription expiration you can help increase paid subscription renewal rates and decrease support inquiries from subscribers.

Notifications Options & Customizations:

The Subscription Notifications System can appear on your Forum Home and/or User CP pages and can display the following messages:

Expired Alert
24 Hour Alert
48 Hour Alert
7 Day Alert
1 Month Alert
Long Term Membership
No Membership

All of these messages can be configured using phrases and customized with HTML code to meet your forum's needs.

Each message is enabled/ disabled through your vB control panel with a link provided to modify the message contents using the phrase system.

Modifications/ Instructions:
Template edits: 1-2
Plugins: 1 (adds 1 template and several phrases & settings)
SQL Queries Added: 1-2 (optional)

This addon should take under 5 minutes to implement and customize. Note: Minor template modifications are required for this addon to show up (see instructions file for more details)!

[Ted S]

Reserved

[Ted S]

NOTE: This mod is listed as beta until there are more confirmed installs.

[ProFifaLeagues]

Just what we are looking for,Tagged and will install today and comment back!
Top work

[Ted S]

Just what we are looking for,Tagged and will install today and comment back!
Top work

Thanks!

[fluidswork]

nice mod ...........

[Footman]

I really like this and tagged it. Won't do me much good yet as I still haven't gotten Zombaio integrated with vB4 yet. Looking for help with that. Once I get that done and have some paying members this is going to be the perfect fit.

[sigh]

Installed, added the variable to the templates, activated via settings ... no message is displaying.

Any tips on what to look for?

[mikem164]

hmm, don't know sigh. Also, nothing is showing in my Navbar and I added "{vb:raw submessage}" to Line 1. Awaiting help as well. Otherwise, looks super, I love it.

[mikem164]

ooh, one more thing, can I add a 2nd paypal address for an additional Paid subscription category? Slightly off topic I know...thanks

[mikem164]

and another. Can not display on Default page, no matter where I put "$submessage" it shows up on the forumhome as text! Only on the default skin, other two EP skins are fine! thanks

[Ted S]

and another. Can not display on Default page, no matter where I put "$submessage" it shows up on the forumhome as text! Only on the default skin, other two EP skins are fine! thanks

The vaiable is {vb:raw submessage} and should be in your navbar template only.

[mikem164]

AAAaahh.. I read into it wrong. I thought that it also notified of me when a new subscriber paid with the "General paid subscription" Notification....my BAD!!! I did go and read your earlier viersions of this hack, and I see you implemented "latest subscribers" to the forumhome. Can we get this for Vb4.?
Right now all is working perfectly. Thnx.

[WEBDosser]

Reserved

[Ted S]

Reserved

Uh-oh!

[Ted S]

AAAaahh.. I read into it wrong. I thought that it also notified of me when a new subscriber paid with the "General paid subscription" Notification....my BAD!!! I did go and read your earlier viersions of this hack, and I see you implemented "latest subscribers" to the forumhome. Can we get this for Vb4.?
Right now all is working perfectly. Thnx.

This is addressed in beta version 2.

[mikem164]

That's it!! Beta 2 is phenomonal! Perfect :) Nominated for MOTM!

[Alex@Mk3OC]

Been waiting for this :)

[BadgerDog]

Installed... :up:

Loved this mod as it really helped us under our v3 board...

However ... :confused:

I understand your install instructions saying "The variable is {vb:raw submessage} and should be in your navbar template only."

Question: where in the v4 navbar template should this be placed?

The AdminCP configuration screen for the mod says, as an example:

This option allows you to enable or disable the Paid Subscription Expiration Notifications on the Forum homepage. Note: Be sure to add the variable $submessage to your FORUMHOME template if you use this option.

So, I assume that this is just left over content from the earlier v3 mod and since this is a beta, it should just be ignored until you get around to changing it?

Thanks for any feedback ... :)

Regards,
Badger

[Ted S]

Question: where in the v4 navbar template should this be placed?


Anywhere you want to show it, at the end is most common.


So, I assume that this is just left over content from the earlier v3 mod and since this is a beta, it should just be ignored until you get around to changing it?


Pretty much... Whoops! :eek:

[junaid]

Is it possible make PM notifications too?

[BadgerDog]

Thanks Ted ... :)

Excellent mod and it's been valuable for us. We are a "not for profit" organization, so anything we can do to stimulate subscribers donating again is very helpful to reducing costs.

Appreciate your efforts ... :)

For your beta testing feedback, I can confirm that it works fine in vb4.03 and appears for us (modified phrasing) as in attached pic. Hope that helps ...

Regards,
Badger

BTW. love your other mods as well... :)

[Ted S]

Is it possible make PM notifications too?

I assume it would be. This mod works on-load, what you're looking for would interface with the existing subscription notification system, which uses email.

[PVO_Dave]

Hi Ted,

Is there anyway of using the expiry date from your mod in a different part of the forum? I've made a block that displays if they have active membership, be excellent if it could show the expiry date, I can't seem to suss it out :)

Dave.

[Ted S]

Hi Ted,

Is there anyway of using the expiry date from your mod in a different part of the forum? I've made a block that displays if they have active membership, be excellent if it could show the expiry date, I can't seem to suss it out :)

Dave.

Sure but you would have to edit the plugin to run in more places... Basically take out the code that limits it to just a few pages.

[PVO_Dave]

Thanks for replying Ted :)

I had a quick go this morning, and adding in a new THIS_SPACE, and adding this to the code I'm using, but it still didn't return the date when trying to call the long sub phrase (just so I could use the date)

What else would I need to include in my block to make the correct date show up?

Thanks for any help btw, if I could work out how to make a product installer etc.. I'd release my module thing as an add-on for your excellent mod! :)

[patrick91]

Tagged! maybe interesting for the future...;)

[Martyn1983]

Must say, very nice!

The only thing I'd maybe suggest is for n00bs like me, maybe a bit more insigh as to where the {vb:raw submessage} should be placed in the navbar template. I figured it in the end, very handy mod!

Cheers,
Martyn

[Ted S]

Thanks for replying Ted :)

I had a quick go this morning, and adding in a new THIS_SPACE, and adding this to the code I'm using, but it still didn't return the date when trying to call the long sub phrase (just so I could use the date)

What else would I need to include in my block to make the correct date show up?

Thanks for any help btw, if I could work out how to make a product installer etc.. I'd release my module thing as an add-on for your excellent mod! :)

For a block you should just take the relevant code and create a php block. The alternative is to edit the mod to work as a block rather than a variable.

[Dragonsys]

The messages stopped displaying on my forums after I upgraded to vb4.
the {vb:raw submessage} is still in my navbar template, and I checked my admin settings for this mod and they are all still enabled, but nothing shows up.

Ok, I figured it out. I was a member of a 2nd which was hiding these messages.. doh

[BadgerDog]

Ted ... :)

Is there any way of centering the phrase outputted?

Thanks

Regards,
Badger

[bchertov]

Can this be set to only check users that did NOT pay via PayPal (or other automatic subscription payment system)?

[Ted S]

Can this be set to only check users that did NOT pay via PayPal (or other automatic subscription payment system)?

It would take some quick modification to do this to check the payment method.

[Ted S]

Ted ... :)

Is there any way of centering the phrase outputted?

Thanks

Regards,
Badger

You can edit the message template to do this.

[kombb]

hi ted,

i've installed your mod, but one problem that i have..

at my forum i don't use paypall, but we are using transfer via bank account..

is your mod support this?

thx

[Ted S]

hi ted,

i've installed your mod, but one problem that i have..

at my forum i don't use paypall, but we are using transfer via bank account..

is your mod support this?

thx

The type of payment doesn't matter so long as charges are recurirng.

[Bacon Butty]

Hi Ted,

Great, great mod but to my dismay, since upgrading from 4.0.0 to 4.0.6, I just can't get it to appear on my forum (http://grandoldteam.com)

I've reinstalled by overwriting the product but can't seem to get it to appear.

Any suggestions?

[AURFSCAN]

Works fantastic in 4.08 thx Ted :up:

[DieselTruck]

Anyway for the user to turn off the notification if they decide not to renew?

[angeljs]

Hi, please can you tell me which template hooks this mod calls for, as the notifications are showing in the default style, but not in any other. :)

[toxin]

Installed and working on 4.1.3 CMS.

Added this line to the very end of the navbar template:
{vb:raw submessage}

[BadgerDog]

Installed and working on 4.1.3 CMS.

Added this line to the very end of the navbar template:
{vb:raw submessage}

Thanks :)

Which template is the vbCMS navbar?

Have you ever been able to get Ted's other mod "Limited Guest Viewing" working with vbCMS in a similar way?

Regards
Doug

[Rabby]

I added the "{vb:raw submessage}" line to the end of my navbar template and nothing is showing up at all. I'm using a custom style and not the default one and set the notify to less than 7 days and just tested it with an account who has 6 days subscription time left.

[monet1]

This is a great feature!

Is there a way to automatically downgrade a subscription to one where less privileges are allowed once a subscription expires UNLESS they renew?

[Ted S]

This is a great feature!

Is there a way to automatically downgrade a subscription to one where less privileges are allowed once a subscription expires UNLESS they renew?

You could certainly modify the subscription routine to do that... This mod however does no such thing.

[Dragonsys]

This is a great feature!

Is there a way to automatically downgrade a subscription to one where less privileges are allowed once a subscription expires UNLESS they renew?

yeah I need this as well, but I have not found a plugin to do it, so I will have to see if I can write it myself.

[sportsoutlaw]

"Subscription Notification System" is not showing up in my options

vb 4.1.4 pl2

[GreyGhost]

Is there a way to include the username in the message (i.e. Welcome Freddy, your paid subscription expires in less than two days! Click Here to renew it)?

8-)

[GreyGhost]

I think I found an issue / bug.

If a user has more than 1 subscription...

i.e. a 1 year subscription for say a General Membership, not due to expire til say June 2012...

...and also has a monthly subscription for say a Bonus Level due to expire within a day or 2.

then while ever the 1 year subscription isn't due to expire it doesn't display the monthly subscription expiry notice.

8-)

[Ted S]

That's how it's designed to work... It checks the furthermost expiring membership to determine if the user is about to expire or not. Sites using multiple levels would have to determine their own priority system; after all you don't want to tell someone who had signed up for a month to month that their new lifetime membership is going to end.

[GreyGhost]

That's how it's designed to work... It checks the furthermost expiring membership to determine if the user is about to expire or not. Sites using multiple levels would have to determine their own priority system; after all you don't want to tell someone who had signed up for a month to month that their new lifetime membership is going to end.

OK thanks Ted, unfortunately I can't use it then..

... uninstalled :(

8-)

[tpearl5]

Ted - is there a check in the modification to accommodate for renewing subscriptions. Like "Your subscription will renew on DATE" ?

[Ted S]

Ted - is there a check in the modification to accommodate for renewing subscriptions. Like "Your subscription will renew on DATE" ?

There is not however I do believe it skips recurring ones all together. It's been a while...

[point4design]

I'm using this on my site and the notice shows when I go to the forum but can I also have the notice show when the user is on one of my cms pages that are run by content.php?

[Ted S]

I'm using this on my site and the notice shows when I go to the forum but can I also have the notice show when the user is on one of my cms pages that are run by content.php?

Yes but it will require hacking the plugin to extend the hook locations to whatever is called up in your content.php script.

[point4design]

Ok, I'd have no idea where to start. Anyone willing to do it for me (for pay)?

[Ted S]

Ok, I'd have no idea where to start. Anyone willing to do it for me (for pay)?

I'd suggest the paid modifications area. It's not a lot of work... nor highly technical.

Here's an example post to help you find the right coder:

Needed: Developer to Extend the Subscription Notification System

I am looking for a developer who can modify the Subscription Notification addon to run routines in other parts of my site, mainly to content.php generated pages from the vBulletin CMS. This simply entails modifying the existing plugin to look for additional hook locations.

While this is a quick project you must have a clear understanding of the plugin system, template hooks and vB CMS.

[Nirjonadda]

Does it work without manual template edit for 4.1.10 ?

[Ted S]

Does it work without manual template edit for 4.1.10 ?

The addon works the same in all version of vB 4 although we offer limited support with significantly outdated builds.

[rgreene1971]

I really like this and tagged it. Won't do me much good yet as I still haven't gotten Zombaio integrated with vB4 yet. Looking for help with that. Once I get that done and have some paying members this is going to be the perfect fit.

Did you ever find an integration for Zombaio with VB?

[Ted S]

Did you ever find an integration for Zombaio with VB?

The odds of the member returning to this thread are pretty slim... Best to send them a message.

[Footman]

Did you ever find an integration for Zombaio with VB?

Actually I'm using aMember (http://www.amember.com/p/) for that. They integrate between Zombaio and vB.

[Lpspider]

I have a question about this modification. Are these notifications dismissible? If not, is there any easy way to make them dismissible? I want my members to know their subscriptions are expiring but once they see it I want them to be able to hide then notification.

[Ted S]

I have a question about this modification. Are these notifications dismissible? If not, is there any easy way to make them dismissible? I want my members to know their subscriptions are expiring but once they see it I want them to be able to hide then notification.

They are not. Making them removable would require either moving over to the notices system or building some sort of cookie function.

[Toorak Times]

Hi Ted,

So, say, I have a Merchant usergroup that I sell access to a VIP type a/c (making certain marketing mods available) for say $200 a 3 month period, or 6 or 9, or 12 etc, this will notify them that they need to renew?

[Ted S]

So, say, I have a Merchant usergroup that I sell access to a VIP type a/c (making certain marketing mods available) for say $200 a 3 month period, or 6 or 9, or 12 etc, this will notify them that they need to renew?

If it's setup as subscriptions with expiration dates, yup.

[joeychgo]

Just a thought, this is a pretty good mod, but it might be a little better if there were POP up boxes or something that would help people notice better

[Ted S]

Just a thought, this is a pretty good mod, but it might be a little better if there were POP up boxes or something that would help people notice better

Thanks for the suggestion! Not much activity on this mod from the user base but it's very simple to customize how it appears if you don't want to wait around for updates.

[jnmann]

Just having a quick look at this. I have a recurring subscription service installed but the auto renew doesn't seem to be working properly.

Is this a stand-alone mod or does it work in conjunction with something already in VB please?

[Ted S]

Just having a quick look at this. I have a recurring subscription service installed but the auto renew doesn't seem to be working properly.

Is this a stand-alone mod or does it work in conjunction with something already in VB please?

This works with the default vB subscriptions. If you're using another system for more advanced options, notifications would not appear for it.

[Bat21]

Does this work with vB 4.2.2?

[Ted S]

Does this work with vB 4.2.2?

It should work with any 4.x version.

[iraqiboy90]

Show Expired Paid Subscription Notification

I want this to be shown for a certain period, not forever.

I tried modifying this code, but it just didnt do any change:
if ($vbulletin->options['subexp_exp'] && $sub_expires < (TIMENOW)){ $sub_when=1; $sub_phrase = '1'; } // already expiredto
if ($vbulletin->options['subexp_exp'] && $sub_expires < (TIMENOW + (86400 * -5))){ $sub_when=1; $sub_phrase = '1'; } // already expired

[Ted S]

Your formula just delays the start.

[iraqiboy90]

Your formula just delays the start.
Then how would I be doing it?

[Ted S]

I believe there's a subforum for coding help in the vB4 section of this site.

[DemOnstar]

I use this, it works well.

Do I understand correctly that a user cannot get a notification if they subscribe to a forum?
Just a thread?

Thanks.

[iraqiboy90]

I use this, it works well.

Do I understand correctly that a user cannot get a notification if they subscribe to a forum?
Just a thread?

Thanks.

Forum subscription gives you notification on new threads, I assume.
Thread subscription gives you notification on new posts.

[Ted S]

I use this, it works well.

Do I understand correctly that a user cannot get a notification if they subscribe to a forum?
Just a thread?

Thanks.

The addon keys off of paid subscription status. Nothing else will change how it displays or does not display.