Create Your First Email Event Using PHPRunner

Oct 15

Written By ADMIN

Effective communication is essential for any web application, especially when it comes to keeping users informed about important events or actions they've taken. PHPRunner simplifies this process by allowing you to create email events that trigger automatically based on specific conditions or user interactions. In this guide, we'll walk you through creating your first email event using PHPRunner. By the end, you'll have a functional application that sends automated emails to users, enhancing engagement and providing timely updates.

Step 1: Set Up Your Database

Before creating email events, you need a database that your application will interact with. In this example, we'll create a simple user registration system where an email is sent to users upon successful registration.

Create the Database and Tables

Use MySQL to set up your database with the following structure:

sql

CREATE DATABASE user_management; USE user_management; CREATE TABLE users ( id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, username VARCHAR(255), email VARCHAR(255), password VARCHAR(255), registration_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP );

This users table will store user information, including email addresses, which we'll use for sending notifications.

Step 2: Create a New Project in PHPRunner

With your database ready, open PHPRunner and start a new project.

Connect to Your Database

Open PHPRunner and click on "New Project".
Select MySQL as your database type.
Enter your connection details to connect to the user_management database.

Select Tables

PHPRunner will display the list of tables in your database.
Select the users table for your project.

Generate Pages

PHPRunner will automatically generate the necessary PHP pages for the users table, including:

List views
Detail views
Add/Edit forms
Search functionality

Step 3: Customize the User Registration Workflow

To send an email upon user registration, you need to ensure that the registration process is set up correctly.

1. Edit the Registration Form

Go to the "Pages" tab and select the Add Page for the users table.
Include fields for:
- Username
- Email
- Password

2. Add Validation Rules

Make fields required to ensure data integrity.
For the Email field, set validation to check for a valid email format.
For the Password field, consider adding strength requirements.

3. Secure Password Storage

In the "Events" tab, add code to hash the password before saving it to the database:
```
php
```
$values["password"] = password_hash($values["password"], PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

Step 4: Set Up the Email Event

Now, let's create an email event that triggers after a user successfully registers.

1. Navigate to the Events Section

Click on the "Events" tab in PHPRunner.
Select the users table.
Choose the After Record Added event for the Add Page.

2. Add Email Sending Code

Insert the following code to send an email:
```
php
```
$email = $values["email"]; $username = $values["username"]; $data = array(); $data["to"] = $email; $data["subject"] = "Welcome to Our Service"; $data["body"] = "Hi $username,\n\nThank you for registering!\n\nBest Regards,\nYour Company Name"; runner_mail($data);
Replace "Your Company Name" with your actual company or application's name.

3. Customize the Email Content

You can enhance the email body by using HTML:
```
php
```
$data["htmlbody"] = "Hi $username,Thank you for registering!Best Regards, Your Company Name";

Step 5: Configure SMTP Settings

To ensure your emails are sent correctly, configure the SMTP settings in PHPRunner.

1. Access Email Settings

Go to the "Output" tab.
Click on "Email Settings".

2. Enter SMTP Details

Select "Use SMTP server".
Fill in your SMTP server details:
- SMTP server: e.g., smtp.yourdomain.com
- SMTP port: Usually 587 or 465
- Use SMTP authentication: Yes
- Username: Your email username
- Password: Your email password
- Enable TLS/SSL: Depending on your server requirements

3. Test the SMTP Configuration

Click on "Send test email" to verify that your settings are correct.

Step 6: Test Your Application

Before deploying, test the email functionality to ensure everything works as expected.

1. Build the Project

Click the "Build" button in PHPRunner to generate your application.

2. Run Locally

Use PHPRunner's built-in web server or a local server like XAMPP to run your application.

3. Register a New User

Fill out the registration form with a test email address.

4. Verify Email Receipt

Check the inbox of the test email address to confirm the welcome email was received.

Step 7: Deploy Your App

With testing complete, you're ready to deploy your application to a live server.

1. Choose a Hosting Provider

Select a hosting provider that supports PHP and has SMTP capabilities.
Amazon Lightsail is a good option for hosting PHP applications.

2. Upload Your Files

Use an FTP client like FileZilla to upload the generated files to your web server.

3. Update SMTP Settings if Necessary

Ensure that the SMTP settings on the live server match those configured in PHPRunner.

4. Final Testing

Perform another test registration on the live site to confirm that emails are sent correctly.

Step 8: Advanced Customizations (Optional)

Enhance your email events with these advanced features.

1. Conditional Email Sending

Send emails based on certain conditions, such as user roles or specific form inputs.
Modify the After Record Added event code:
```
php
```
if ($values["subscribe_newsletter"] == 1) { // Send welcome email }

2. Email Attachments

Add attachments to your emails:
```
php
```
$data["attachments"] = array("path/to/file.pdf");

3. Multiple Recipients

Send emails to multiple recipients:
```
php
```
$data["to"] = array($email, "admin@yourdomain.com");

4. Logging Email Status

Log the status of email sending for troubleshooting:
```
php
```
$result = runner_mail($data); if (!$result["mailed"]) { // Log error error_log("Email failed: " . $result["message"]); }

Conclusion

Creating email events in PHPRunner enhances your application's interactivity and keeps users engaged. By following this guide, you've learned how to set up a basic email event that sends a welcome message upon user registration. With PHPRunner's powerful features and flexibility, you can further customize email events to suit your application's needs.

If you need assistance with advanced features, custom development, or deployment, PHP Code School is here to help. We offer training, support, and development services to help you succeed in your web development journey.

Contact us today, and let's make your web applications more dynamic and user-friendly!

ADMIN