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 cheech47

Looks good but just a few quick questions:
What email address does this registered as sent from?
And is there a way to change this if we wanted?

It's sent from the email address specified in your Admin CP as the forum email address.

Originally Posted by Rocko

Why does this add on sent 5 emails to the users, even when I have set the email frequency to 1?

Frequency = 1 means that it will send out additional emails after 1 day. See comment by towermatt below for more information:

Originally Posted by towermatt

I have installed the 1.09 version on my board with no problems.

A really weird thing happened when I read the entire thread before uploading.

It answered all my questions!!

Thank you for the great hack.

[tekguru]

Nice Mod, just installed it and ran it - it took a while but ended up sending out 7312 emails!

So far as well over 300 bounced emails back from addresses that no longer exist! I know there is a Mod which can take care of this but I beleive it is a manual operation. What we really need is a Mod which will read bounced emails and move the user into a 'bounced' usergroup.

I guess we have way too many inactive users! Heres hoping it makes a difference!

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by Zaiaku

Ok my test went ok but when I change the usergroup I get this

Emails sent to:Array. We tried to email the following users, but their email address was invalid:Array

I don't have a member called array so I know something is wrong. And the report is showing up with:

Reminders Sent: 0
Not Sent: 0
Total Inactive: 0

Originally Posted by Zaiaku

Never mind I got it all working out now. Definitely a great mod!

glad you like the mod - what was the problem, and how did you fix it?

Originally Posted by djbaxter

Frequency = 1 means that it will send out additional emails after 1 day. See comment by towermatt below for more information:

LOL!

Originally Posted by tekguru

Nice Mod, just installed it and ran it - it took a while but ended up sending out 7312 emails!

So far as well over 300 bounced emails back from addresses that no longer exist! I know there is a Mod which can take care of this but I beleive it is a manual operation. What we really need is a Mod which will read bounced emails and move the user into a 'bounced' usergroup.

I guess we have way too many inactive users! Heres hoping it makes a difference!

there is a mod - i cant remember what it's called - but djbaxter knows the name..

[blogtorank]

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

there is a mod - i cant remember what it's called - but djbaxter knows the name..

Kick arse mod:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=138884

[tekguru]

Cheers - I wish it was automatic, but grabbing a copy now!

[chrisbr]

I have a problem with this,

I have the email frequency set to 30 days, but it runs EVERY day!

How can i fix this?

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by tekguru

Nice Mod, just installed it and ran it - it took a while but ended up sending out 7312 emails!

So far as well over 300 bounced emails back from addresses that no longer exist! I know there is a Mod which can take care of this but I beleive it is a manual operation. What we really need is a Mod which will read bounced emails and move the user into a 'bounced' usergroup.

I guess we have way too many inactive users! Heres hoping it makes a difference!

The other add-on is called EZ Bounce. It does require manual clicks on bounced emails so there will be some work to do for the first run through your database, but after that the maintenance is minimal.

Originally Posted by chrisbr

I have a problem with this,

I have the email frequency set to 30 days, but it runs EVERY day!

How can i fix this?

Frequency = 30 days means that an individual member won't get a second reminder email for 30 days.

If you're using 1.09, the add-on will run as a scheduled task every day, sending out batches of emails to a limited number of inactive members and in that fashion gradually working through your member list.

[chrisbr]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

Frequency = 30 days means that an individual member won't get a second reminder email for 30 days.

If you're using 1.09, the add-on will run as a scheduled task every day, sending out batches of emails to a limited number of inactive members and in that fashion gradually working through your member list.

is there anyway that I can just get it to run on a ccertain date? like every 30 days or whatever? Its pretty annpying to have an email every day saying this product is working properly bleh blah blah

[tekguru]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

The other add-on is called EZ Bounce. It does require manual clicks on bounced emails so there will be some work to do for the first run through your database, but after that the maintenance is minimal..

Yep so I gathered, now installed and we'll see what happens in 30 days

[jkay]

Hi,

When I use this mod, when my vbulletin sends a email reminder to my members, it quotes the wrong username. Why is this so?

Also, I did not set the setting of the mod to YES, activate product. Yet it managed to send out 1 round of emails last night.

Can you please assist me thanks!