Topic: Toying with another useless mod idea
What are the general opinions on the 'Email this to a friend' type link on webpages/forums? Trying to decide whether or not I should be a sad git and create a script for doing it. 
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Personally I never use it but I think it's still a nice feature to have available.
~James
FluxBB - Less is more
FluxBB - Less is more
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
I thought there is already a mod for this.
FluxBB - v1.4.8
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
lie2815 wrote:
I thought there is already a mod for this.
Not that I could find. The only e-mail related mod I found was for the digests.
- Jérémie
- PunBB Donor
- Offline
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
MattF wrote:
What are the general opinions on the 'Email this to a friend' type link on webpages/forums? Trying to decide whether or not I should be a sad git and create a script for doing it.
Personally, I can't imagine why this would be useful. It takes UI space, and can be done by hand easily... and it's not done that often.
But I've had various clients asking for it from time to time, so...
6 2007-12-19 17:25 (edited by MattF 2007-12-19 18:27)
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Jérémie wrote:
Personally, I can't imagine why this would be useful. It takes UI space, and can be done by hand easily... and it's not done that often.
But I've had various clients asking for it from time to time, so...
I know what you mean. I'm in the copy the link and e-mail it via the e-mail UA camp myself, but just noticed those links seem to be on quite a few sites. And you know what it's like once you start mulling an idea over......
Edit: Just tried one on another website and found out what the general format is like. Looks straight forward enough to do.
7 2007-12-20 10:02 (edited by MattF 2007-12-21 09:55)
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Anyone fancy giving this a try and seeing what they think? The topic id is hardcoded whilst testing, and just e-mails the link to the standard first test post after an install. The uri is:
http://forums.bauchan.org/testforum/mod … .php?tid=1
I'm wide open to any suggestions on possible improvements and such. 
It's guest usable at the moment, but requires the sender e-mail entering twice, just as a precaution. For logged in users, it takes the sender e-mail address from the pun_user array.
Cheers,
Matt
8 2007-12-21 09:54 (edited by MattF 2007-12-21 09:54)
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Well, I've made the mod totally active on the test forum. It now has an 'Email link' button at the top of viewtopic, and I've integrated the captcha into it for guest use too. Didn't think it was wise to leave it wide open for anonymous use.
Still open to testing and suggestions.
9 2007-12-21 10:10 (edited by FSX 2007-12-21 10:11)
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
If this for guest too? If it's for members you can leave the 'your name' and 'your email' fields, that info can be fetched from the user table, and maybe also leave the captcha.
10 2007-12-21 12:32 (edited by MattF 2007-12-21 12:33)
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
For members, it pulls the e-mail address from the db, and just asks for their name and, (optional), message. The name is just due to the fact that what they enter in their profile for name may be meaningless to someone they know. They ain't always exactly truthful with their profile, and I don't believe the standard registration enforces the name field being filled in? The captcha, sender e-mail address and confirmation are only visible to guests.
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Hi Matt,
What about filling the message box automatically with the actual topic link. Something like: Bingiman's found this topics interesting and would like to share it with you.. It should also pull the member's email addy out of the DB as well and name.
Bingiman
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
Hi Matt,
What about filling the message box automatically with the actual topic link. Something like: Bingiman's found this topics interesting and would like to share it with you..
Because that info is already in the message that is e-mailed to the recipient.
bingiman wrote:
It should also pull the member's email addy out of the DB as well and name.
Bingiman
It does pull the e-mail address from the db for a logged in user. The name, however, cannot be relied upon to exist or be realistic. That is a forcible requirement due to the fact that some muppets are over eager with the 'report/classify as spam' buttons on their webmail at the first sign of an e-mail or name they don't recognise. If users were truthful when they entered personal info, I would pull the name for logged in users, but unfortunately, we know they ain't.
The actual message that is received, (and no-one has obviously tried sending one with it), is like thus:
The following link was forwarded to you by a visitor at Testforum
[ http://forums.bauchan.org/testforum ]Senders e-mail address: matt@example.com
Matt, who thought that you would be interested in viewing this topic:
Topic subject: Test post
Topic link: http://forums.bauchan.org/testforum/viewtopic.php?id=1also added the following message:
Active link test
Please note the this email was initiated by Matt, and not by anyone directly associated with the running of this forum. We do not monitor these emails, nor can we be held responsible for any message or content forwarded by the sender.
We hope you enjoy the recommended page, and would like to mention that you can always access this forum directly at the following uri: http://forums.bauchan.org/testforum
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Awesome! I guess you have to be logged in to see it? - When you releasing it?
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
I guess you have to be logged in to see it?
Nope. I've put two icons there that you can access it via. In viewforum, at the side of each topic title, these icons/buttons fire up the script for the relevant topic:
Or, when viewing a topic, this button at the top fires the script up for that topic:
I'll pop the code up as soon as I'm happy that it's sorted. At the minute, I'm just trying to decide whether to make it so that only guest viewable topics are accepted by the script. If it's a thread that only registered members can access, should the e-mail be allowed, in the hope that the recipient will register to view it, if not already so? Or should it work on the guest viewable threads only principle?
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Well, all I see is this:
Enter e-mail & name details
Please enter the e-mail information and optional message.
[ Please note: All of the following fields except message are required. ]
Your name:
Your e-mail address:
Confirm your e-mail address:
Recipients e-mail address:
Message:
and everything is blank. Am I doing something wrong?
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
Well, all I see is this:
[..snipped..]
and everything is blank. Am I doing something wrong?
Apologies. Had a bit of kip so the mind is a tad sharper now. Realised what you meant previously. Nope. That's correct. Fill in the sender e-mail, recipient e-mail and name, and it'll send an e-mail containg that text, the topic link, and whatever, (if any), message you entered added. Once you click submit, it prints an info screen to show what details have been sent, and then just check your e-mail inbox for the message.
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
It works great. I just assumed that it would be there like most email forwarders. By that I mean most of the info would be there when I clicked on the email to friend button, which in my opinion may be be a better idea. I think if people clicked on it as it is now, they may think the same that it is not working or that they have to type all of the info in there. It should be something like:
http://www.phpfusion-themes.com/recommend.php
just a suggestion
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
http://www.phpfusion-themes.com/recommend.php
just a suggestion
I'll get that sorted. I tend to forget that things might not be as intuitive as they seem to I when people don't know how they work implicitly. Btw, any chance you could validate my account on your themes site? One needs to be logged in to see that page, it would appear. Have registered with the same username as on here.
Cheers.
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Your account was approved. I just started manual activation to try and avoid certain people. Anyway, that looks much better now. I like it.:D
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
Your account was approved. I just started manual activation to try and avoid certain people.
Cheers. Just realised that one thing it is lacking is multiple recipient support. I'll learn one day not to start on one of these 'five minute jobs'.
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
Well, I have learned that there is no such thing as a 'five minute job' . I usually obsess by myself with whatever it is and 5 minutes turns into 5 days or more. Anyway, I hope to see it released soon so I can add it to Mega Pun 4.00
btw: Is that theme on your forum designed specifically for you or is it available somewhere?
Bingiman
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
bingiman wrote:
Well, I have learned that there is no such thing as a 'five minute job'
Glad to know I'm not alone in that then.
bingiman wrote:
Anyway, I hope to see it released soon so I can add it to Mega Pun 4.00
If it passes muster now, (I've added multiple recipient support btw, if you want to give it a try), I'll get it back ported to a standard PunBB setup. It also, (if an invalid syntax e-mail address is entered), lists the failed address(es) as well as the succesful one(s).
bingiman wrote:
btw: Is that theme on your forum designed specifically for you or is it available somewhere?
It's just one I've built up myself gradually over time. Found a colour scheme I was happy with and carried on from there. I can send you the CSS files if you want them, but there will be a lot of 'specific to forum' code to get rid of.
Re: Toying with another useless mod idea
That would be cool if you can send it to me Matt.
Thanks
Bingiman