Mini Mods - Email reminder for inactive users

Inactive reminder emails. This mod was designed to send out a reminder to inactive members to try and win them back.

***1.2.7 Update***
This update includes built in support for bouncing emails. The script will automatically detect the bounced mail, mark it as bounced so the user is not to be contacted again so as to avoid spam, and then move that user into a seperate usergroup. This plugin is still in it's testing stages, but I have addressed the bugs mentioned previously regarding the emailing side of things.

This is important so keep reading
To install this plugin and take advantage of the bounced email features you are going to need to follow these instructions very carefully. I can not gaurentee that they will work to the letter as this will be based on each persons individual hosting settings.

Step 1: Pre Install
Before you touch this product you need to do the following

• Create an "inactive" usergroup
• Set up a "bounce to" email address
  Pick an email address that you want to use as your bounced email address. Im using "bounce@icora.co.uk". feel free to use whatever you wish.
• Add a email message filter
  This is the hard part. You need to set up a filter that will 'pipe' an email sent to the above email address.
  I am using Cpanel 11 and this is how i have mine set up:
  Rules: 'To' 'Equals' 'bounce@icora.co.uk'
  Actions: 'Pipe to program' with the setting: |/usr/local/bin/php /home/icora/public_html/forum/bounce.php
  This will depend entirely on your settings and structure so you may have to do a little research. It would be very helfull if people who have to use diferent configurations would post them on here.
• Go into vBulletin options, and find the options for 'Emails'. there is a setting asking you if you want to use '-f'. set this to yes.
• While still inn the email options set the 'Bounce Email Address' to your above address.

Step 2: Install
Remove all previous trace of this modification, and upload all the files in the "upload" folder to your base directory of the server.
Go into your product management section and add a new product. upload the XML file with overwrite selected.
Refresh your admin CP to load the new menu items. Just under the "users" group you will find an "Inactive Reminders" group. open that up and click on settings.
Play with these settings and options to suit for the most part. when you come down to the bounce settings you MUST use the same email address as the one you created above.
Set to active and save.

I must re-iterate that this version has not been widely tested, but the simulations i have ran have worked. I look forward to your feedback!

Features:

• Select the period of time before a user is considered inactive.
• Select how many emails to send to each inactive user per inactivity period
• Choose weather inactivity is based on members "Last Post" or their "Last Visit"
• Specify how often followup emails are sent
• Specify alternative emails to send to reduce repetition
• Keep a log of all inactive users contacted

Planned Updates:

• More detail in reports
• ...such as
• Which useres returned
• Effectivness stats
• Email validity

**1.2.1 Update***
Added more detail to the reports section. You can now see the email address, and quickly indicate which emails were invalid. You can link directly to that user to edit as you wish.
I have fixed some errors which have been crashing people's database. Please post any problems if you can.

**1.2.3 Update***
Fixed several problems with escaping strings
Stopped database errors locking up site
***

**1.2.4 Update***
Added a "From Email" so you can specify your own email address to send the reminders from.
Fixed potential bug for people who do not use the mail queue.

Anyone having problems with sending emails out too fast, and multiple emails being sent need to consider changing their email settings in vbulletin options.
People with emails going out too fast - edit Number of Emails to Send Per Batch to a lower amount
People with multiple emails sending - edit Use Mailqueue System to "Yes, with locking"
***

**1.2.5 Update***
Added more stats in the reports page, also added a "Send test email" option so users can test the functionality of the mod
***

[piraterevival]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

Install it. Set up the options the way you want it, being careful to keep the number of emails sent out small. Go to scheduled tasks and set up the cron job the way you want it. Then run the cron job manually to test it all.

Cheers for the reply.

Only seems to work when I select "Based on last Post". When I select, based on last activity, I get "Found 0 Inactive Users"

I have 3,000 members and the Forum reports 700 active users based on the 60day Last Activity, so this MOD should email around 2,300 members.

I think thats right?

Thanks again

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by piraterevival

Cheers for the reply.

Only seems to work when I select "Based on last Post". When I select, based on last activity, I get "Found 0 Inactive Users"

I have 3,000 members and the Forum reports 700 active users based on the 60day Last Activity, so this MOD should email around 2,300 members.

I think thats right?

Thanks again

I'm not certain how the standard vBulletin "active" status works but I use this add-on in "Based on last activity" mode and it works just fine - note that logging in counts as activity.

What version of the add-on are you using? I and others had problems with version 1.11 so version 1.09 is recommended.

[bhanuprasad1981]

i always recieve
email sent to follwing users xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
We tried to email the following users, but their email address was invalid:
though emails were valid

[todays-women]

I don’t know why but when I installed 1.0.9. My data corrupted and my forum was close for one day. After restoring & everything I still didn’t manage to get last 2 week data.
Concept is good but not for me. Any way you can send mail to inactive member from inbuilt email fetcher in one click.

[hotdude_55]

Is it really working ??

I have tried it but its not sending any mails

[-=Leb=-]

It seems like the email reminder is not working. This is what i get on every member

This email shows that the product is installed and working as it should be. Emails sent to: USERNAMES . We tried to email the following users, but their email address was invalid:

The email reminder keep saying invalid email address on all members. I'm running VB 3.6.8
and installed email reminder V 1.11 . I appreciate if you can help

[zeus_r6]

My scheduled task log says that it emailed all the inactive members, but none are actually receiving the email

[zeus_r6]

Switched to the older version and it works!

[mariocaz]

Hello,

I can´t find the control panel to modify the setting of this mod in my forum.

I search in VBulletin Options and is not there!!, help.

[mariocaz]

Never mind, I found it, is there.

thank you a lot great mod!!