$Id: README.txt,v 1.5.2.6 2009-01-02 10:00:07 sutharsan Exp $ DESCRIPTION ----------- Simplenews publishes and sends newsletters to lists of subscribers. Both anonymous and authenticated users can opt-in to different mailing lists. HTML email can be send by adding Mime mail module. REQUIREMENTS ------------ * Taxonomy module * For large mailing lists, cron is required. * HTML-format newsletters and/or newsletters with file attachments require the mime mail module. INSTALLATION ------------ 1. CREATE DIRECTORY Create a new directory "simplenews" in the sites/all/modules directory and place the entire contents of this simplenews folder in it. 2. ENABLE THE MODULE Enable the module on the Modules admin page: Administer > Site building > Modules 3. ACCESS PERMISSION Grant the access at the Access control page: Administer > User management > Access control. 4. CONFIGURE SIMPLENEWS Configure Simplenews on the Simplenews admin pages: Administer > Site configuration > Simplenews. Select the content type Simplenews uses for newsletters. Select the taxonomy term Simplenews uses to manage newsletter series. 5. ENABLE SIMPLENEWS BLOCK With the Simplenews block users can subscribe to a newsletter. For each newsletter one block is available. Enable the Simplenews block on the Administer blocks page: Administer > Site building > Blocks. 6. CONFIGURE SIMPLENEWS BLOCK Configure the Simplenews block on the Block configuration page. You reach this page from Block admin page (Administer > Site building > Blocks). Click the 'Configure' link of the appropriate simplenews block. Permission "subscribe to newsletters" is required to view the subscription form in the simplenews block or to view the link to the subscription form. Links in the simplenews block (to previous issues and RSS-feed) are only displayed to users who have "view links in block" privileges. 7. SIMPLENEWS BLOCK THEMING More control over the content of simplenews blocks can be achieved using the block theming. Theme your simplenews block by copying simplenews-block.tpl.php into your theme directory and edit the content. The file is self documented listing all available variables. The newsletter block can be themed generally and per newsletter: simplenews-block.tpl.php (for all newsletters) simplenews-block.tpl--[tid].php (for newsletter series tid) 8. MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT Simplenews supports multilingual newsletters for node translation, multilingual taxonomy and url path prefixes. When translated newsletter issues are available subscribers receive the newsletter in their preferred language (according to account setting). Translation module is required for newsletter translation. Multilingual taxonomy of 'Localized terms' and 'per language terms' is supported. 'per language vocabulary' is not supported. I18n-taxonomy module is required. Use 'Localized terms' for a multilingual newsletter. Taxonomy terms are translated and translated newsletters are each taged with the same (translated) term. Subscribers receive the newsletter in the preferred language set in their account settings or in the site default language. Use 'per language terms' for mailing lists each with a different language. Newsletters of different language each have their own tag and own list of subscribers. Path prefixes are added to footer message according to the subscribers preferred language. The preferred language of anonymous users is set based on the interface language of the page they visit for subscription. Anonymous users can NOT change their preferred language. Users with an account on the site will be subscribed with the preferred language as set in their account settings. 9. NEWSLETTER THEMING You can customize the theming of newsletters. Copy any of the *.tpl.php files from the simplenews module directory to your theme directory. Both general and by-newsletter theming can be performed. Theme newsletter body: simplenews-newsletter-body.tpl.php (for all newsletters) simplenews-newsletter-body--[tid].tpl.php (for newsletter series tid; where [tid] is replaced by the term id of the newsletter taxonomy term. Theme newsletter footer: simplenews-newsletter-footer.tpl.php (for all newsletters) simplenews-newsletter-footer--[tid].tpl.php (for newsletter series tid) The files are self documented listing all available variables. Using the Display fields settings each field of a simplenews newsletter can be displayed or hidden in plain text and/or HTML newsletters. You find these settings at: admin/content/node-type/my-node-type/display 10. SEND MAILING LISTS Cron is required to send large mailing lists. Cron jobs can be triggered by Poormanscron or any other cron mechanism such as crontab. If you have a medium or large size mailing list (i.e. more than 500 subscribers) always use cron to send the newsletters. To use cron: * Check the 'Use cron to send newsletters' checkbox. * Set the 'Cron throttle' to the number of newsletters send per cron run. Too high values may lead to mail server overload or you may hit hosting restrictions. Contact your host. Don't use cron: * Uncheck the 'Use cron to send newsletters' checkbox. All newsletters will be send immediately when saving the node. If not all emails can be sent within the available php execution time, the remainder will be send by cron. Therefore ALWAYS enable cron. These settings are found on the Newsletter Settings page under 'Send mail' options at: Administer > Site configuration > Simplenews > Send mail. 11. TIPS A subscription page is available at: /newsletter/subscriptions DOCUMENTATION ------------- More help can be found on the help pages: example.com/admin/help/simplenews and in the drupal.org handbook: http://drupal.org/project/node/197057