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
***

[Mrdby]

keep us posted!!!

[Mrdby]

this bounced my email and i had a hard time updating..my email works fine.

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by Mrdby

this bounced my email

What does that mean? Many of the emails my forum sent out to inactive users bounced. That's because those email addreses are no longer valid.

and i had a hard time updating..my email works fine.

What does this mean? Updating involves just two steps: Upload the PHP file and import the product as "overwrite".

[Mrdby]

So all the emails are invalid?

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by Mrdby

So all the emails are invalid?

I don't know. That's why I asked for more detailed information.

How many were sent out? How many bounced? How long has it been since those members signed in? Do you use email verification for registrations? What did the bounced emails say (what was the error)?

Unless you are specific in your questrions, you can't expect a helpful answer.

[kokiri Kid]

Thank you so much, installed!

[Mrdby]

thing is..when i installed it..i guess i got a daily email or something. I never sent off any emails.

This email shows that the product is installed and working as it should be.

Emails sent to:caramel andreadenise babygrrl477 Loved1 ms.monalisa LadyJ TragBoogie sexy lil mama MzNilla KILLJOY27 Awww Hell GLO Supaprodusa Ashanti#1fan Edify47 Dimples LalaExperience Nilla kilaloc fashion_75 dredai JazzyJas2005 SweetnLuscious Lilmama84 Adreamsmom FAITHFUL-TRUELOVER SincrOne GoodOne Im2fucCinFly nvisdngerus Much2Much41 Ajax6973 NYAmicas O GIRL JusKolMeAl rde2run Blackspeare treytreyy homeless CoverGurl MistahLong boobie000 silvercadi terxav Shiznit Webber ruchirbhatnagar Lovely_E4U hemicuda82 Bishop501 mrbee80 lethel bond666 wrightfellow tre2375 rudeboy11 aparker kingjordon kingjordon1 nina myrna2381 fleetwood73 SoCalmSoCool mybeautifule devante_cream pipo21 cats2003meow Trillseeker247 tightpussy lingnaldo calandra04 woodstick1 daddyfatsacks7 ovadose tlcfan pimpdown rod240866 theOne Slpingbuty Msnikki OmniSlash2o6 dZihan TNasty deonc1972 puddin_4_ya mrwrite88 xavier72984 Gorgeous1 eddie SirDukeOf++++ eltherio gialoukis WCCD . We tried to email the followin!
g users, but their email address was invalid:

i got this email...alot have been back recently and had no bounced emails.

[djbaxter]

Mrdby, that information tells me nothing.

Look at the information returned with the email. It will tell you WHY the email bounced.

For example, even with valid email addresses, emails do sometimes bounce because:

1. there is a problem with the ISP mail server - this seems to happen intermittently especially with AOL, Yahoo, and Hotmail

2. the mailbox is full

3. the mailbox is temporarily unreachable

4. you have hit a spam filter that is blocking your email

5. other reasons that will be specified in the returned email

A list of member names tells me nothing.

thing is..when i installed it..i guess i got a daily email or something. I never sent off any emails.

The emails are sent out automatically. That's what the add-on does. Check your options for the mod under vBulletin Options from the ACP.

[Mrdby]

Ok Thanks

[obmob]

Oo WOW, so many arguments in the past days, i think this mod whould revert to 1.0.9 and then use the new as a Beta release, so anyone upgrading be aware it's a beta and might not work properly.

Also, back to 1.09 ^^,