Administrative and Maintenance Tools - EZ Bounced Email Management for Admins

DESCRIPTION:
This mod will insert a special EZbounce link into the header of all emails sent from your forums. In the event any email bounces back to you, you simply click the EZbounce link and the Ezbounce script launches, which will modify the bouncing members settings to prevent further bouncing emails. It will also send that member a PM asking them to update their email address.

This modification is known to work with versions as high as 3.8.x


FEATURES:

• Will not modify settings for Admins, Supermods, or Moderators if their email bounces
• (if turned on) Bouncing member is moved to whatever usergroup you set in AdminCP EZbounce Settings
• Updates bouncing member's "Receive Email from Administrators" setting to NO
• Updates bouncing member's "Receive Email Notification of New Private Messages" setting to NO
• Updates bouncing member's "Receive Email from Other Members" setting to NO
• Remove email notification for all of bouncing member's subscribed THREADS
• Remove email notification for all of bouncing member's subscribed FORUMS
• Turns on Popup Notification of new Private Messages for bouncing member
• PM is sent to Member notifying them of bounced email & asking them to update email address
• (if turned on) When member updates & confirms their new email, they are returned to original usergroup.

Now, the next time you send a newsletter from your AdminCP, (so long as you only send emails to members whom have "Receive Email From Administrators" set to "Yes") you will no longer receive a bounced email from this member (because they are no longer being sent).

And also, if you created a new usergroup such as "Bounced Members" and set this usergroupid in this hack's settings, now the members that have bounced can be pruned, sent reminder emails, whateveryou want to do with them!


WHAT IF A MEMBER DECIDED TO CLICK ON THE LINK IN THE EMAIL HEADER?
Most email clients don't show the email's headers by default, however in the event a member is slick enough to view their header and they click on this mysterious link, they will simply receive a no permission message since they're unallowed to log in to the AdminCP.


ZIP FILE CONTENTS:
1 Product (2 plugins, a couple phrases & installcode which adds 1 colum to user table)
1 File


HOW TO VIEW FULL EMAIL HEADERS:
You might need to configure your email client to view full email headers in order to see the EzBounce link. There's detailed instructions on how to do this for the most popular email clients here.


CHANGELOG:
#> 1.11 - released on 7/6/2008:
Fixed bug reported in post #583

#> 1.10 - released on 12/18/2007:
Added when bouncing member is managed for bouncing, their "Pop Up a Notification Box When New PM Is Received" setting is turned on before the notification PM is sent, to better ensure they are notified to update their email address.
Bought the new CD entitled Sleaze Freak by Scum Of The Earth on Amazon.com

#> 1.9 - released on 9/22/2007:
Added when bouncing member is managed for bouncing, their "Pop Up a Notification Box When New PM Is Received" setting is turned on before the notification PM is sent, to better ensure they are notified to update their email address.
Modified the way old usergroupid is restored so methos is more compatible with other installed mods.
Optimized some queries in ezbounce.php and plugin codes.

#> 1.8 - released on 6/1/2007:
Bug fix - fixed array_merge error for those running php 5.

#> 1.7 - released on 5/8/2007:
Bug fix - fixed bug where old usergroup was incorrectly being restored.

#> 1.6 - released on 4/26/2007:
Added protective measure for Admins, Supermods, or Mods who's email may have bounced. this makes sure their usergroup and settings are not modified

even if their email bounces.
When bouncing member is managed for bouncing, their "Receive Email Notification of New Private Messages" is now set to NO.
When bouncing member is managed for bouncing, their "Receive Email from Other Members" is now set to NO.
When bouncing member is managed for bouncing, email notification is turned OFF for all of bouncing user's subscribed threads.
When bouncing member is managed for bouncing, email notification is turned OFF for all of bouncing user's subscribed forums.

#> 1.5 - released on 2/17/2007:
Added option in Settings which allows admin to insert the EZbounce link into outgoing email's message body (for email clients which make it difficult to show

email headers or don't properly parse html links when displaying email headers.
Fixed bug where original usergroupid was being erased in the event admin processed bounced more than once for same member

#> 1.4 - released on 2/17/2007:
Fixed bug - PM is now sent regardless of whether or not bouncing member had "Enable Private Messaging" turned off in UserCP.
Fixed bug - Usergroup is now properly reset to what it was before member was managed for bouncing

#> 1.3 - released on 2/15/2007:
New setting in AdminCP which gives option to move bouncing members into any usergroup of Admin's choice
If member had previously bounced, and they update their email, they are moved back to their original usergroup

#> 1.2 - released on 2/10/2007:
Bouncing members are now handled by setting their preference to receive admin emails to "no"
Sends PM to member notifying them email bounced
If / when member updates his/her email their preference to receive admin emails is reset to "yes"

#> 1.0 - released on 2/8/2007
Original release


If you like this hack, please click Nominate for MOTM

[NeutralizeR]

Originally Posted by Antivirus

There's a macro application that some members are using in tandem with this mod, it's a few pages back.

I couldn't understand which one it's...

[Alfa1]

Look at the post above yours. The quote from Devices, comes from his post explaining all:

Originally Posted by Devices

I am no PHP expert, my PHP knowledge is very basic but this is what I did.

In ezbounce.php on line 46 look for

$vbulletin->input->clean_gpc('r', 'u', TYPE_UINT);

Change it to

$vbulletin->input->clean_gpc('r', 'u', TYPE_STR);

Then on line 51 look for

WHERE userid = " . $vbulletin->GPC['u'] . "

Change it to

WHERE email = " . $vbulletin->GPC['u'] . "

Now the URL will except your users email instead of their userid.

You just need to use

http://yourdomain.com/forum/admincp/ezbounce.php?u=(USERS@EMAIL)

To process the user, replacing (USER@EMAIL) with your actual users email address.

Regarding the Macro, I use Macro Express and it is quite basic but very specific to me so sharing it would not really help you. Here are the steps I carried out though.

I sent a mass mailing to members, and the bounces start to arrive.
I then use eMail Bounce Handler to grab and handle the bounces.
After about 24 hours I have the majority of the bounces so I export all the hard bounces to a txt file.
Then I use Macro Express to process the list.

The macro basically doe this

Brings the txt file full of emails one per line to the front.
Positions the curser at the front of the first line then cuts the first line
Presses delete to remove the blank line left after the cut.
Brings my browser to the front and selects all in the URL box.
Types in the ezbounce URL stopping after the "="
Pastes the email address and hits enter
A 5 second delay then it repeats itself.

Very primitive I know but it does the job. If I had more time I would learn how to read in a txt file and process the emails all within the script but it was quicker for me to just use a macro at this time.

Now the end result I just have some soft bounces left that I can check more closely before adding them to a list.

Over the next few days there will be some odd bounces etc so I can wait and process them later.

I hope this helps and if you do use Macro Express and want my macro file as a starting point I am happy to share. You will need to tweak it specific for you but I can help with that if you need it.

eMail Bounce Handler
Macro Express

[NeutralizeR]

Thank you.

[Antivirus]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

You forgot to change the version number from 1.10 to 1.11 in the XML file for July 9 update.

(doh!) thanks for pointing that out. fixing right now

[NeutralizeR]

Originally Posted by Alfa1

Thanks!



This gives me errors:

PHP Code:

Database error in vBulletin 3.7.1:

Invalid SQL:

            SELECT * FROM vb_user
    WHERE email = user@hotmail.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 '@hotmail.com' at line 2
Error Number  : 1064
Request Date  : Sunday, July 13th 2008 @ 09:58:03 PM
Error Date    : Sunday, July 13th 2008 @ 09:58:03 PM
Script        : http://www.mysite/forum/admincp/ezbounce.php?u=user@hotmail.com
Referrer      : 
IP Address    : xx.xx.xx.xx
Username      : Alfa1
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.45 


I am using vb 3.7.1 PL2

Could you able to fix it? I've the same problem.

[Alfa1]

Originally Posted by NeutralizeR

Could you able to fix it? I've the same problem.

This would have been the solution to automatize it completely.

[Gersfan]

Does this work on 3.7 version?

[djbaxter]

It's working fine for me - 3.72 PL1

[Gersfan]

Thanks DJ, I seen another mod that puts the users into the group for you but it's not working so this one looks just fine, Cheers.

Also what if the member becomes active again and he's in this bounced email group or Users Awaiting Email Confirmation, If they update there Email Address how do they get back to Registered members?

[Gene Steinberg]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

It's working fine for me - 3.72 PL1

I've tried it in 3.7.2 PL2 and it simply doesn't work. Whether I set it to leave the link in the email or in the header, it never appears on the bounced messages that are returned to me. I've tried several email clients. Same difference.

I'd love to use it if I could have a working version. And the other bounce management system for 3.7.x is only partly functional.

Peace,
Gene