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 ElForro

I'm a little confused... In the report I get everyday, I see 10/20 users who received the mail... I checked that users and of course, they are inactive since 60 days (that's my setting)... However, if i search users who where active AFTER 60 days ago and BEFORE 59 days ago (inactive for 60 days) i have tons of them (100/150)... I don't understand how this hack gets the "inactivity"... My forum has over 40.000 registered users, and I'm sure that there are a lot more than 10/20 users who reach every day the "60 day" inactivity...

I've tried searching users wich were last active 60 days ago, AND have 1 or more posts.. And that results are more like the sent emails (20/30)... But even like that, I found users who where not emailed (checking the log)... I checked that users to see if it could be something with the "receive E-Mail from administrators" but it's not that either... So, I really don't know wich parameter take this script to send out the emails...


Any clue?

This is the way it's designed to work. The add-on starts at the beginning of your memberlist (in the database) and gradually works its way through sending out a few emails at a time. This is intentional, to avoid overwhelming your mail server and/or getting your site blacklisted by spam filters. Eventually, it will get them all and start over at the beginning.

[ElForro]

Thanks.... but, I will have to wait until... next year in order to get all the inactive users to be emailed? I mean, if it only sends out a few mails per day, and I've got over 40K registered users, it will never get all the inactive users...
Besides that, one day sends 13 mails, other 20, I can't see any "consistent" number of mails sent each day... Are you sure it works like that?

Thanks again!

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by ElForro

Thanks.... but, I will have to wait until... next year in order to get all the inactive users to be emailed? I mean, if it only sends out a few mails per day, and I've got over 40K registered users, it will never get all the inactive users...
Besides that, one day sends 13 mails, other 20, I can't see any "consistent" number of mails sent each day... Are you sure it works like that?

Which version are you using?

[YLP1]

I uninstalled ver1.11 and installed ver1.09 --- all emails are "failed" yet all other vb email functions work e.g. activation emails, reminders, subscriptions.

I have disabled the product hoping that a solution can be found because this is an awesome tool.

[Iceman62]

It's not working for me. This is what I got when I ran it manually.

Inactive User Reminder Emails


Warning: include_once(/home/xxxxxxxx/public_html/forums/./includes/cron/remindermail.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 110

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/xxxxxxxx/public_html/forums/./includes/cron/remindermail.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 110

Done

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by Iceman62

It's not working for me. This is what I got when I ran it manually.

You're answer is in the error message - see highlighted parts.

The path to the cron file remindermail.php is incorrect.

Change it to read "./includes/cron/remindermail.php".

[Iceman62]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

The path to the cron file remindermail.php is incorrect.

Change it to read "./includes/cron/remindermail.php".

Uhhh, where? (i'm no coder. :erm: )

[djbaxter]

Admin CP | Scheduled Tasks | Scheduled Task Manager

Scroll down to find Inactive User Reminder Emails

Click "Go" next to "Edit" in the drop down box

Scroll down to Filename and enter the correct path in the text box to the right of that label

[chkdgate]

Just installed. In a couple days I'll see how effective this is.

[axi]

niec hack.!

whats this 'credit' thing all about in the settings?? i dont get it can someone explain??