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
***

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by StonePilot

I'm getting the same bug, and I have lost my ability to get into ADMINCP. Any advice?

see previous post...

[StonePilot]

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

there was a bug and a half in 1.2.1 - i've hopefully erased that now. you need to go into phpMyAdmin and locate the "datastore" table and delete the row "pluginlist" and that will unlock the site. Go back into admin CP and remove the plugin.

Ok, deleted the row and it came back.

Yeah, bugs suck ... but all software has them from Microsoft down to vb plugins. No long term harm, but I don't have to to any aerobics for a month. Great product, it's been very benefitial to helping grow my community.


** Update, now MYSQL is reporting that Datastore has been corrupted and needs to be repaired. **

[StonePilot]

Ended up having to rebuild the Datastore table and then going back in and deleting the lines again. Then logged in quickly and uninstalled the product and it's working fine and got it all back up.

[iogames]

Thanks Chris!

Like 2 months someone made a hack for the same purpose and ranted over your hack but I kept yours because I was happy with it...

Now that you upgrade, looks good and professional, I've not regret been waited for so long...
Seems to work like a charm!

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by StonePilot

Ended up having to rebuild the Datastore table and then going back in and deleting the lines again. Then logged in quickly and uninstalled the product and it's working fine and got it all back up.

I am so glad to hear it is working properly now! verry sorry for the problems ive caused, but thank you all so much for the feedback and bug reports!

Originally Posted by iogames

Thanks Chris!

Like 2 months someone made a hack for the same purpose and ranted over your hack but I kept yours because I was happy with it...

Now that you upgrade, looks good and professional, I've not regret been waited for so long...
Seems to work like a charm!

Thank you verymuch - I do try my best

[tekguru]

So is this version now 100% debugged and vB 3.7.2 compatible?

[bugriders]

I have upgraded my board to 3.7.2 patch 1.

Some members asked me to delete there account. I did that but they still receive the emails.
What can be the problem?

[Artes_Marciales]

+1 same cuestion here.

[C Braithwaite]

I hope we are now 100% bug free!

In regards to deleted members:

If a member has been fully deleted from the databasr then it is impossible for the plugin to contact them unless there is already a mail in the mail queue waiting to go.

if however you are just moving the user to a different usergroup then you need to make sure that the usergroup is not in the list to be monitored.

hope this helps.

[dfc005]

I'm checking out the Report for Inactive Users and it doesn't seem to be showing unique users at all. A bunch of userid/usernames are repeated lots of times. Is that a bug?