About
Requirements
Setup
E-mail Template
Log file
Upgrading from an earlier version
Additional Information
The send e-mail module in action
About the send e-mail module
The send e-mail module for Imagevue, allows viewers of the gallery to send a link of the active picture to a friend, or basically to anyone with an e-mail address. The feature is activated by clicking the button with an e-mail icon, or by right-clicking in full image modus and selecting "Send picture by e-mail". You can try yourself in the examples below:
Imagevue Slideshow
Imagevue Gallery
The send e-mail window consists of 5 textfields:
Your name,
your e-mail,
your friend's name,
your friend's e-mail and
message(optional). Additionally, you will find 3 buttons at the bottom of the windows:
Clear(clears all 5 textfields),
Cancel(closes the send e-mail window) and
Send(Attempts to send an e-mail to the specified address).
A few additional features:
- You can change the text/language of the items mentioned above by editing the new
slideshowlang.ini file.
- Once the user has filled in the form once, his/her name and e-mail will be saved for the benefit of not having to fill out these fields again. These values are saved even for when the user re-visits your gallery.
- E-mails are based on a template file, and can be edited as you see fit. See the
e-mail templates section.
Requirements
To use the send e-mail module, you will need a PHP server with the mail() function enabled. This is usually enabled on paid service commercial servers, but dont expect it to work on any private server. The best way to find out if your server supports the send e-mail module, is to try it! Please follow the setup instructions below:
Setup Instructions
To use the send e-mail module, please follow the steps below:
1. Get update!
Make sure you are using a version of Imagevue downloaded after
24. January 2007. If not, get the latest release here:
www.imagevuex.com/downloads
2. Locate your configuration file
The send email module is integrated into the slideshow viewer module, therefore you need to locate the slideshow configuration file you are currently using. This may either be slideshowimagevueconfig.ini and/or slideshowconfig.ini. If you are using a
template, you must locate the configuration files inside your template folder ex.: templates/templatename/slideshowimagevueconfig.ini and/or templates/templatename/slideshowconfig.ini.
3. Enable send e-mail module, and set e-mail subject
Open the configuration file(s) from the above step and make sure the following two lines are set accordingly:
sendemail_enabled = true
sendemail_subj = "You have received a photo link!"
The
sendemail_enabled parameter simply enables the send e-mail module script. The
sendemail_subj parameter sets the text for the subject field in the e-mails that are sent out. If you are using configuration files from before the update, simply
add the two lines above.
4. Enable 'send e-mail' controls
Last step is to enable controls for the send e-mail function. Modify the following 2 settings in the same configuration file(s) as used above:
maincontrols = select,previous,next,toggleplay,sfx,window,popup,download,sendemail
...
rightclick = next,previous,toggleplay,window,popup,download,sendemail
You may not have the exact same values as above in your configuration files, but make sure you add the 'sendemail' parameter to them.
5. Try it out!
Make sure you save and upload your new configuration files. Thereafter, goto your gallery or slideshow and check out your new send e-mail module!
E-mail Template
You can modify how the e-mails from your gallery look, by editing the template file /include/
sencpic.html. Here is an example of our default template file:
include/sendpic.html. You can edit the template file as you see fit, and you may use the following values marked inside square brackets to add the dynamic form values:
[to_name] - The name of the receiver filled in from the form.
[from_name] - The name of the sender filled in from the form.
[from_email] - The e-mail address of the sender filled in from the form.
[to_email] - The e-mail address of the receiver filled in from the form.
[gal_url] - The URL of the gallery root folder
(Works together with [path] to create absolute picture link).
[path] - Relative path of picture from gallery root folder
(works together with [gal_url] to create absolute picture link).
[message] - The message filled in from the form.
In addition, there are several ways to create a link to the photo in the e-mails:
Example 1
Link to photo in Gallery
Example Link
Use the code below to create an e-mail link that displays the image directly from inside your
Imagevue gallery so the user has a chance to navigate other photos or galleries also.
<a href="[gal_url]/?directimage=[path]">[gal_url]/?directimage=[path]</a>
Example 2
Link to photo in Slideshow
Example LinkUse the code below to create an e-mail link that displays the image directly from inside your
slideshow so the user has a chance to browse other photos.
<a href="[gal_url]/slideshow.php?directimage=[path]"> [gal_url]/slideshow.php?directimage=[path]</a>
Example 3
Direct Photo Link
Example LinkUse the code below to create an e-mail link that goes
directly to the the image.
<a href="[gal_url]/[path]">[gal_url]/[path]</a>
Example 4
Display in e-mail
(No example)
Use the code below to create a link that displays the image directly in the e-mail (No need to click any link).
<a href="[gal_url]/[path]"><img src="[gal_url]/[path]"/></a>
Log File
Although we don't recommend logging e-mail from viewers using the send e-mail module, some galleries may have special needs, so we have created the means to do so. If you are in need of logging e-mails, simply create an empty textfile
sendpic.txt, upload it to your Imagevue folder, and set global read/write permissions (or chmod 666) on the file. The send e-mail module will now start logging e-mail addresses in the sendpic.txt file.
Warning!
Please keep in mind you are storing the users' e-mail addresses without their consent. Therfore, please consider placing the file sendpic.txt outside of your wwwroot folder so atleast its not available to the public eye. To do so, simply upload your file in some folder below your wwwroot by FTP. Then open the file
sendpic.php and modify the following line to target your logfile:
$log = 'sendpic.txt';
Use a relative path from the Imagevue folder to your logfile outside of the wwwroot. By example, it could be:
$log = '../../sendpic.txt';
Upgrading from an earlier version
Download the latest Imagevue (
www.imagevuex.com/downloads/) and simply upgrade the following files:
slideshow.swf
sendpic.php
(new)
include/sendpic.html
(new)
include/secure.inc.php
include/Config.class.php
In addition, you will have to follow
step 3 in the
setup instructions to modify your configuration file(s).
Additional Information
Be aware, that by enabling the send e-mail module, you are allowing people to send e-mail to anyone through your gallery/website. Imagevue takes no responsibility for the content of the e-mails being sent. However, there are a few security restrictions we purposely included when creating this script:
- E-mails are allways based on the
template file you yourself have created.
- No files are ever
attached to the e-mails.
- Links in e-mails are always restricted to paths under the gallery
content folder.
- Links are restricted to the
JPG file extension.
- E-mails may only be sent to
single recipients.
- Send e-mail module must be enabled in specified
configuration file.
Additionally, it is necessary to point out that this script is using a native server PHP e-mailer. Some e-mail servers and e-mail clients have been known to filter e-mails coming from from these kind of scripts as junk/unsolicited. Do not be surprised if some e-mail recipients are sorting your gallery e-mails as junk. Imagevue takes no responsibility for how e-mail recipients are treating the e-mails coming from your domain.
