|
GilgaEmail 1.0
This email tool helps you identify who, among your target audience, has opened your forwaded message, when, and how many times. It is a great tool for statistical reasons to record conversion rates on reads/send. This great tool does not require any installation or special registry update. Just place it in your working directory and you are ready to go. Supported Systems top This tool has been tested to work with major browsers and email systems including: AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Express, Excite, etc. It works on IE, Netscape, Mozilla browsers, etc. as long as the browser supports html emails. The only browser that did not pass GilgaEmail tests was Eudora. This tool is integrated into ColdFusion Application Server. As long as you have one installed on your server, the tool can work. No other special requirements needed on the client's machine or on the server. Privacy Issues **IMPORTANT** top Gilgamesh Solutions, Inc. does not imply that this tool can or can not be used LEGALLY in all locations with all clients. You will take full liability and responsibility to contact your clients and let them know that this tool is going to be used for statistical purposes. Gilgamesh Solutions, Inc. is not responsible for any damages this tool may cause due to miss-use, or miss-handling, both for you and your clients. You take privacy issues as your full responsibility when you purchase this tool. If the purchase is committed, you imply your understanding that Gilgamesh Solutions, Inc. is no longer responsible for the use of this tool under any circumstances. Gilgamesh Solutions, Inc. will only give you technical support to help you set up, configure, and get the tool running on your server. However, Gilgamesh Solutions, Inc. is not and will not help you use this tool on customers who have not provided their explicit permission that they agree to have their privacy right waved to give you permission to record their email (that you have sent them only) activities. Set Up Instructions top To start working with GilgaEmail, make sure you save: - GilgaEmail.cfm - emailAction.cfm - (Your included template) explained below - (Your file originating the email) All in the same directory. Then start using GilgaEmail! Parameters top NamesList: A list of names to be passed to your code each time an email is read. ValuesList: The values of the names above. Those values can be retrieved from a database to make your application carry custom values for each user. This is useful to distinguish your users. The number of items in this list should match the number of items in the NamesList. Host: The URL address to the directory where all the files above ( see Set Up Instructions) are located. This is a full URL path e.g. http://www.gilgamesh-solutions.com/dir1/dir2/dir3. FileName: The file name that will be executed each time an email is opened. Usage top To use GilgaEmail, follow these steps below: 1. Place the following code in the same page that is originating your email message: **************************************************************** <cfsavecontent variable="Gilga"> <cf_GilgaEmail ....> </cfsavecontent> <cfset yourHtmlEmailMessage = yourHtmlEmailMessage & Gilga> **************************************************************** 2. Decide which parameters you would like to record when each email is opened. Suggested ones would be: - Last Name - First Name - Customer ID, etc. Then, decide how you are going to pass custom values to each one of these names. This is essential to distinguish your users who open their emails. This process will help you determine the two attributes passed to GilgaEmail: - NamesList: a list of names you want to record every time your user opens his/her email. - ValuesList: a custom value for each email send. The number of items in this list should match the number of items in the NamesList. So, the code above, will now look like this: **************************************************************** <cfsavecontent variable="Gilga"> <cf_GilgaEmail NamesList="Email, LastName, FirstName" ValuesList="#email#, #lastName#, #firstName#"> </cfsavecontent> <cfset yourHtmlEmailMessage = yourHtmlEmailMessage & Gilga> **************************************************************** 3. Supply the Host name starting with http. -Host = "http://www.yourdomain.com/dir1/dir2/dir3" Where "dir3" is the directory where all the files mentioned in the "Set Up Instructions" section above are located. Make sure everyone has permission to the directory from out of your firewall. Your code will now look like: **************************************************************** <cfsavecontent variable="Gilga"> <cf_GilgaEmail NamesList="Email, LastName, FirstName" ValuesList="#email#, #lastName#, #firstName#" Host="http://www.yourdomain.com/dir1/dir2/dir3"> </cfsavecontent> <cfset yourHtmlEmailMessage = yourHtmlEmailMessage & Gilga> **************************************************************** 4. Create a file that will expect the parameters you chose above (Email, LastName, FirstName) to return whenever the email is opened. Your file can have a query that will update a table with the information specific to each user. You can also have another column in your table that will increment each time you update the record for the same user. Another column might be for automatically inserting the current date using the GetDate function in SQL. The query can look something like this. Feel free to modify it if you want: [Here we assume that in your table (ECRMLOG), you have four columns (Email, LastName, FirstName, Counter). We also assume that the combination (Email, LastName, FirstName) will be your primary key.] **************************************************************** <!--- check this record to see if we already have captured it ---> <cfquery name="check_record" datasource="Mailing"> SELECT * FROM ECRMLOG WHERE Email LIKE '#email#' AND LastName = '#lastName#' AND FirstName = '#firstName#' </cfquery> <!--- If record does not exist, insert a new record ---> <cfif check_record.recordCount is 0> <cfquery name="insert_record" datasource="mailing"> INSERT INTO ECRMLOG (Email, LastName, FirstName) VALUES('#email#', '#lastName#', '#firstName#') </cfquery> <!--- The record does exist. Update its counter for number of times viewed ---> <cfelse> <cfquery name="update_record" datasource="Mailing"> UPDATE ECRMLOG SET counter = counter + 1 WHERE Email LIKE '#email#' AND LastName = '#lastName#' AND FirstName = '#firstName#' </cfquery> </cfif> **************************************************************** After you create your page, you save it to dir3 (the same directory that includes all files above). Say, you save it to file name "included.cfm". Then, pass the name of the file to GilgaEmail. Your code will now be: **************************************************************** <cfsavecontent variable="Gilga"> <cf_GilgaEmail NamesList="Email, LastName, FirstName" ValuesList="#email#, #lastName#, #firstName#" Host="http://www.yourdomain.com/dir1/dir2/dir3" FileName="included.cfm"> </cfsavecontent> <cfset yourHtmlEmailMessage = yourHtmlEmailMessage & Gilga> **************************************************************** 5. Send in the email after the code above with the html message saved in 'yourHtmlEmailMessage'. You are done!! Exceptions top GilgaEmail might throw the following exceptions: 1. ERROR: Please supply equal number of Names and Values. - This means that the number of columns of NamesList does not match the number of columns of ValuesList. 2. ERROR: Please include a file you want to be executed when an email opens. - This means that you did not specify a file to be executed when an email is opened. Parameter "FileName". 3. ERROR: Please make sure the file exists in the current directory. - This means that the file you supplied in "FileName" does not exist in the current directory. EmailAction might throw the following exception: 1. ERROR: You can't call this file directory. It has to go through Email custom tag. - This means that you were trying to call the file directoy by by-passing GilgaEmail. To call EmailAction.cfm, you need to go through GilgaEmail.cfm. |