Newsletter Documentation
Newsletter Documentation
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Features
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Installation
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Path to Perl
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Edit Configs.pm
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Customise Templates
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Upload Files
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Setting Crontab
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Running the Script
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Quick Start Guide
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Add custom categories
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Edit Header
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Edit Footer
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Set Delivery Options
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Enter Headlines
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Enter Footlines
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Edit Remove Code
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Advertisement Configuration
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Add Advertisers
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Add Event to Schedule
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Features
Supports HTML and Plain Text Multi-part formats
Allows for an email client to receive the richest content it can display without displaying content that it can’t render. No more sending HTML code to users that can’t see it as HTML.
- Customisable Headers and Footers
Set the look and feel of the top and bottom portions of your newsletter and have it displayed the same and correctly for each issue.
- Multiple Categories/Sections
Allows you to break your content up into categories, so articles can be posted to each area and separated by standardised dividers.
- Customisable Category Headlines and Footlines
Set standardised dividers to separate articles and features in different categories. The headline could be the title of the current category, and the footline could well be the URL to that categories archive.
Allow for multiple users to add content to the newsletter without allowing access to other major admin functions.
Easily add sponsors, promotions and advert swaps to be displayed as part of a rotating list of advertisements. Makes sure you always have advertising displayed and that it’s always somewhat fresh.
Set what time and days you’d like your newsletter to be automatically sent.
Setup content well before the day the newsletter is sent, allowing for hands free operation and vacations.
Allows for a number of different date formats depending on your needs and wishes.
View the entire email list online easily.
Displays both the Plain text and HTML versions of the current issue in the browser to spot formatting problems or mistakes.
Sends a copy of the current issue to an email address to test its appearance.
Logs are important for disputing claims of spamming and for proving that a certain user did in-fact subscribe to your list. These logs include the actions performed (Subscribe, Confirm, Remove), the date, the time and the users IP address.
Backup your entire user list at the touch of a button.
Installation
Path to Perl
#!/usr/bin/perl
The script uses the most common path to Perl however if the script doesn’t run for you, you may have to change the first line of each cgi and pm file.
Edit Configs.pm
Open Configs.pm in a text editor.
$dbasedir set this to the path where you plan to place database files, if possible this should be outside of your publicly viewable web-space and in a directory browsers can’t see. No trailing slash.
$scriptdir change this value to the path you will be installing the public cgi and html files for the script. It’s a good idea to create a folder called "newsletter" for this process either in your cgi-bin or anywhere else where CGI scripts can be executed on your server.
$scripturl this is the actual URL used to browse to the script.
$mailprog if needed change this to your sendmail path.
$sortprog this path may also need changing to a path to match your system.
$news_from is the email address that the newsletter appears to come from. @ must be proceeded by a \ as in "email\@domain.com"
$admin_email is the email address of the newsletter administrator. @ must be proceeded by a \ as in "email\@domain.com"
Customise Templates
The templates\subscribe folder contains templates that can be used to customise the look and feel of your subscription pages. You can also edit the admin scripts appearance if need-be.
Upload Files
Create a directory for your databases preferably in a non-public readable directory. The name of the directory is at your digression but must match that in your Configs.pm file. The default is "newsdb". If you wish you can upload the data files included, these will provide a picture of how the script works when all data is filled in. Although you may wan to skip this step to save time as the script will create them as needed.
Create a directory for the main script files in your cgi-bin or any other directory with CGI access. The name of the directory is at your digression but must match that in your Configs.pm file. The default is "newsletter".
Upload in ASCII mode all script files to the directory created in step 2.
Upload the templates and help directories to the path created in step 2.
CHMOD all .cgi and .pm files to 755.
CHMOD the database directory to 777.
Setup MIME::QuotedPrint
The script requires the use of the Perl module MIME::QuotedPrint. This is used to encode the HTML format email before sending. The package has been included with this script and can easily be installed by your server administrator.
Setting Crontab
Another component of the script is the automatic sending of the newsletter at a set time of day on certain days of the week. To enable this you need to add a crontab job as follows.
*/30 * * * * cd /full/path/to/newsletter && ./croncheck.cgi
Running the Script
Open admin.cgi in your browser and enter the username "admin" and the password "pass". You can then use the admin interface to change the default password.
Quick Start Guide
Add custom categories
Categories are the sections that make up your newsletter. This divides your content up making it easier to manage. Category names should be one (1) word descriptions of a single section of your newsletter. Although if needed you can create a single category that contains all your content.
- Click "Add Category".
- Enter a word that describes the section. i.e. Jokes, Cartoons, News.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Edit Header
This area that allows you to edit what is displayed at the top of your newsletter in every issue. Include here the title of your newsletter and a little about what its for so people know what the email is all about. Include %issue% and %date% can also be included here, and will be replaced with the current issue number and date when the newsletter is sent.
- Click "Edit Header".
- In the top "HTML Header" section enter the HTML code you’d like to use to format the top most section of your newsletter.
- In the top "Plain Header" section enter the text you’d like to use to format the top most section of your newsletter.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Edit Footer
This works in the same way as "Edit Header" but contains the content to be placed at the bottom of the newsletter in each issue. Includes support for %issue% and %date%.
- Click "Edit Footer".
- In the top "HTML Footer" section enter the HTML code you’d like to use to format the bottom section of your newsletter.
- In the top "Plain Footer" section enter the text you’d like to use to format the bottom section of your newsletter.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Set Delivery Options
In this section you are able to change the settings which control when and how your newsletter is sent.
- Click "Delivery Options".
- Check the boxes for which days you’d like to send your newsletter.
- Select the time of day at which to send.
- Select a mail type, HTML, Plain or Both.
- Select how you’d like the date to be displayed in your newsletter.
- Click "Set Delivery" to Save changes.
Enter Headlines
These "Headlines" contain the data that is included just above each section of your newsletter. They are best used to put the title of the section and any info that is needed at the top of a section for every issue. Once again %date% and %issue% can be used here.
- Click "Change Headlines".
- Enter the HTML and Plain text you’d like to display above each newsletter category/section.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Enter Footlines
"Footlines" contain the data posted at the end of each section. These can be used to place a link to the archive for that section or can just be left blank if need-be. Once again %date% and %issue% can be used here.
- Click "Change Footlines".
- Enter the HTML and Plain text you’d like to display below each newsletter category/section.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Edit Remove Code
Unsubscription instructions are very important to your newsletter, without them you’ll be swamped with abusive email and threats. Its also advisable to set the script to place this code both at the top and bottom of your newsletter as this further cuts down your personal email load. Remember to include %remcode% for the users person unsubscribe URL that includes their email address. Once again %date% and %issue% can be used here.
- Click "Edit Remove Code".
- Choose where you’d like the unsubscribe instructions displayed in your newsletter. Top inserts it just under the header, Bottom inserts it just above the footer, and Both puts it at the top and bottom.
- In the "HTML Version" box enter the HTML code to be inserted as your unsubscribe instructions.
- In the "Plain Version" box enter the text to be inserted as your unsubscribe instructions.
- Enter %remcode% as the URL for users to click to be unsubscribed.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Advertisement Configuration
This section is fairly easy, all you need to do is specify which areas in your newsletter you’d like to display rotating advertisements.
- Click "Ads Configuration".
- Check the boxes for where you’d like adverts to be displayed.
- Click "Modify" to Save changes.
Add Advertisers
Advertising and ad-swaps are key to running a successful newsletter, this area allows you to add as many adverts as you like. Once again %date% and %issue% can be used here.
- Click "Add Advertiser".
- Enter a single work "Advertiser ID".
- Next enter the name of the advertiser, either individual or company name.
- Now fill in the Contact Name, and Contact Email.
- In the "HTML Version" box enter the HTML code to be inserted for this advertisement in HTML compliant email clients.
- In the "Plain Version" box enter the text to be inserted for this advertisement in email clients that don’t support HTML.
- Click "Add" to add this advert to the list to be rotated.
Add Event to Schedule
This area allows you to enter the content you’d like displayed for each category/section of your newsletter. By default it will start at one (1) and each additional event to be scheduled will increase the "issue number" by one, although you can start or jump to any issue number you’d like at any stage. For example if you have a pre-existing ezine you might like to start at issue 175 rather than 1. Once again %date% and %issue% can be used here.
- Enter the Issue number you’d like to start at if not 1.
- Enter the subject to be used for newsletters. %issue% can be used to insert the current issue number and %date% to insert the current date using the format specified in "Delivery Options".
- Now insert the content for each of the categories/sections of the newsletter. Enter both the HTML and Plain-text versions. If you wish to leave a category out of the current issue just leave its boxes blank.
- Click "Add Event" to save to schedule.
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