Wordpress Email Plugin and Newsletter Manager Software

[GWA] Autoresponder Double Opt-In Plugin Installation

• Extract the files from the autoresponder-gwa-pro.zip archive
• Upload the complete plugin folder /autoresponder-gwa/, contained in the zip file, to your WP plugin directory via FTP . If there is no folder in the zip file, create it and copy the files into it keeping the subdirectories intact.
• Go to your WordPress Admin panel -> Plugins and activate the new [GWA] Professional Plugin.
• Go to Design -> Widgets and add the new [GWA] Autoresponder widget to the sidebar.
• Click Save Changes

To put the signup form and responses at any place on your blog post or page, use this shortcode (without spaces):

[gwa-autoresponder listid="1"]

To display plugin output in any template (when only using the widget), do this:

• Go to your WP Admin panel
• Go to Design – > Theme Editor
• Put the code into your template where you want the plugin output to show up:

<?php if (function_exists('autoresponder_output'))
          autoresponder_output('<div id="output">','</div>');
?>

[GWA] Double Opt-In Plugin Configuration

The Pro Autoresponder plugin is pre-configured by default to collect a subscribers’ email address and name using the easy to include widget or shortdcode subscription forms. The plugin automatically sends a subscription confirmation link to each email submitted. You can modify the default settings as you like.

To get an overview of your plugin and to modify the main plugin settings go to your main plugin Options Page.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Options

The page is divided into the following sections.

Autoresponder Plugin Status Reports

Autoresponder & Queue Status (Top Left) - displays time until and time of next autoresponder message run, the time of the next queue processing, the number of messages currently held in the queue, and the current weblog time.

Newsletter List & Leads Status (Top Right) - displays a list of all newsletters created and the number of leads subscribed to each.

General List Mailer Settings

• Send Time Re-Scheduler - to update the daily Send Time for the next and subsequent daily message generation time use the drop-down menu in the Autoresponder Queue & Status Box in the upper left of the main plugin Options page. Set the number of minutes to wait until the next autoresponder message generation and click the button. Please note if messages have already been generated for the day nothing further will occur when the updated generation time passes for the current day.
   
• Plain-Text Email Line Width - to change the word-wrap (character) width for your messages created and sent in PLAIN-TEXT format you can use the text-field in the box at the bottom right of the main Options page.

Plugin Text Output Settings

These can be found in the blue section on the left side of the main plugin Options page below the Autoresponder Queue & Status Box. The settings in this section are global options and are applied to all the lists you create with the plugin.

• Common Message Footer - add a common list footer to all your messages by entering it in the first text-area in the box below the Autoresponder Queue & Status Box on the left side of the main Option page for the plugin. You must select the check-box below your custom text entry to signify you want the text added to your messages.
   
• Custom Unsubscribe Text - enter the text used to label the unsubscribe automatically included link in your messages. In plain-text messages this will appear as a line of text above the unsubscribe link. In HTML formatted messages it will appear as an active hyperlink. Select the check-box below the text field to include the unsubscribe link in your messages automatically for CAN-SPAM compliance.
   
• Subscription Success Response - this is the text output by the plugin after a user successfully submits their name, email, and any other custom info fields using the subscription form and a confirmation link has been successfully sent to the address subscribed.
   
• Unsubscribe Response - the message output by the plugin to the user after unsubscribing using the personal unsubscribe link.
   
• Subscription Failure Response - this message is displayed to a subscriber if the form submission fails and they are not added to the newsletter list.

SMTP Relay Settings

These options can all be found on the right side of the main Options page in the section directly below the Autoresponder Queue & Status Box.

• Activation Check Box - select the activation box to enable mailing with SMTP and to save your settings.
   
• Test Check Box - check this box to test your settings and send an email using your new smtp server.
  The server will not be activated if it fails to successfully send the test email to the weblog admin address.
   
• Protocol, Server, and Port Fields - Set these drop-down boxes to the required values for your SMTP Account.
   
• Username and Password - Make sure these are correct or authentication with your server will fail. Always test your settings.

Intelligent-Queue Throttle Settings

The Queue software is an important component of your autoresponder plugin and it is important you keep it running efficiently to get the best results. The larger your list(s) grow you will need to update the settings in this section to ensure your message flow eeps up with demand.

IMPORTANT: When operating the Autoresponder Plugin on a Free or Shared Web Host you are usually required to limit the amount of mail generated by your account over a set period of time. In order to provide you with this capability there are several [Throttle Settings] you may use to limit the frequency and total volume of mail generated by the plugin over a period of time.

• Max Script Run Time - sets the number of seconds the Queue script will run before stopping processing messages. Leave this at the default initially. The length of time your scripts may run before being killed is set in your php.ini (configuration) file and may be accessible through your host's CP. The more messages you are trying to process at once the higher you want this number.
   
• Messages Sent per Queue Run - limits how many messages the Intelligent-Queue will send each time it is activated. Combined with the setting below for Pause Between Queue Runs this will limit the total number of messages sent by the plugin.
   
• Pause Between Queue Runs - how long to wait before activating the Queue again after it finishes a run. Combined with the Messages Sent per Queue Run this will act to liit the total number of messages generated by the plugin over a set period of time. Useful in keeping your emailing activities below the limit set by your host for their localhost and/or php mail() service.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Lists

On this page you can create new lists and delete existing lists. The Lists page also displays records for all your existing newsletter lists. Each list record has a link on the far-right to the List Details page where you can update all the information for each individual newsletter you have created.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Lists -> Update Link (list record)

This link can be found on the far right side of the page for each newsletter list record displayed on the Lists page. Clicking the link will display the List Details page where all unique settings for this list can be updated. This page contains the html code for the subscription form widget which may be posted anywhere online to capture leads to your Autoresponder Plugin.

• Newsletter Name - this is used to identify this list and also as the From: Name for addressing messages sent by/to this list.
   
• Subscription Form Label - displayed before the subscription form when using the included subscription form widget.
   
• "From:" Email Address - set this to the address you will be sending this newsletter From:. This should be an address you check for bounces so you an keep your list clean.
   
• Subscription Response Settings - these fields are used to set the page the subscriber is returned to after submitting the subscription form. The drop-down box can be used to select an existing public page on the blog or when set to External URL you may enter a complete web address (starting with http://) in the textbox to forward the user to the external page or site after the form is submitted.
   
• Confirm Response Settings - these fields are used to set the page the subscriber is returned to after clicking the confirmation link in the email. The drop-down box can be used to select an existing public page on the blog or when set to External URL you may enter a complete web address (starting with http://) in the textbox to forward the user to the external page or site after the form is submitted.
   
• Unsubscribe Response Settings - these fields are used to set the page the subscriber is returned to after clicking the unsubscribe link in an email. The drop-down box can be used to select an existing public page on the blog or when set to External URL you may enter a complete web address (starting with http://) in the textbox to forward the user to the external page or site after the form is submitted.
   
• Display Opt-In Check-box - select to display a check-box New Wordpress Users can select to be subscribed to this list.
   
• Send Admin Email on Confirm - to send an email including subscriber data each time a subscriber confirms their subscription.
   
• Use jCAPTCHA Human Verification - check this box to enable the use of the CAPTCHA fields in your form.
  IMPORTANT - You must manually add the required javascript to your subscription form HTML code when enabling this option on your weblog.  Failure to include the proper code in the subscription form and selecting this check-box to make CAPTCHA active will break the subscription form.
   
• Common List Footer - included as the footer on newsletters generated for this list. Create either as HTML or PLAIN-TEXT to match the message format. Using the common footer on the main Options page will override (and disable) all custom list footer text entered here.
   
• Subscription Form Editor (Form Code) - the html code used to create your subscription form widget for this newsletter list and by default using the included form and containing all the necessary form fields for subscribing double opt-in leads to this list.
  
  Please note the following about your Subscription Form Code Editor box and settings:
   
  • This HTML Code is used for the ACTUAL WIDGET DISPLAY and changes will immediately be reflected in any active widgets.
  • The TinyMCE HTML Editor used in this plugin is part of your Wordpress Core software and varies by WP version
  • To COPY&PASTE the form code elsewhere change to PLAIN-TEXT view and SELECT ALL the code in the text box.
  • Confirm all Changes to the form by selecting the "Update Form" radio-button below the editor window or text-box.
  • Should the code get Broken (form stops working after a modification) select "Reset Form" to reset to the working default form.
  • Manual modification is required for including CAPTCHA fields as well as for collecting additional subscriber data fields.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Add Msg

This page is used to add new messages to the system. Using the fields on this page you create your personalized pre-written messages to send to subscribers on your list. Here you also define the schedule your messages are sent out by entering the Day# in the textbox specifying the number of days after confirming their subsciption a subscriber will receive the message.

The following fields are required to add a new message to the autoresponder.

• Assign to Newsletter List - select the list in the drop-down box this message will be sent to.
   
• Day Number ( Day# ) - the number of days after subscribing to send the subscriber this email message.
   
• Message Format ( Type ) - compose message in HTML or PLAIN-TEXT format (controls use of the HTML Editor.)
   
• Subject & Body - each message requires a subject and body. Subscriber data fields can be included/inserted into your messages to personalize your contacts. The subject may contain the subscribers name and all the fields may be included in the body content of a message. The dynamic subscriber fields listed below can be inserted in your messages. They are displayed on the AddMsg, EditMsg, and Email Leads pages for your reference.
  
  Personalize your Message Content with Subscriber Info Fields.
   
  • <?Name?> - insert the subscribers name (as they supplied it) into the message body or subject.
  • <?Email?> - display the subscribers email address in the content of the message where desired.
  • <?Unsubscribe?> - insert the custom unsubscribe link for self-removal of subscribers from your list.
  • <?Archive?> - display a link to this subscribers dynamically generated message archive and link feed.
  • <?Field#?> - where # is the corresponding additional form field data being collected from the lead upon subscription.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Edit Msg

Access to View/Edit and Delete Messages is available from this page and on it are displayed all the existing messages in the system for all the newsletter autoresponders. There are several actions that can be taken on this page.

• Filter Message List - use the drop-down box at the top of the page and select a list by name to view only messages assigned to that list.
   
• Edit Messages - click the subject of a message to navigate to the Edit Message page (see below.).
   
• Delete Messages - select the check-box for a message record to delete and click the Delete Button below the form.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Edit Msg -> Edit Message

This page is identical to the AddMsg page described above. Use it to view and update all the details of an existing message.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Leads

• Subscriber Details - view and edited on this page for all or any list(s) using the familiar drop-down list select box filter at the top of the page. The fields on this page are AJAX Enabled for quick updating of all subscriber data. You must confirm all changes to avoid mistakes.
   
• 'View Info' Link - click this text link below the subscriber's name field to show any additional lead information data (fields) you have collected in your subscription form. You may update the information by clicking the + next to the info field you want to change.
   
• Delete Subscribers - similar to other plugin record pages simply by select check-box for all the record you want removed and click the Delete Button at the bottom of the page to erase those records permanently. The delete function operates quite similarly on the EditMsg, Leads, Lists and Queue pages of the plugin manager.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Add Leads

Importing leads into your plugin is easily accomplished on this page and name address pairs can be added directly to individual lists one at a time or in bulk format. You have the option of importing your lead(s) either by sending them a confirmation link by email which they must click before being added to the list. Alternatively you may add lead(s) directly to your lists with or without sending a Welcome message to the subscriber(s).

• Send a Welcome Email - select this checkbox when submitting leads to import to send them the Day#0 message immediately.
   
• Send a Confirm Link  - select this checkbox to send a confirmation request and link to the address before adding to the list.
   
• Import Bulk Address List - paste your formatted list like ' name , email address ' one subscriber per line separated by a comma.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Export Leads

Filter the address list in the text-area using the familiar drop-down filter and COPY&PASTE to easily insert into other software. Use the download .XLS button to generate and download a pre-formatted .csv of your list addresses and data into your preferred spreadsheet.

• Filter Leads List - filter the leads displayed to a single list using this familiar drop-down settings box.
   
• Download .XLS FILE - download a pre-formatted file for most spreadsheet applications to extracting data from your lists.
   
• COPY&PASTE - from the textarea you can export a TAB-DELINEATED list of all addresses and data for your use.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Email Leads (Mass Mailer)

Almost identical to the Add Msg page you can blast one-off email messages to an entire list from here. Additionally you can restrict which subscribers on your lists receive these messages by date subscribed. There is a Test Message button allowing you to format and send a single copy of the mass mail message you are about to unleash to yourself and send it to any address that is convenient at the time.

• Select Newsletter List - select a list to send this message to using this familiar drop-down settings box.
   
• After / Before Date - enter the dates by which to exclude/include only certain leads on a single list in your mass mailing.
   
• Email Type, Subject & Body - these fields need no further explanation.
   
• Custom Fields - add these to the content of your emails to personalize them, similar to other email composition pages.
   
• Test Email Button - click this button to send a test of the email you are creating to the From: email address set for the selected list. Enter an alternate email in the textbox to have the test mail sent to an alternate (and more convenient) email address.
   
• Send Mass Mailing - send the mass mail message to the selected list. Dynamic fields will be substituted to personalize your messages and referral links and common footers will be added as configured for the particular list and email format chosen.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> Queue (#)

These records represent messages currently awaiting mailing in the queue. You don't have anything to do here but if you want to remove messages at the last minute before they are send it can be accomplished quickly on this page.

WP-Admin -> [GWA] Autoresponder -> HELP

Get information required to operate the plugin on this page. Any new options will be explained fully here appearing with the first version they are included in.

• Mail Logs - at the bottom of the page is a text-window containing full mail activity logs for your mailer plugin. These can be COPY&PASTED out of the plugin and CLEARED on this page.
   
• DEBUGGING SUPPORT - use the button at the bottom of the page to toggle debug support and error reporting. If you are having problems sending mail or updating the options on various pages turning on debugging will assist you (and us) in finding and correcting the problem. Often plugin conflicts are easily diagnosed using this tool as well as any server configuration issues preventing successful use of the local php mail() function.

EXTRA OPTION -> Custom Subscription Fields

Collecting additional information from your subscribers is as easy as adding more input options to your subscription forms and set them with the appropriate names. Click on the Update Link on the Lists page for the list subscription form widget you want to modify. You can COPY&PASTE the HTML code into your preferred WYSIWYG Editor but MAKE SURE TO KEEP HIDDEN FORM FIELDS and ALL FIELD NAME="XXX" values intact.

The following input fields are collected with your subscription form.
Required fields are marked in red with an * (red apostrophe.)

EXTRA OPTION -> Add CAPTCHA Form Verification

Adding CAPTCHA Human Verification is easy with your custom subscription forms. This simple process can be applied to all your lists to control form spam if required.

• Manually Edit Subscription Form - add the follow to your form code html following the example below. Only two changes are required to the form html and the additional images and fields associated with the built -in captcha controls will automatically be added to the page displaying your custom subscription form.

  <form method="POST" action="" onSubmit="scap();">
<input type="text" name="name" size="12"><br />
<input type="text" name="email" size="12"><br />
<script type="text/javascript">sjcap();</script>
<input type="submit" name="submit" size="12">
</form>
   

• Activate CAPTCHA Processing - on the List Details page for the list you are modifying find and select the captcha check-box and submit the page. Verify the form updates are complete and your CAPTCHA fields and imagery will appear immediately in your widget and shortcode subscription forms. Note: With CAPTCHA Verification ON off-site subscription forms will fail to add leads to your list(s).

General Mailing List Management

WordPress Autoresponder and Newsletter Manager double opt-in plugin saves the subscribers to the internal WordPress database. The plugin collects and saves the following data about the subscriber: email address, subscription date, IP address, first name and other fields you may have added when customizing the signup form. Only confirmed subscribers are shown on your Leads page.

For you convenience you can choose to display only confirmed subscriptions, or unconfirmed subscriptions, or unsubscribed users. Or click on "All Subscribers" to show all the users on your list. You can manage your subscribers list yourself. You can search for users, unsubscribe users, and export users from your WordPress database.

To search users:

• navigate to the Leads page.
• type an email address or name (or a part of the email address or name) into the search field.
• click the Search button.

The search (filter) engine will display the subscribers that satisfy the search criteria. If the list is filtered, all the features are applied to the filtered subscribers only. To remove the filter and show all the subscribers on the list, select All Lists in the drop-down at the top of the page.
 

To unsubscribe/delete users:

• navigate to the Leads page.
• check the boxes near the lead record(s) you want to unsubscribe in the list of subscribers.
• click Delete button

To export users:

• navigate to the Export Leads page.
• display the users you want to export (filter by list). If the list is filtered, Export will work for the filtered users only.
• COPY&PASTE or click Export .xls FILE

You can export the subscribers to a .xls (.csv format) file for further import into your newsletter sending software.
 

Unsubscribe Link for Your Newsletter

The plugin provides you with a ready unsubscribe link that you can include into your email messages by inserting a dynamic field into your message content. The text for this link can be set on the main Options page for your plugin. You can simply copy the field and paste it somewhere at the bottom of your email newsletter and a personal unsubscribe link will be created for each subscriber and inserted into their copy of the email automatically. The subscribers who would like to opt-out from your list will click on that URL and be removed from your list automatically.

The unsubscribe link is required when operating a CAN-SPAM compliant Newsletter or Mailing List. It can be automatically attached to the bottom of all messages by selecting this option in the check-box on the main Options page below the custom unsubscribe link text entry box.