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
***

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by s0lidgr0und

How do I go about removing the link that this mod added to the footer of my board without permission or without notification in the description of the modification?

You don't seem to have the vBulletin copyright notice in the footer of your forum either.

[s0lidgr0und]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

You don't seem to have the vBulletin copyright notice in the footer of your forum either.

I never noticed it wasn't there. I simply had the font color and the background color set to the same color. I updated it - thank you.

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

I'm not going to make a big deal about it if it doesn't show for whatever reason so dont worry about it, WEBDosser.

It annoys me however when people will download my code for their forum and then make demands of me, complain or wish not to give credit where credit is due.

It annoys me when people hide advertisements for their own site in a simple modification that my regular members will never even see due to the very nature of the modification.

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

uninstall the mod

AdminCP -> Manage Products -> Uninstall

I'll just edit it out, I found where it's been added. I don't think it would kill you to simply stick a sentence in the description of the mod stating that you'll be advertising for free on the site of whoever downloads and installs it. Seems like a slight lack of integrity.

[C Braithwaite]

an install doesn't benefit me, but a link on a site does as google will spider it and boost my pr

I can't stop people from editing it out.

but I coded it, I coded it my way, and if people choose to use my code then they can either accept the link or edit it out themselves.

as for putting a link in the emails that is not needed. a nice little discrete link at the bottom of the page will be sufficient.

now I will not discuss this further.

any suggestions or bugs feel free to comment

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by s0lidgr0und

It annoys me when people hide advertisements for their own site in a simple modification that my regular members will never even see due to the very nature of the modification.

I'll just edit it out, I found where it's been added. I don't think it would kill you to simply stick a sentence in the description of the mod stating that you'll be advertising for free on the site of whoever downloads and installs it. Seems like a slight lack of integrity.

That seems a little harsh to me.

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

an install doesn't benefit me, but a link on a site does as google will spider it and boost my pr

I can't stop people from editing it out.

but I coded it, I coded it my way, and if people choose to use my code then they can either accept the link or edit it out themselves.

Your choice, I suppose, and you're correct - those who object can edit it out. You might want to know, though, that it doesn't seem to be working - I don't see a link even in the vBulletin default theme and I haven't edited anything like that out of your add-on.

[s0lidgr0und]

I wasn't being harsh, I was being honest. I've only been doing this for two years but I've never known any of the other mods I've downloaded to chimp in a plug for themselves, especially without notifying the installer that they'd be doing so. I edited it out because I think it looked terrible. The modifications I have to my board aren't any of my members' concern nor will I allow it to be used as spider food to boost his site.

Dj, the link shows up way at the bottom near the JelSoft information.

[djbaxter]

Dj, the link shows up way at the bottom near the JelSoft information.

No it doesn't - not on my forum. have a look for yourself: http://forum.psychlinks.ca

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

No it doesn't - not on my forum. have a look for yourself: http://forum.psychlinks.ca

dont worry yourself about it - honestly - it's not important.

[airborneCAL]

Do the groups specified have to be primary groups or can they be additional groups? Also, what if a user that would receive an email is a member of more than one group you specify in the admin panel - would they get more than one email?

[s0lidgr0und]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

No it doesn't - not on my forum. have a look for yourself: http://forum.psychlinks.ca

Lucky you.

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by airborneCAL

Do the groups specified have to be primary groups or can they be additional groups? Also, what if a user that would receive an email is a member of more than one group you specify in the admin panel - would they get more than one email?

each member will only receive 1 email despite being a member of multiple. it will send out to them if they are secondary members of your specified usergroups.

does this cause a problem?