WMail - a POP3/SMTP Webmailer for vBulletin

What is this?
---------------
WMail is a "webmail client" - a front end, like a mail tool installed locally on your PC, for using POP3/SMTP mailboxes.

In short:
WMail adds POP3/SMTP access to vBulletin.

A live demo can currentliy be found on my testing board here:
http://vbdev.area-42.net/wmail.php


Key features:

• The obvious: Getting mailbox content, reading mails from every POP3 mailbox and sending mails through any SMTP server (configurable in the user options)
• written from scratch, spezificially to be used with vBulletin 3.5.x - not a port of something
• fully phrased and templated down to the last bit
• Full multipart support for downloading (and sending) attachments
• When reading mail the mail text is parsed for BB-Codes, so you get the graphical smillies from the forum, text formatting and URLs automatically become clickable links
• When replying to, or forwarding, mail the text of the original mail is quoted, propper quotemarks are added and a quote-header is added (customizable via template)
• various options for admin and users to customize the webmail client
• Does NOT require any special modules to be compiled into your PHP installation (like the IMAP libraries)
  (for techies: this uses basic socket connections instead of special PHP function calls)
• Admin can override certain aspects of the user config (forcing to use a given mailserver, force using forum email address and such)
• Write your mails using vB's WYSIWYG editor
• buildin (yet simple) addressbook for your E-Mail contacts
• Read/Unread markings - unread mails are highlighted, options for "mark selected read", "mark all read" and "mark selected unread"
• custom hooks to make it easy to develop addons for it
• automatically adds links to the webmailer in "Quick Links" menu, navbar and UserCP. Usualy no template edits needed when using default ones (can be disabled for each link in admin options)

Planned features:

• Support for multiple config sets per user
  (and so multiple mailbox accounts that can be querried)
• Sort mails into folders
• User configurable filters (for automatically sorting mails into folders)
• Preview of mailtext in inbox view (bellow subject)
• Forward mails as PM / Forward PMs as mail
• Reply to threads and PMs by mail
• Give/Provide your members an own eMail adress and inbox on your forums!
  • Members can recieve and send mails as "username@forumdomain.tld" without the need for an own POP3 account anywhere
  • Admin only needs ONE "real" POP3 box as "catch all".

Installation
--------------

Level : EASY
Duration : a minute or so
Files to upload : yes (11)
Products to import : yes (1)
Templates to edit : usually none


ChangeLog
===========
1.00 - first final release

• Fixed some minor bugs
• Login details are no longer stored as plain text in the database (*see note bellow!)
• Added option to save login details in a cookie on the users local computer instead of storing them in the forum's database

* Note on storing the login details in the database:
The login details are only base64 encoded when stored in the database.
A more secure encryption would make no sense anyway, the login details must be decrypted to be passed to the POP3/SMTP server - one well placed line of additional code in the POP3 or SMTP class could save the decrypted info anywhere the admin likes.
This "encoding" is only meant to prevent login details to be read (in plaintext) when doing maintanance to the database and stepping over it.
For fully securing the login details the "Save in cookie" option has been added.

Known Issues:

• On some installations mass deletion of mails (via "Delete Selected" from the inbox view) does not delete all mails
• Sometimes you get "-4 mails in inbox" - reloading the page then shows the correct inbox again

Besides of those two issues, that do not really break the function of the webmailer, it seemed to run pretty stable so far - that's why I decided to release 1.00 without having them resolved.


(more changelog entries in the readme)

____________________
This vBulletin extension is FREE! Be welcome to download and use it.
However, if you feel like supporting further development any donation is appreciated :bunny:

[maranello]

Alright, about the STMP Authentication. I installed the updated version, right now i CAN receive e-mails, but I can't send them. When I try to send them, this is what I get:

There has been an error while talking to your SMTP server!
Sessionlog follows:

Connection to xxxxxxxxxx:25....
Sent: helo localhost
Rcvd: 220-We do not authorize the use of this system to transport unsolicited, 220 and/or bulk e-mail.
Sent: auth login
Rcvd: 250 old46.xxxxxxxxxx.com Hello localhost [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]
Sent: MAIL FROM:yyy@xxxxxxxxxx.com
Rcvd: 503 AUTH command used when not advertised
Sent: RCPT TO:yyy@xxxxxxxxxx.com
Rcvd: 250 OK
Sent: DATA
Rcvd: 250 Accepted
Sent: QUIT
Rcvd: 354 Enter message, ending with "." on a line by itself

You have the following options in your mail client:

1. Regular Account Login
2. Plain Text Login
3. No login

However you need:

4. STMP Authentication Login as well. If you have outlook or outlook express, when you set up an account, you ll first enter your user and pass. Until that part your client works exactly the same, however, in outlook, if you go to advanced->outbound-sendmail there you ll see "My Mail Server Requires STMP Authentication", and below it, you ll see "use the same login information I entered". That's what's missing. When sending e-mail, in order to prevent bulk-spam, STMP servers use this authentication. Almost all privately owned STMP servers have this. Unless you are trying to use this feature with sbcglobal.net, verizon.com, earthlink.com, etc, there is no way to send e-mail via other STMP servers. I think this should be the MOST important feature you need to add as soon as possible.

[Tri@de]

I installed the hack, but when i go in global settings i recive this message:

Database error in vBulletin 3.5.3:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT data FROM wmail_settings WHERE userid=0;

MySQL Error : Table 'aeforum.wmail_settings' doesn't exist
Error Number : 1146
Date : Tuesday, May 16th 2006 @ 09:00:52 AM
Script : /admincp/wmail_admin_global.php
Referrer : /admincp/index.php?do=nav&custom=1
IP Address : 151.8.167.226
Username : Tri@de
Classname : vb_database

Trying to unistall i get this

Database error in vBulletin 3.5.3:

Invalid SQL:
DROP TABLE wmail_settings;;

MySQL Error : Unknown table 'wmail_settings'
Error Number : 1051
Date : Tuesday, May 16th 2006 @ 09:03:20 AM
Script : /admincp/plugin.php
Referrer : /plugin.php?do=productdelete&productid=hc_vbwebmail &s=
IP Address : 151.8.167.226
Username : Tri@de
Classname : vb_database

Any help?

[maranello]

I did some research, and this is why Auth doesnt work:

The program is not compatible with the authentication method the remote server is using.

The remote server expects a specific sequence of commands from VWMAIL Server. VWMAIL Server is sending HELO command, then trying to use AUTH command. In some cases, AUTH command can be used only after sending the HELO command from VWMAIL Server. But your client doesn't know how to use AUTH command, so it can't authenticate.

[donatas]

lol
Welcome donatas.

You have a total of -4 mails in your inbox,
that's 0 new mails since your last check

but there are 10 email on server...

[Hellcat]

Hi folks!

1)
Install/Unsinstall issue -> I am about to figure out what goes wrong with that vB install code evaluation -> will post an updated version within the next one or two hours

2)
I am getting closer to the SMTP problem.
I totally agree that THIS has to get working before anything else makes sense.
So, this isn't only top priority, it's also the only thing I'm trying to fix ATM.

Your input (and the posting of the sessionlogs) has indeed been very helpfull so far.
I'm also talking to "my friend google" about SMTP auth's, esp. the error message that appears in the log seem to push me into the right direction


@donatas:
*lol* yeah, I get that too from time to time, it's an error in the communication with the POP server...
Reload helps usually....

[rmxs]

Some Bug its FIXED now, byt still i can't sent message

Connection to SMTP:25....
Sent: helo localhost
Rcvd: 250 servername.com Hello servername.com [Server IP]
Sent: MAIL FROM:xxx.com
Rcvd: 501 xxxx.comr: sender address must contain a domain
Sent: RCPT TO:xxx@xxx
Rcvd: 503 sender not yet given
Sent: DATA
Rcvd: 503 valid RCPT command must precede DATA
Sent: QUIT
Rcvd: 221 SERVERNAME.com closing connection

[Hellcat]

OK, quick fix for the install/uninstall issue

I uploaded a compete .ZIP as wel as the single product .XML (for those that have everything uploaded and only need to fix the install/uninstall issue).

A simple "Import Product" with "Allow Overwrite" should do it.

[high]* Hellcat now heads back to the SMTP problem....
[/high]

One request:
Could someone with a SMTP server that WMail is not (yet) compatible with supply me with a (temporary) account on that SMTP server, so I can try things "on the fly" myself?
That would speed up the process since I wouldn't need to ask someone else to try every single change I made

[Hellcat]

Originally Posted by rmxs

Some Bug its FIXED now, byt still i can't sent message

What exactely did you specify as sender e-mail address in your settings?

[Cybertims]

May seem like a stupid question here.....but should it be using the server's SMTP address...or the members SMTP server address?

Cheers.

[Hellcat]

The only stupid question is the one not asked

Usually the members need to enter the SMTP server address of "THEIR" SMTP server, the server of the ISP or host who is serving/hostin the e-Mail address of them.

You can set up your own SMTP to allow relay for your members as a service.
This option would come into play when the "An E-Mail Account for every board member" feature is finished.