[ic] Confirming Emails

[Bill Randle]

On Dec 27, 11:30pm, Victor Nolton wrote:
} Subject: [ic] Confirming Emails
} I spoke to Mike about this in the chatroom. But since then I've had
} some new ideas.
}
} Client wants a confirmation email sent with a order.
} He originally wanted it so that they reply to email. When the server
} gets it, it somehow "magically" scans it, and somehow marks the
} database as having a valid email address for this user. He showed me
} a way another company does tracking via the subject line.
}
} Well that seems a little difficult to me.
}
} So I was curious. Some of the mailing list programs use a URL based
} system. GO to http://whatever.com/cgi-bin/confirm?blah@blah.com
}
} Is there a way anyone knows of to do this? When they go to the URL it
} looks up the information somehow in the database and marks the
} address as confirmed?
}
} Maybe have the email go to a flypage where the variables are loaded
} automatically and they hit submit *shrug*
}
} NO idea, But open to other systems and suggestions.
}
} Ven

You can certainly setup a URL in the email for them to click on
(or copy/paste into a browser) that would take them to a confirmation
page. I have put things like:
	[area href=confirm arg="[value order_number]"]

inside an [email_raw][/email_raw] block. With the order number, you
should be able to lookup the userid then find the entry in the userdb
(or whatever you're using) and mark the email address as valid.

Or even:
	[area href=confirm arg="[value mv_username]"
		form="order_number=[value order_number]"]

which passes back both an order number and userid that could be cross-
checked to reduce errors or spoofing.

You could make the confirm page update the db and show some text that
says "thanks for confirming your email address" or words to that
effect. You would not even need to put a submit button on the page.
Obviously, you'd want to add some error checking such that an
error message is displayed if the order number or userid can't be
found.

In my mind, setting up a mechanism to scan the contents of returned
email would be more difficult and more complicated (for the implementor).

	-Bill