Major Additions - vBMS : vBulletin Mail System

vBulletin Mail System

Finally, for vBulletin 3.6, there is a port from filburt1's original hack. For those of you who aren't aware, he essentially declared it open source, and it's been a bit of a wait for someone to fix it up... I've wanted it for my site, too, so I finally sat down and just did it.

What is this?
The vBulletin Mail System is a way to give your users webmail access from your site. They can have a name@yourwebsite.com address, send and receive emails and attachments, etc. Options such as mailbox quotas, limits on numbers/types of attachments, a message trailer ("Free mail at yourwebsite.com!") at the end of each message, etc. are all available as well.

Please note: this is a pre-final version. As far as I have seen, it is working so far for me, but I have not tested it completely and thoroughly and it's very likely there'll be a number of bugs popping up. However, I have successfully been able to install this on a clean board, exchange emails regularly (including attachments), go through all the basic options/etc. without any errors popping up, so it should be fine. Still, make sure you back up your database before installing this, just due to the nature of its "beta"-ness.

To install: upload all files from the "upload" directory to your server in the proper directories. Then, navigate to admincp/vbms_install.php on your server and run the installer. It will make several template additions. If your navbar or header templates hav been modified, it will not be able to do it automatically, and you'll have to add these edits yourself.

In template navbar, find:

<td class="vbmenu_control"><a href="usercp.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[user_cp]</a></td>

Add after:

			<if condition="$show['popups']">
				<td class="vbmenu_control" id="navbar_vbms">
					<a href="vbms.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[email]</a>
			
					<if condition="$vbms_newmessages['newcount'] > 0">
						<span style="font-weight: normal; padding: 1px 1px 1px 2px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 2px; border: 1px inset" class="alt1">
							<phrase 1="$vbms_newmessages[newcount]">$vbphrase[x_new]</phrase>
						</span>
					</if>
				
					<script type="text/javascript">
						<!--
							vbmenu_register("navbar_vbms");
						// -->
					</script>
				</td>
			<else />
				<td class="vbmenu_control" id="navbar_vbms">
					<a href="vbms.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[email]</a>
				
					<if condition="$vbms_newmessages['newcount'] > 0">
						<span style="font-weight: normal; padding: 1px 1px 1px 2px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 2px; border: 1px inset" class="alt1">
							<phrase 1="$vbms_newmessages[newcount]">$vbphrase[x_new]</phrase>
						</span>
					</if>
				</td>
			</if>

Find:

<!-- / header quick search form -->
	</if>

	<if condition="$show['member']">

Add after:

		<div class="vbmenu_popup" id="navbar_vbms_menu" style="display: none">
			<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" border="0">
				<tr><td class="thead">vBulletin Mail System</td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_inbox]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms_new.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_write_message]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms_ab.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_address_book]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms_folders.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_folders]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms_filters.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_filters]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="vbms_options.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[navbar_options]</a></td></tr>
				<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="faq.php?$session[sessionurl]faq=faq_vbms">$vbphrase[navbar_help]</a></td></tr>
			</table>
		</div>

In your ACP, there should be a new set of options in a "vBulletin Mail System" category. That set of options is your main set of management stuff, and is pretty straightforward.

Feel free to post with any bugs or questions you find, etc. I'm trying to get this working again thoroughly, for all of us.

FAQ

• Is POP support available for my users?
  No, this is similar to a webmail system.
• What is a catch-all email address, and how do I set it up?
  A catch-all address is an email address that any mail sent to your server that isn't picked up by another account will go to. For example, if someone sends an email to randomgibberish@yoursite.com and you do not have a "randomgibberish" account defined, it would forward to your catch-all account that you have set up, such as all@yoursite.com.
• Can I run this if my server doesn't let me have a catch-all mail account?
  Yes, but it's not recommended. As has been suggested by a few members, you can set up one mail account to the be "catch-all" and have vBMS connect to that, then set up mail accounts for each member who wants one and have it forward to the catch-all. All this has to be set up manually with your web host, and takes a great deal of willpower and availability from the website administrator, and is thus not recommended.
• I'm receiving the following error:
  

  Fatal error: Call to undefined function: imap_open()...

  If you're getting an error similar to this, you do not have IMAP functionality available in PHP. Find your php.ini file on your server (usually /usr/local/lib/php.ini on Linux, C:\Windows\php.ini on Windows), and find the extensions section. Uncomment the line ";extension=php_imap.dll" (that is, remove the semicolon at the beginning) and restart your web server. If you don't have access to your web server to do this, contact your web host about installing IMAP support for PHP. If they won't do it, then this hack is not for you.
• I can't connect to the mail server, with this error:
  

  Warning: imap_open() [function.imap-open]: Couldn't open stream {localhost:110/pop3}INBOX in /includes/vbms_class_installer.php on line 791

  First, make sure that your port number and server information are right. Some mail servers are on non-default ports (this is common), and some you may have to connect to a different host besides localhost (this is very rare). Also, try using the "Force no-TLS connection" option in the vBMS Options in the ACP.
• I can connect to the server just fine, but it won't get any email!
  Check the "Mail checking logs" in your ACP (under the vBulletin Mail System area). If there are no logs, then the cronjob probably isn't running. If there are logs, see if there are any errors in there. If it's checking the mail account fine and simply says there are no messages, check with a webmail to see if the catch-all account is even receiving mails. If the webmail shows that the account has mail stuck in it and vBMS isn't picking them up, but vBMS is saying it's checking the account alright and finding 0 messages, then you're likely connecting to the wrong account. By doing these steps, you should at least be able to figure out where the problem is occurring.

Install clicks, donations and HotM nominations are always welcome.

[encryption]

Originally Posted by Krofh

That error you give means it's not properly connecting to the mail server. Are you sure you have a POP3 mail server on your web host, and is it on localhost at port 110? You should check with your web host about that..

I am my own webhost and the accounts are working, tested them through thunderbird. And I just cant get it to work

EDIT

BTW I am using PHP 5.2.x and MySQL 5.X if thats any helpful

[encryption]

Found this.... http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum88/9372.htm

Dont know if it is helpful

[Neutral Singh]

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: imap_open() in /includes/vbms_class_installer.php on line 790

[blockbusted]

Originally Posted by Krofh

Very possibly; I haven't gotten a chance to take the time to look at what it does to the server load. However, by not giving POP3 access (for Outlook EXpress, etc.), you're keeping your users on your site more rather than letting them be freeloading off of you.

Yeah, but I am only giving access to email accounts for my subscribing "VIP Members", so they wouldn't be freeloading off of me.. They have to pay to become VIP members. But since it's strictly internal, I guess it doesn't matter.

Maybe an add-on feature in the future?

[sonichero]

hey - anyone know what exactly is a catch all email? what do you put there?

[Krofh]

Originally Posted by bashy

There is no error at at all, just hangs at 7% step 10 of 13: Testing Setteings

Check the "Verbose output" checkbox and then run the installer.

Originally Posted by Robru

The install stops at 7% saying Step 1 of 13: Testing Settings… with the following error:

Originally Posted by Neutral Singh

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: imap_open() in /includes/vbms_class_installer.php on line 790

Neither of you have the IMAP functions enabled. In your php.ini, uncomment the "extension=php_imap.dll" file and restart the web server. If you don't have access to that, ask your web host to do it; if they won't, then you can't run this hack on your server.

Originally Posted by TTG

Produces :-

Try simply going to yoursite.com/forums/vbms_checkmail.php and let me know if there are any errors there. If you see something again like you just showed me, look at the source of that page and see if there are any errors.

Originally Posted by encryption

I am my own webhost and the accounts are working, tested them through thunderbird. And I just cant get it to work

How positively strange, it should work like that. The link you gave me has nothing to do with your problem... what sort of mail server are you running on there, and are you sure it's on the default port 110? That's really the only thing I can think of that could be wrong... unless your mail server doesn't accept IMAP connections for some reason.

Originally Posted by blockbusted

Maybe an add-on feature in the future?

Haha, possibly, but that's completely different than the type of coding this already uses, and I'm not sure if it's even possible through PHP or not. It'd sure be interesting to look into, though. *looks* it seems IMAP functions can handle that, I'm not sure if that'd work with POP servers or not though. Hmm...

Originally Posted by sonichero

hey - anyone know what exactly is a catch all email? what do you put there?

That's something you have to configure with your own web server. It means that any email address @yourwebsite.com that isn't already defined automatically forwards to one single email that "catches all".

[bluechris]

There's a bug in imap_open function in php 5.2.1 for windows. I tried also the latest cvs snapshot of php but stil the error continues.....

The error i get is this in vbms logs

PHP error: imap_open() [<a href='function.imap-open'>function.imap-open</a>]: Couldn't open stream \{mail.corollaclub.com:110/pop3}INBOX (C:\Domains\corollaclub.com\wwwroot\forums\vbms_checkmail.php:95)

I did a search and spoted that the problem is the string that grabs the servername variable ...

Read This from http://gr2.php.net/imap_open

 danwatts at gmNOSPAMail dot com
12-Feb-2007 06:39
Be careful about how you specify the string
(at least on PHP5). It looks like you need to
break out of the "string" if you specify the
server name within a variable.

<?php
//DOES NOT WORK:

imap_open("{$server:143/novalidate-cert}".
$mailbox,$username,$password)

//DOES WORK:

imap_open("{".$server.":143/novalidate-cert}".
$mailbox,$username,$password)

//ALSO WORKS:

imap_open("{imap.servername.com:143/novalidate-cert}".
$mailbox,$username,$password)

?>

Im not 100% sure .. i tried to hardcode the vbms_checkmail file not to grab the server info from the variable but im not code guru

By the way in php 4.4.x works fine ... and php.net said that had fixed it in the latest snapshot thats why i tried it but it was unsuccesfull

I dont know what to do cause yesterday i was with php 4.4.1 with Apc caching and today i changed to 5.2.1 with Xcache and the forum is better as matter the speed and server load, so i dont really want to go back to 4.4.1 and i loved VBMS...

Any help will gratefull.

P.S. Mails sent ok from vbms only receiving gives error atm

[bashy]

Status before enumerating steps: XML parser created: phrases from /includes/xml/vbms_installation_resources_phrases.xml, templates from /includes/xml/vbms_installation_resources_templates.xml

This is all it says after 5 minutes of waiting

Originally Posted by Krofh

Check the "Verbose output" checkbox and then run the installer.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by Krofh

Try simply going to yoursite.com/forums/vbms_checkmail.php and let me know if there are any errors there. If you see something again like you just showed me, look at the source of that page and see if there are any errors.

Produces a mail icon !?

[wacodep]

Set up the catchall account, uploaded the files, ran the install, configured it via Admin CP and we're off to the races.

A grand total of about 2 minutes from download to send/receipt of first test email messages on vBulletin 3.6.5.

Fantastic layout from both the user and Admin POV. Great features, too.

If there were such as thing as MOTY (Mod of the Year), this one would have my vote!)

While I *did* catch the warning about the potential for a tedious upgrade to the final released version, it was worth the chance. Awesome job.

Clicks install and MOTM ...