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ActivationEmail Plugin Tutorial

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This plugin for MODX Revolution sends an email message to users when they are activated manually in the MODX Manager and (optionally) a second message to deactivated users.

Features

• Emails to both activated and deactivated users can be turned on and off with properties
• Both messages are in Tpl chunks that can be modified to meet your needs
• The messages can be personalized to include the username or full name, the site name, and a URL link
• The Site Name and an included URL link can be customized with properties.

Report bugs and suggestions here.

Ask any questions about using this plugin here.

Installation

• Go to Extras | Installer
• Click on the "Download Extras" button
• Type "ActivationEmail" in the search box and press Enter.
• Click on the download button next to the Activation Email package
• Wait until the download finishes
• Click on the "Back to Package Manager", button
• You should see the ActivationEmail package in the grid
• Click on the "install" button next to the package
• Click on "OK" to close the console
• Check to make sure that the plugin and the two chunks were installed

Checking the Install

The first thing to do is to make sure the plugin is installed properly. Create a new user with your email address. Activate and deactivate the user a few times and see if you get an email message. If you don't, make sure your email system is working by downloading and installing the QuickEmail snippet.

The deactivation email is off by default, so you won't get it unless you change the sendOnDeactivation property of the plugin to True. If you won't be using that feature, don't bother Be sure the clear the cache in the Manager after making the change.

Once the email is arriving. The odds are that you will want to modify one or both of the Tpl chunks containing the message forms (if not, you're done -- sit back and relax). In order to keep the Tpl chunks from being overwritten by upgrades, duplicate and rename them.

Duplicating and Renaming the Chunks

• On the left side of the screen, click on the Elements tab
• Right-click on the ActivationEmailTpl chunk in the chunk section of the Elements tree and select "Duplicate Chunk"
• Call the new chunk "MyActivationEmailTpl"
• If you will be sending a deactivation email, do the same thing for the DeactivationEmailTpl
• Don't change the content of the new chunk(s) yet

Creating the Property Set

Like the Tpl chunk(s), you don't want the properties to be overwritten during an upgrade, so you should create a property set for your own settings.

• Edit the plugin and click on the "Properties" tab
• Click on the "Add Property Set" button
• Check the "Create New Property Set" checkbox
• Use the name MyActivationEmailProperties; add a description if you like
• Highlight the name and save it to the clipboard
• Click on the "Save" button
• In the "Value" column, double-click on ActivationEmailTpl (or right-click and update it)
• Paste in the name from the clipboard (or type in MyActivationEmailTpl)
• Do the same for the DeactivationEmailTpl if you'll be using that
• Important: Click on the "Save Property Set" button

Connecting the Property Set

Now we need to tell MODX to use our own property set with the plugin

• Still editing the plugin, click on the System Events tab
• Scroll down to the "OnUserActivate" event (note: *Not* OnBeforeUserFormSave)
• You may have to look on multiple pages to find it
• Make sure it has the checkbox checked
• Double-click in the Property Set column (column 4)
• Using the drop-down list, select the MyActivationEmailProperties set
• Important: Click on the "Save" button to save the plugin
• Do the same for the "OnUserDeactivate" event.

Retesting and Configuring

Activate and deactivate your user a few times. Make sure the emails are still arriving and that the messages are correct.

Edit the plugin and click on the "Properties" tab. Make sure you are editing your own property set, not the default properties, by selecting MyActivationEmailProperties in the drop-down list at the upper left of the grid. You can see what each property does by clicking on the little plus sign next to it in the grid. Set the properties to meet your needs. Be sure not to edit anything except the "Value" column.

When you're finished click on the "Save Property Set" button. Notice that any properties you change show up in green once you save the set. That shows that they have different values than the default properties

You may have to clear the site cache to before your changes take effect.

Customizing the Tpl Chunks

The two Tpl chunks can be completely rewritten to meet your needs. Be sure to edit the two duplicate Tpl chunks, not the ones that were installed with the Activation Email package. Be sure to include the [[+username]] placeholder so the user will be addressed by name.

The other placeholders are optional. All will be set to appropriate system settings, but you can set their values in the property set you created. You can also modify them or remove them if you wish. Since you've renamed the Tpl chunks, your changes will survive any upgrades.

Note that the [[+username]] placeholder should not change, even if you use the &useFullname property. You may also use the optional [[+fromName]] placeholder if you have set that property.

Properties

The following properties control the behavior of the ActivationEmail plugin. If you need to alter any of them be sure to create a property set and specify it on the System Events tab as described above. When changing the property values, always be sure that you're modifying your property set and not the default properties. The default properties are locked to remind you to do so.

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Bob Ray