Works with MODx Version(s): 0.9.6
Submitted: Aug 12th 2007 | License: GPL - GNU Public | Downloads: 762

Description

Easy Newsletter
With Easy Newsletter you can create newsletters, handle subscribers within the manager and let visitors subscribe/unsubcribe themselves to your mailing list.

Features:
- Visitors can subcsribe and unsubscribe themselves from your mailinglist.
- Subscription form can be in any document (webpage) you want.
- You can edit and delete subscribers.
- Create, edit and delete newsletters in HTML format.
- Send test newsletters before you send to the subscribers.
- Setup sending options like SMTP, Qmail MTA, Sendmail, PHP mail.
- This release contains English and Danish. You can add custom languages.

Known bugs/improvements:
- Bold, italic and underline do not work in Newsletter editor.
- Pictures do not show up correctly in newsletter editor.

Instructions

Installation:

Be safe not sorry, backup before you proceed.

Upload the folder in the same folder as this file: "easynewsletter" into the folder: "assets/modules/"

Module installation:
1. Go to "Modules", choose "Manage modules" and "New module".
2. In "Module name" type: Easy Newsletter and in description paste this text: <strong>0.1</strong> Newsletter manager.
3. Find the file "module.txt" in the same folder as this file and copy/paste the content into "Module code (php)" field and click "Save".
4. Hover your mouse pointer over the link of your newly created module. In you status bar you will see something like this: "index.php?a=108&id=3" Take note of the "&id=3" part. It might be another number that 3.
5. Now left-click "Easy Newsletter" to edit the module again. Choose "Configuration" and fill in the field "Module configuration" with: &modId=Module ID;int;3 &path=Path;text;../assets/modules/easynewsletter/ and click "Save".
6. Replace the number 3 in the ID;int;3 with the number you found in step 4.
7. Log out and log in MODx. This to make Easy Newsletter visible in the navigation bar when clicking "Modules".

Snippet installation:
1. "Resources", choose "Manage resources", "Snippets" and "New snippet".
2. Name it "easy newsletter" and in description paste this text: <strong>0.1</strong> Subscription for front end.
3. Find the file "snippet.txt" in the same folder as this file and copy/paste the content into "snippet code (php)" field and click "Save". (Usually there will be this code already: <php? ?>. You must delete that first - you need a completly blank field before pasting).

Language installation:
1. In the language folder make a copy of e.g. english.php and rename into e.g. french.php and then upload it.
2. Edit the file in notepad or whatever you want. It should be fairly obvious what to do.
3. In backend.php find:
if(mysql_result($result,$i,"lang_backend") == 'danish'){$dropdown2 = ' selected="selected"';} else {$dropdown2 = '';}
$list .= '<option value="danish"'.$dropdown2.'>Dansk</option>';

Add just below:

if(mysql_result($result,$i,"lang_backend") == 'french'){$dropdown2 = ' selected="selected"';} else {$dropdown2 = '';}
$list .= '<option value="french"'.$dropdown2.'>French</option>';

If you examine the above code you can see the new code has replaced "danish" with "french".


Usage:
You can now include the following snippet call in any document:
That will show the newsletter Subscription form in that document.

IMPORTANT - YOU HAVE TO DO THIS:
The document where you put cannot be "Cacheable". Lets say you want to include the in a document that is called "News". When you are creating/editing that document click a tap called "Page settings" and de-select "Cacheable".

To manage the newsletters and subscribers go to "Modules" and click "Easy Newsletter" in navigation bar. If you prefer you can go to "Modules", "Manage modules" click the little square box to the right of the "Easy Newsletter" link on the modules list and choose "Run module".

IMPORTANT
Fill in the correct information in "Configuration". I recommend you to use SMTP. Remember to choose the right settings for SMTP auhtentication, username and password.

Before you send out your newsletter you can test it by clicking the link "Test". That will send the newsletter to the e-mail address in "Configuration"



The rest should be fairly easy to figure out. Enjoy!



Known bugs/needed improvements:
- When creating the newsletter you cannot use bold, italic or underline.
- You cannot add pictures to the e-mail.

Wishlist:
- Be able to use subscribers First and Last name by using some sort of template variables.
- Import/export e-mails.
- Only send newsletter to selected subscribers.
- Mark subscribers with which newsletters has been send to them.
- Less cumbersome deletion of subscribers.
- Newsletter sent/failed sending logging.
- Resume sending failed e-mails.
- Possibility of uninstallation, at least the Easy Newsletter database tab