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
***

[aj8690]

Thank you!!! I really like this!

[Morrus]

Nice idea! I've installed it, but get the following error (same as someone above, but the file *is* in the right place; the /includes/cron/ directory). Any ideas?

Warning: main(/www/circvsmaximvs.com/production/htdocs/./includes/cron/remindermail.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 108

Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening '/www/circvsmaximvs.com/production/htdocs/./includes/cron/remindermail.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 108

[cashpath]

My scheduled tasks stopped running do to this.....

I have no idea how to figure out what it was that caused them to stop running but I know disabling this allows them to work and enabling it breaks the scheduled tasks.

I'de like to use this hack but need my scheduled tasks to work..

[Greek76]

How do you know if actually send out the emails? Im kind of naive with it Ill admit. I installed it, fixed the options to my liking. Then I went to schedule task manager and clicked to run the reminder inactive users now. So is that suppose to send out the emails immediately if so I dont see anything happening? Thanks

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by Greek76

How do you know if actually send out the emails? Im kind of naive with it Ill admit. I installed it, fixed the options to my liking. Then I went to schedule task manager and clicked to run the reminder inactive users now. So is that suppose to send out the emails immediately if so I dont see anything happening? Thanks

Running the cronjob manually, you will see a list of any emails sent out (i.e., for members who meet your criteria for inactive) followed by the word "Done". If no members meet the criteria, you should just see the word "Done".

[bada_bing]

I would like to install this mod on my 3.5.3 site,, Will this 3.6.x version work?

[bada_bing]

Another question what does this feature do "Email Frequency" can someone tell me in more details what this does exactly?

[djbaxter]

Enter the number of days you want to elapse before any subsequent reminder emails are sent out.

For example, on my forum I have it set to identify someone as inactive after 90 days of no activity. After that, it will send out a reminder email every 30 days - so I entered 30 in that box.

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

The latest version of this add-on (just installed this morning after receiving an update notice) is sending out emails to members with "receive admin emails" already set to off.

Originally Posted by C Braithwaite

I will fix the sending to opted out thingy in the morning

Any update for this issue yet, Chris?

[C Braithwaite]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

Any update for this issue yet, Chris?

sorry i cant find where the setting is stored...

as soon as i find it ill update it.