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
***

[marius25]

Just installed it on 3.6.8

When I click on reports it shows me all my inactive users (1500). Does it means the system already sent an email to them? ..or the reports only show my inactive users and not the emails that was sent? Hope the system didn't sent email to them already because I set only 10 emails per day.

Thanks
Marius

[jokerz]

Originally Posted by TheOptimist

Just tried to install it to 3.8.4 and got error message that it's only for boards running at least 3.6 and not 3.7 or greater...

So...

...any plans or other hacks as good as this one, for 3.8.4 ?

same. its not compatible for 3.8.4

[Redzzand]

Originally Posted by jokerz

same. its not compatible for 3.8.4

need this for 3.8.4 !!!!

[Leo Brazil]

I've been using this version even on my 3.8.4 until couple of weeks ago

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=188383

Problem is for some reason this mod was sending tons of the same reminders for the same user at the same time and it was killing my server load.
This problem was already reported by several users here and so far none plausible cause or solution were given to.

This used to be the most important mod I used to have on my boar and have to uninstall it due this issue. It's too bad not getting any support for so long.

[Riccardo83]

Need it as well... Damn, is there no other plugin?

[GTX2]

Is v1.2.7 working with vb 3.6.4 ?
I installed this mod, uploaded both files and plugin OK, but then i get a blank page in the menu settings.... ?

And this might sound weird, but when i have this mod activated, and try to register on my forum using register.php page (all cookies cleaned, IE TEMP files, and forms also), the fields username and email will be already filled up with a random user from my database (?) ? ?

It acts just like i had previously submitted those usernames/emails and IE memorized those, but i never did...
If i close the browser and open again register page, i get another username from my db and another email.....
If i disable hack and try to register, everything is fine!
I'm confused...

[Pamela]

I'm really hoping that this will be upgraded to 4.0 compatible. Such a useful mod!

[bornoffire]

I'm waiting also...

[Veer]

Me too....

[Leo Brazil]

Yes, for sure. So I'm the 4th on the same line.