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

[cashpath]

When I admininster people with this I then get another bounced email from those that get a PM telling them to update thier email address.

Is that normal should I change a setting somewhere??

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by Antivirus

That's odd, for me when i click on it (no matter what email client i use) it opens the script iin a new window. Perhaps it's just your browser settings.

No. In my Outlook Express, the target="_blank" part wraps to the next line, "breaking" the full live link so it opens in the default window.

Not a big deal for me at all. I haven't even bothered to worry about how that might be fixed.

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by cashpath

When I admininster people with this I then get another bounced email from those that get a PM telling them to update thier email address.

Is that normal should I change a setting somewhere??

It's normal. The PM notification is sent to the email address on file, which of course bounces because it's sent before you realize the email address is invalid and click on the EZbounce link.

[cashpath]

Originally Posted by djbaxter

It's normal. The PM notification is sent to the email address on file, which of course bounces because it's sent before you realize the email address is invalid and click on the EZbounce link.

Except that the PM is sent after I clicked on the EZbounce link.. which means the persons email notifications should be off so when the PM is sent to them there should not be another email sent?

Or does EZbounce send the PM before it turns off the users email notification?

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by cashpath

Except that the PM is sent after I clicked on the EZbounce link.. which means the persons email notifications should be off so when the PM is sent to them there should not be another email sent?

Or does EZbounce send the PM before it turns off the users email notification?

D'oh!

Of course you're correct. I either need more coffee or more beer.

It happens on my forum as well so I assume it's normal.

[Black Tiger]

That's odd, for me when i click on it (no matter what email client i use) it opens the script iin a new window. Perhaps it's just your browser settings.

No it's not my browser settings.
When I click the link in the email, a new browser window is opened, that's not the problem.
But it does not open the index.php from admincp, but another php file.
Therefore, the left column of the admincp is not displayed.
After the action is done, I have to put it there manually, to be able to do other things or to be able to click on the logout funktion from the ACP.

[scotsmist]

Originally Posted by Antivirus

i know, i sent out a newsletter myself yesterday and got like 500+ bounces started searching vbcom for a soultion and came across your thread, so i made it

I have a few cool ideas for the next version, but not sure when i'm going to be able to code them. Hopefully soon.

Very useful addition thank you.

That is a lot of viewing and clicking email headers to direct to the admincp. Did you have the patience to click the link in all 500+ bounced email and change the user ? It will be less 'painful' after the first run and you just have to manage the day to day bounces.

I installed this on a site for someone and they tried it on the undeletableusers (userid 1) - not a good choice but as a result, the 'undeletableusers became a member of the bounced email user group and gave a few problems. It shouldn't have, the 'undeletableusers should be protected and IMHO the users should never be moved groups if its is set in config.php

	//	****** UNDELETABLE / UNALTERABLE USERS ******
	//	The users specified here will not be deletable or alterable from the control panel by any users.
	//	To specify more than one user, separate userids with commas.
$config['SpecialUsers']['undeletableusers'] = '1';

As a result of the above test, the following database error happened when the link in the email was clicked :

Database error in vBulletin 3.6.5:

Invalid SQL:
INSERT INTO administrator
(userid)
VALUES
(1);

MySQL Error : Duplicate entry '1' for key 1
Error Number : 1062
Date : Saturday, April 7th 2007 @ 03:25:02 PM
Script :
http://xxxx/forums/register.php?a=act&u=1&i=45254316
Referrer :

I would say that was caused by the 'undeletableusers' not be removed from the admin table, then some code trying to add them back to the administrator code.

Just thought you might like to know that.

[edit whoops, sorry, I just read that there's talk of this on page 7, I am laughing you guys think its funny, but in reality domains get blacklisted all the time, whole IP ranges too, so its very likely that a mod or worse, an admin could end up locked out of their board. Despite that, isn't it the coders responsibility to ensure that should a user do something silly, the code would not then crucify them ]

[josiespencer]

I sent out 22000+ emails to re-confirm email addresses. I got one back and it had the Bounce link. No way is that possible, there had to be hundreds if not thousands. So I am trying to figure out where they all went!

[djbaxter]

The emails do not go out all at once. They are staggered to limit the load on the mail server. Then at the other end, you have to wait for those mail servers to respond.

[josiespencer]

Do you know where they are stored until they are pushed out? I'd like to see how many there are left to be sent, etc.