email subscription, where to start?

[acc]

my company wants an email subscription form on the site that will allow them to send company/product news to the subscribers.

I know there are tutorials on the web that will teach me how to write on an XML file.

I would like the database to be made of XML and use ASP to save the email addresses from the form. My questions is how do I retrieve those email addresses from the XML file so that we can send the email from Outlook?

Would it be easier for my company to buy a software that will do this, and most importantly allow them to send emails that look like web pages, much like what Adobe would send.

[duncanhall]

I'd cut out the XML completely and save yourself some hassle!

From what I imagine, this form on your site is only going to be asking for an email address and possibly a name of some kind. So if for each user in the database you're only going to have a maximum of 2 fields (3 if you include the primary key ID), then you can just pull each email address out of the database and you're ready to go!

EG: once you have your data stored in a database, an SQL statement like:

SELECT email_address FROM mailingList_db

will return all the email addresses from your data. All you need to do is perform some very simple formatting for each result, to make each value comma seperated, and you have your mailing list. If you want to address the email to each person, simply retrieve their stored name as well. No need for XML!

As for sending HTML emails, I'd say your best bet for that is to go with an external company. I was asked to create an HTML send out a few months ago, and believe me, its much easier getting someone else to do it. Take a look at www.mailchimp.com (http://mailchimp.com/) for some good information and a useful free trial.
Once you've found the company you are going to use for your mailouts, you just need to agree on what is the best way for them to receive your list of subscribers. You may even find someone that accepts a database of email addresses and then you wouldn't have to touch your user data at all!

[acc]

In case my company says they'll just send emails through Outlook and all I have to do is create a web form that will store the data on a database like Access, which I can easily find tutorials on line.

Sorry I'm a newbie, but as I understand this, SQL is the language I can use to retrieve/sort/display the data. But Outlook can just get the addresses from the Access without writing any scripts, right?

[duncanhall]

Sorry, wasn't sure how far your knowledge ran. Yes, SQL (Structured Query Language) is the language or syntax used to add/remove/read/organise generally do everything with your Database data. See http://mysql.com/

As for Outlook I'm not a big fan so I don't know a lot about it. Generally, Access kind of sucks as a database for web applications, but, being Microsoft, it might offer some advantages when it comes to exporting the data to outlook. However, you are going to have a hard time creating HTML emails in Outlook so I'd still advise to get someone else to actually send all your HTML emails.

[acc]

I'll research more into mysql, but it seems like a lot more than I can handle with my experience.

But I did find some softwares that are already set up and makes mail list and newsletter easy to handle like http://www.raizlabs.com/software/mailinglist/introduction.asp and http://www.designerfreesolutions.com/web/viewItem.asp?idproduct=1027.

I think I'll try pitching these instead, takes hours off my time and anyone can administer it. what do you think?

[Esherido]

MySQL is extremely easy to use once you get the hang of it, and there are lots of great tutorials out there. I know there are some here on kirupa.com. ;) You'll need a submit form to submit the email address, and then a PHP script to scan through all the emails in the database and send an email to each address. It won't take that long to code and will work extremely well, believe me.

[acc]

My company's server supports ASP only, but I'm assuming I can still use MySQL.

Form I can make and I'm sure I can find the tutorials on how to save the information from the form to the database.


This part I'm not quite clear on:


PHP script to scan through all the emails in the database and send an email to each address.

how is this done? Not the actual scripts but I guess the process. Sorry, I need a visual process in my mind :puzzle:

Where do I place and run this PHP script, or in my case ASP script? So do I make a normal ASP page, with the code to retrieve all the email addresses and run it on the website? But then what would be sending the email? Or how is the email created and where?

sorry for all the questions, this is my first attempt in working with databases.

[duncanhall]

You'd basically just write an ASP script that sends an email (there are LOADS of tutorials out there for this), and then modify it so that it gets each email address first from your database and ammends each one to the recipient list.

But, and I still can't stress this enough; sending HTML emails is NOT as straightforward as you think. If you don't want this whole project to be a waste of time I seriously recommend you try sending yourself an HTML email to as many different email accounts as possible before you do anything else. You need to figure out if you actually can send an acceptable, formatted HTML email, that's not going to get rejected by spam filters and will display nicely on the myriad email clients out there. If not, stop worrying about it, just collect the data and then get an external company to do the send out for you.

[acc]

just collect the data and then get an external company to do the send out for you.

Normally, these charge by email you send or they have packages in thousands. Wouldn't it be better for my company to pay for a newsletter and email listing software for around $100US dollars, as I've found from where I can manage the listing, make the newsletter and even track the emails sent out?

[evildrummer]

I would have it done like this, flowchart:

Guest enters e-mail in form, clicks subit
|
|
ASP script puts e-mail into SQL database
|
|
E-Mail writer(editor) writes content fron an admin panel on your website
|
|
ASP script takes content puts into website frame
|
|
ASP code to send the new HTML e-mail to e-mail adress in the database.

[acc]

I would have it done like this, flowchart:

Guest enters e-mail in form, clicks subit
|
|
ASP script puts e-mail into SQL database
|
|
E-Mail writer(editor) writes content fron an admin panel on your website
|
|
ASP script takes content puts into website frame
|
|
ASP code to send the new HTML e-mail to e-mail adress in the database.

thank you so much for the flow chart, I was trying to make one to help me picture it and I keep putting the last three steps into one step that I did not know, but to somehow have the emails sent. This definitely gives me a clearer picture and idea of what I should be looking for in tutorials.

[evildrummer]

If you need any help just ask, I can do PHP and SOME ASP but all the logic is the same.

[- |Flash Man| -]

evildrummer could you please post some php code on how to add whatever is typed into the input field gets added to the template and then sent off i know how to send email in php but its just how to add automatically the html template page to send off??

only if you have the time, or if you could point me in some goood tutorials on this i'm going to do mine through flash interface.

[evildrummer]

well I dont really have much time so I cant now but i can explain the process later!

[- |Flash Man| -]

thats cool thanks that will be great :) just post back when you get time...i'll do some research on it through php...Cheers :)

[acc]

|
|
ASP script puts e-mail into SQL database
|
|



evildrummer, I've been searching for tutorials on saving the data to a database and most tutorials show how to save on MS Access database. Is there a big difference between the two that I should use SQL database? Does SQL databases need to be supported in our server?

[bwh2]

well, Access can be queried using SQL. but Access is significantly slower than MySQL or MSSQL, both of which you can get for free (at least to some extent).

[evildrummer]

If you server has or supports SQL, use it, its faster and easier to use, I would only use access on a local machine or network.

[Esherido]

Don't use a Microsoft product unless you absolutely have to, especially with Access or any of that Office stuff. Period.

[bwh2]

^ i actually highly recommend SQL Server. it's a really solid product.

[Esherido]

I've had nothing but trouble with SQL Server. :(

[bwh2]

^ i assume you're using SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. yeah, that's pretty basic but will get you through webdev stuff if you want it to. problem is there's not a lot of documentation yet, especially for PHP.

but i'm talking about SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition, which is beefcake.

[adstudio3d]

ACC - Have you got it to work yet?

I'm just learning how to set up a database and what not too. I think this link will help you, it seams to be what you are looking for...

Not to hijack your thread, but I could use some help with my database as well (1st database I'm working with) here is my thread:
http://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=246440

Good luck, hope that helps

[Seb Hughes]

I think i read somwhere that Sql Server 2005 dont work on Vista. Maybe im dreaming but im sure I read it somwhere.

[bwh2]

I think i read somwhere that Sql Server 2005 dont work on Vista. Maybe im dreaming but im sure I read it somwhere.http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/14/magazines/business2/microsoft_vista.biz2/index.htm

[Seb Hughes]

^M$ got pwned.

[evildrummer]

no, MS is clever it means people have to buy a newer version of SQL server ;)

[bwh2]

no, MS is clever it means people have to buy a newer version of SQL server ;)no, that is for the newly released version of SQL Server (aka the one they are advertising like crazy).

[Esherido]

See? I have good instincts, SQL Server is bad and I could detect it. :D

[evildrummer]

I could go on and say they are still clever as people are going to buy this one and get addicted as its amazing then when the next version comes out and is VISTA only capable it will force the xp to buy vista.... maybe.

[acc]

ACC - Have you got it to work yet?

I'm just learning how to set up a database and what not too. I think this link will help you, it seams to be what you are looking for...

Not to hijack your thread, but I could use some help with my database as well (1st database I'm working with) here is my thread:
http://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=246440

Good luck, hope that helps

did you forget to pose the link?

as for your question, unfortunately no I did not, I've had to work on something else, I'm still waiting for our tech to get back to me whether our server supports SQL.

I will let you know as soon as I get something working.

But I did find a lot of tutorials out there, using MS Access though, I can give you some links if you wish.

I've also found some free newsletter managers, too, but I really want to give it a try, since now I know how or have an idea how to send HTML emails with ASP.

Let me know if you want the links.

[adstudio3d]

oops! haha forgot to post that link for you :player:
http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/forms_database.htm

You've probably already went through it by now though, but its worth a shot.

Sure post up the links. I'll let you know how it works out for me.
I'm basically teaching myself php,asp,and how to interface with databases... just to get this one project done =) never needed it before.

[acc]

oops! haha forgot to post that link for you :player:
http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/forms_database.htm

You've probably already went through it by now though, but its worth a shot.

Sure post up the links. I'll let you know how it works out for me.
I'm basically teaching myself php,asp,and how to interface with databases... just to get this one project done =) never needed it before.

With the limited time I have to the launch of our website, my boss have decided to simply buy a newsletter management software instead to save time.

sorry I couldn't bring any help to the table

As for the links, I will post them tomorrow, as they are bookmarked at work.

Hope yours work out