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
***

[RedTrinity]

Hi CBraithwaite,

Just imported the new 2.1 xml plugin and all seems to be well, however I have noticed whenever I tick the usergroup boxes ie. "Which usergroups do you want to monitor for inactivity?" and then submit, it goes through successfully - but then all boxes become unticked again after it returns to the options?

Not sure if this is a bug or not

Also how does this run, is it by scheduled task? I can't seem to find an entry in there for this plugin, tis all

Thanks in advance for your help

[Fraik]

After installing the updated 1.2, I am getting a database error on all of my forum pages

[Osama11]

I have installed inactive email reminder..but its sending a email from my host email adresss..how can i changed the email adresss...

can some 1 plzz tell me...

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by GamerGirl27

Hi CBraithwaite,

Just imported the new 2.1 xml plugin and all seems to be well, however I have noticed whenever I tick the usergroup boxes ie. "Which usergroups do you want to monitor for inactivity?" and then submit, it goes through successfully - but then all boxes become unticked again after it returns to the options?

Not sure if this is a bug or not

Also how does this run, is it by scheduled task? I can't seem to find an entry in there for this plugin, tis all

Thanks in advance for your help

it is a slight bug, however its not a real issue - the settings do get saved, but it doesnt load them up again properly! i have fixed it, but it didnt seem worth it to upload and notify just for that. it will be in next update.

it uses init_startup to process.

Originally Posted by Fraik

After installing the updated 1.2, I am getting a database error on all of my forum pages

what is the error? if you are having problems removing the plugin due to the error, delete the pluginlist entry from the datastore table directly from your databse.

Originally Posted by Osama11

I have installed inactive email reminder..but its sending a email from my host email adresss..how can i changed the email adresss...

can some 1 plzz tell me...

it uses the $vbulletin->options['webmasteremail']; setting, and is sent using the vbulletin built in mail queue setting - do you the same issue when you send other emails? is it likely that you did not specify an email address on your vbulletin install?

[RedTrinity]

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

it is a slight bug, however its not a real issue - the settings do get saved, but it doesnt load them up again properly! i have fixed it, but it didnt seem worth it to upload and notify just for that. it will be in next update.

it uses init_startup to process.

Ok thanks for that information

So how do I check what members it has emailed reminders to, and that they have all gone out successfully? Ie. A log of all activity by this plugin? Generally this is done by the scheduled task log if its a timed task, but obviously its not the case this time round

Thanks in advance.

[suvari1794]

Originally Posted by Fraik

After installing the updated 1.2, I am getting a database error on all of my forum pages

I am too

Database error in vBulletin 3.7.2:

Invalid SQL:

INSERT INTO mailqueue (dateline,toemail,fromemail,subject,message,header) VALUES ('1218968479','caginsan@gmail.com','admin@amaney.com','Merhaba $username!','<p>Merhaba _-'CaGo'-_!</p>
<p>Baya?? bir zamand?r forumumuzda sizi g?remiyoruz. Forumumuza tekrar g?zatmak istemez misiniz?</p>
<p>E?er ?ifrenizi unuttuysan?z , buradan ?ifre talep edebilirsiniz:
<a
href="/login.php?do=lostpw">/login.php?do=lostpw</a></p>
<p>Sizi
yeniden aram?zda g?rmek dile?iyle...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href=""></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
E?er bu e-postalardan bir daha almak  istemiyorsan?z sitemize ?yeli?inizle giri? yapmal?s?n?z ve kontrol panelinizdeki  ayarlar?n?zdan "Administrat?rler Bilgi E-Mailleri G?ndersinler" se?ene?ini kald?rmal?s?n?z.','MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
To: _-'CaGo'-_ <caginsan@gmail.com>
From: Amaney.com Reminder Service <admin@amaney.com>
');

MySQL Error   : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'CaGo'-_!</p>
<p>Baya?? bir zamand?r forumumuzda sizi g?remiyoruz. Forumumuza te' at line 1
Error Number  : 1064

Request Date  : Sunday, August 17th 2008 @ 01:21:19 PM
Error Date    : Sunday, August 17th 2008 @ 01:21:19 PM
Script        : http://www.amaney.com/forum/komik-ya...eni-mesaj.html
Referrer      : http://www.amaney.com/forum/

IP Address    : ****
- Alıntı metni gizle -
Username      :
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version :

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by GamerGirl27

Ok thanks for that information

So how do I check what members it has emailed reminders to, and that they have all gone out successfully? Ie. A log of all activity by this plugin? Generally this is done by the scheduled task log if its a timed task, but obviously its not the case this time round

Thanks in advance.

i have just updated the plugin to fix some bugs. I've also added some reports (see screenshots)

Originally Posted by suvari1794

I am too

Database error in vBulletin 3.7.2:

Invalid SQL:

INSERT INTO mailqueue (dateline,toemail,fromemail,subject,message,header) VALUES ('1218968479','caginsan@gmail.com','admin@amaney.com','Merhaba $username!','<p>Merhaba _-'CaGo'-_!</p>
<p>Baya?? bir zamand?r forumumuzda sizi g?remiyoruz. Forumumuza tekrar g?zatmak istemez misiniz?</p>
<p>E?er ?ifrenizi unuttuysan?z , buradan ?ifre talep edebilirsiniz:
<a
href="/login.php?do=lostpw">/login.php?do=lostpw</a></p>
<p>Sizi
yeniden aram?zda g?rmek dile?iyle...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href=""></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
E?er bu e-postalardan bir daha almak  istemiyorsan?z sitemize ?yeli?inizle giri? yapmal?s?n?z ve kontrol panelinizdeki  ayarlar?n?zdan "Administrat?rler Bilgi E-Mailleri G?ndersinler" se?ene?ini kald?rmal?s?n?z.','MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
To: _-'CaGo'-_ <caginsan@gmail.com>
From: Amaney.com Reminder Service <admin@amaney.com>
');

MySQL Error   : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'CaGo'-_!</p>
<p>Baya?? bir zamand?r forumumuzda sizi g?remiyoruz. Forumumuza te' at line 1
Error Number  : 1064

Request Date  : Sunday, August 17th 2008 @ 01:21:19 PM
Error Date    : Sunday, August 17th 2008 @ 01:21:19 PM
Script        : http://www.amaney.com/forum/komik-ya...eni-mesaj.html
Referrer      : http://www.amaney.com/forum/

IP Address    : ****
- Alıntı metni gizle -
Username      :
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version :

sorry about that - update the plugin and the bug should have been removed.

[Fraik]

I will try the plugin again later today

[RedPoint]

Old plugin deinstalled, new installed, setting, run
Thank you CBraithwaite for this plugin

Regards

[EagleNick]

I'm running version 1.1.1 on vB 3.7.2PL1 and it's working fine.

I see that some other members are having errors with your later updates...?

I think I'm just going to stay put. I don't want it to break.