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The Ciao EmailList Manager is intended to assist in the sending of updates/
notifications/ newsletters/ etc. via the web. It includes:
(PS: Enhancements are welcome and appreciated.) Sincerely, B. Drushell November 20, 2000 |
Ciao EmailList Manager - a customizable mass e-mail program that is administrator/subscriber friendly. Copyright (C) 2000 - 2002 Ben Drushell This program is FREE software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; version 2 of the License. This program is distributed "AS IS". There is NO WARRANTY. NO implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY. NO implied warranty of FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The entire risk is with you. See the GNU General Public License for more details. A copy of the GNU General Public License is included with this program. For questions regarding the Ciao EmailList Manager license, contact Ben Drushell: http://www.technobreeze.com/ |
Ciao EmailList Manager (beta version) utilizes the PHP language and an SQL database server.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
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The administration & setup program is accessed by: "ciaoadm.php" The public sign-up interface is accessed by: "ciao.php" and "index.php" The file "phpinfo.php" is a general information program about PHP on your server. |
To use this module, PHP needs to have read/write
access in the directory Ciao EmailList Manager is installed.
SQL Database Setup The Beta version of Ciao EmailList Manager requires access to an SQL server. Compatible server names and version numbers are indicated. If you do not know the necessary information, your website administrator or provider should have the information. (NOTE: Your database should be secure and NOT accessible to the general public nor Internet robots.)
SQL Database Setup Is Complete Next Steps Are For User Configuration This creates an administrative user for accessing Ciao-ELM. Additional general or administrative users can be added later.
User Configuration Is Complete
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To use this module, PHP needs to have read/write
access in the directory Ciao EmailList Manager is installed.
Configuration
Configuration Is Complete Next Steps Are For Optional Subscriber Data Automatically, the program requests subscriber e-mail address. This requests additional information (such as: name, city, whatever) from subscribers. This information can also be used to create custom sending lists.
Optional Subscriber Data Is Complete
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To use this module, PHP needs to have read/write
access in the directory Ciao EmailList Manager is installed.
This creates "template.ciao" that is used to generate the
sign-up page the public views on your website. If you want a
more advanced customization, you can download
"template.ciao", add/edit html code, and re-upload the file.
Page Properties
Page Properties Is Complete Next Steps Are For Table Properties Table Properties establishes the sign-up form for public interaction.
Table Properties Is Complete
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After a subscriber has verified, they can choose to join
one or more categories of special topic information you create.
The number of categories you can create is large.
EXAMPLE: Adding a New Category
Repeat Steps 22-25 For Each Category Added Editing a Category (If you do not want to edit any categories, skip to STEP 62.)
Delete a Category (If you do not want to delete any categories, skip to STEP 64.)
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If additional personel need access to CIAO, use this utility to
create new user accounts and edit/delete accounts. There are
two types of accounts:
Adding a New User (If you do not want to add any new users, skip to STEP 70.)
Repeat Steps 64-69 For Each User Added Editing a User (If you do not want to edit any users, skip to STEP 73.) Editing a user can be used to change passwords, add/reduce administrative access, or change user ID/email address.
Delete a User (If you do not want to delete any users, skip to STEP 76.)
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At times, it is necessary for administrators to block e-mail
addresses/domain/IP's due to pranksters, competitors, etc.
This feature enables an e-mail address or domain to be blocked from being added to your list
OR... a specific IP address blocked from accessing the program.
Adding a Block (If you do not want to add any new blocks, skip to STEP 79.)
Adding Block Is Complete Next Steps Are For Viewing a Block
Viewing a Block Is Complete Next Steps Are For Deleting a Block (If you do not want to delete any blocks, skip to STEP 81.)
Deleting a Block Is Complete |
To facilitate those with existing e-mail lists, this import utility
enables list transfer to CIAO. Anti-spam features (that are
subscriber friendly) have been added to deter misuse of this
utility.
Creating The Transfer File
Creating The Transfer File Is Completed Next Steps Are For File Upload And Import (If you would like to use the file import only feature, skip to STEP 85.)
File Upload And Import Is Completed Next Steps Are For File Import
File Import Is Completed |
What is the catch?
There is NO catch. Ciao EmailList Manager is FREE and intended to STAY FREE. It is designed as OpenSource to enhance the standards of e-mail lists, assist Internet businesses/organizations/individuals, and be subscriber friendly. It is protected under the GNU General Public License (GPL) agreement. |
What are the list size limitations?
Ciao EmailList Manager mixes the use of modern day web programming techniques and old COBOL techniques to provide the stability necessary for handling very large lists. I have tested the system using a list of 20,000 subscribers. Others have reported list sizes well over 50,000 subscribers. Theoretically the only limitations are that of your SQL database, server, and network. This gives room for VERY large list sizes. (If you do experience a size limitation, please contact me regarding the size limit and your server specs.) |
Why won't the program run?
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How do I get the sign-up form to appear on my MAIN web site page?
Method One: A customized template ability is one of the many features in Ciao. A highly customized interface can be made to look like a main website page or any other page.
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What type of databases will Ciao EmailList Manager work with?
The alpha version of Ciao EmailList Manager only worked with MySQL 3.23.xx and higher. The beta version of Ciao EmailList Manager supports many SQL database types. These are specified as options in the setup process. At the time of this writing, MySQL and PostgreSQL are supported. Versions Used For Testing:
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I forgot my administrative password! How do I access the program?
It is recommended: DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSWORD! |
Why can't I see the field labels or error messages?
Check the table background color and table text color assigned in "Sign-up Page Configuration" administrative utility. Try contrasting colors. A web-safe color chart has been provided for your convenience. |
How do I know the number of subscribers that received a message and the number of sending errors?
In the "Sent Message Archive", view the message that was sent. The header information will include the approximate number of messages sent. At the bottom of the archived message is a list of sending errors. |
Why won't the program send email?
Some ISP's, networks, and firewalls block the sending mail ports. Depending on how the PHP mail function was configured for your server, sending may be affected by this. User tip by: Bob Hurt |
Why can't I find the files "modules/ciaodb.php", "modules/ciaocfg.php", and "modules/template.ciao"?
These are generated files created by the setup routine. (ciao_s00.php, ciao_s01.php, and ciao_s03.php) If you have run the setup routine and the files are still missing, make certain PHP has file writing access to the directory Ciao EmailList Manager resides in. Once the needed files are generated and customized, it is advisable to remove PHP's "write" access to the files and directory for security purposes. |
I made a mistake in the initial database setup... How do I start setup from the beginning?
Delete the file located at "modules/ciaodb.php". You might want to also delete generated tables in your SQL server from the previous installation attempt. Reload the browser page for "ciaoadm.php". |
How do I setup multiple page templates?
The file "template.ciao" is the default template used when no other template is defined. To create more page templates, copy the file template.ciao to another name... example "name1.ciao". Then link to the program "ciao.php" via the link "ciao.php?template=name1". (Replace "name1" with the file name of your choice.) |
How do I link a category to a page template?
Make a copy of the file "template.ciao" and name it after a category's three letter ID. Example: I have a category ID of "php" for the category "PHP Software". I would then have a template file by the name "php.ciao". Then link to the program "ciao.php" via the link "ciao.php?category=php". (Replace "php" with the category ID of your choice.) When a person subscribes to a category specific page, they will not see the other categories listed. |
How do I setup the template to link to my header/footer include files?
Edit the file "template.ciao" so that in between the special <# and #> tags the following code is included. header="yourheaderfile.html" footer="yourfooterfile.html" (You can also include PHP files.) |
How do I get around the import list verification?
Ciao EmailList Manager is a true opt-in email system. Opt-in means that all subscribers must verify their desire to be on the list. Even the import feature must go through this verification process. To remove the import verification, you either need to program the change yourself or hire a programmer to make the changes. Warning: Ciao EmailList Manager has a parts check that might need altering also : ) |
How do I upgrade the software to a newer version?
If you are upgrading from the "alpha" version of Ciao-ELM, install the "beta" software into a new directory. Setup the software so that new SQL tables are created. Then utilize the "DB Upgrade" utility. "DB Upgrade" lets you import data from "alpha" version (without user re-verification). If you are upgrading from another "beta" version of Ciao-ELM, upload the files to your website (do not upload any directories). Then upload the files located in the "modules" directory to your website's "modules" directory. (Warning: If you upload the directory itself, some servers will delete the contents of that directory first... thereby deleting needed configuration files.) These upgrade instructions were provided for existing users of Ciao EmailList Manager. The upgrade procedures allow the software and/or database to be upgraded without the loss of data and NO need for re-verification. |
How do I create HTML-email?
A tutorial on HTML-email is available at "http://www.technobreeze.net/synopsis/htmlemail/". |
How do I get Ciao-ELM to work with MySQL 3.22.xx?
Ciao-ELM uses the MySQL 3.23.xx feature of calling "DISTINCT" inside of a sql function. This statement causes the program to ignore duplications when utilizing custom categories in Ciao-ELM. To make Ciao-ELM MySQL 3.22.xx compatible, you will need to remove the code phrase "DISTINCT" from all of Ciao-ELM's program files. WARNING: By doing this, duplicate sends can occur when sending to a custom category. |
Last update to ciaohelp.html was on March 28, 2002
Ciao EmailList Manager (C) 2000 - 2002 Ben Drushell - http://www.technobreeze.com/ PHP (C) 1998 PHP Development Team - http://www.php.net/ MySQL is a registered trademark of MySQL AB - http://www.mysql.com/ PostgreSQL portion-(C) by PostgreSQL, Inc. and portion-(C) by Regents of the University of California http://www.postgresql.org/ GNU is a registered trademark of the Free Software Foundation - http://www.gnu.org/ |