PM notification - how to remove PM text from email?

[landyvlad]

Members can have their profiles set such that they receive notifications when they get a Private Message.
At the moment this notification includes the text of the private message. 

Naturally many members (no matter how many times they are told) just hit 'reply' on the email, which then of course goes to the admin, and is very annoying.

In Admin - Configuration - General there is a checkbox for  "Do not allow post text in notifications" which I have checked.

The explanation of this field states:

This will remove the option of receiving the text of replies and posts in notification emails.
Members will often reply to the notification email which in most cases means the webmaster receives the reply.

Perhaps this only replies to post/topic notifications and not to private messages?

I assume this because a day or so after I made that change (checking that box and saving) I saw another 'replied to' PM email notification, which included the text of the PM.

Can someone please steer me in the right direction as far as how to ensure the text of private message is NOT included in the email notification.

Thanks

[Sir Osis of Liver]

PersonalMessage.english.php

Find this -

Code Select Expand



// Don't translate SENDER or MESSAGE in this language string; they are replaced with the corresponding text - use numeric entities too.
$txt['pm_email'] = 'You have just been sent a personal message by SENDER on ' . $context['forum_name'] . '.' . "\n\n" . 'IMPORTANT: Remember, this is just a notification. Please do not reply to this email.' . "\n\n" . 'The message they sent you was:' . "\n\n" . 'MESSAGE';
$txt['pm_multiple'] = '(multiple recipients: \'name1, name2\')';



Change to this -

Code Select Expand



// Don't translate SENDER or MESSAGE in this language string; they are replaced with the corresponding text - use numeric entities too.
$txt['pm_email'] = 'You have just been sent a personal message by SENDER on ' . $context['forum_name'] . '.' . "\n\n" . 'IMPORTANT: Remember, this is just a notification. Please do not reply to this email.';
$txt['pm_multiple'] = '(multiple recipients: \'name1, name2\')';



[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

As far as I'm aware, that setting should work for PM notifications too. But, you may see some bounces for a few days even - because mail queues can delay them, and even without that not all mail is abandoned and bounced immediately by all servers if they fail to deliver.

You may also be seeing mail that is just the original recipient replying to a notification through email, if the notification is sent from the address you received it to. This can happen as long as people have old notifications in their inbox.

[landyvlad]

Thanks Sir Osis

Thanks Aleksi.

I suppose I'll wait for a week or so and see if it stops happening. If not I'll investigate along the suggested lines Sir Osis.

Ta muchly.

[aegersz]

i have been down this path myself.

i had to eventually setup an auto-reply (the 'vacation' emailer in Linux) to tell them that 'webmaster' was the recipient (and not who sent the PM) and to 'not do it' as it would NOT BE SEEN by the intended recipient.

i still find mail in webmaster though.

if you have a hosted system then of course, this is not so practical.

try emailing a test message to webmaster at my site and you will see what i mean.

[Kindred]

Why would that noT be practical on a hosted system?

I have several hosted systems and I can set up my mail system to do that

[aegersz]

i thought that on hosted systems it was added expense and that email was a send only process where you config SMF for a SMTP proxy.

my problem is that i don't know the true limitations of hosted systems and on my server i can install whatever i like ~ something hosted systems make difficult.

[a10]

I suppose I'll wait for a week or so and see if it stops happening. If not I'll investigate along the suggested lines Sir Osis.

The "Don't allow post text in notifications" does not stop PM text. A mod would be good, as it's a regular problem for many.

[GigaWatt]

Maybe this could be added in "Tips and Tricks" .

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

I suppose I'll wait for a week or so and see if it stops happening. If not I'll investigate along the suggested lines Sir Osis.

The "Don't allow post text in notifications" does not stop PM text. A mod would be good, as it's a regular problem for many.

Really? I really thought it did. Yeah, if it does not stop PM text - then yes, the edit by Sir Osis seems the right course of action, and this really could use a mod too. Simple as it is.

[landyvlad]

I presume 2.1 is the same?

Perhaps something for inclusion in a future 2.1 update (in due course).

I have no idea how to use github so perhaps someone on there could raise this please?

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

I will gladly raise this for discussion.

[landyvlad]

Thanks mate.

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

OK, so I did raise this for discussion. And the first reply I got was that the setting should work for PMs too. Can someone verify this is not the case? For 2.1 already

[GigaWatt]

Yes, for 2.1 it does work . Haven't tested it for 2.0 though.

[landyvlad]

Sir Osis I made the changes suggested, not only to PersonalMessage.english.php but also to two similarly named files - one british english and one UTF-8 - as I'm not sure what one the forum is ACTUALLY using.

I commented out the old portion (so I could change back if needed) and added the code block you provided.

I then tested it by sending a PM to myself and got a notification without the text in it.  Great, I thought, it works.

HOWEVER

Another admin has said that while he does have his profile set to receive notifications, and has done in the past, he is no longer receiving ANY notification of PM's at all, since I did this.

Any idea what I may have done wrong please?

[Illori]

attach the files to your next post.

also check in your profile which language you have selected and which the other admin has selected.

[Kindred]

chances are: when you made the edits, you missed the closing quote -- or added a quote or other character without escaping.

[landyvlad]

Illori - sorry I didn't see this til now, at work again.  When I next get a chance I'll do precisely that.
Oh, language for all of us is English British.

Kindred - I reckon you are likely correct. Especially as I didn't do a direct cut and replace, but rather 'commented out' the existing code (so I could reinstate later if needed) and then pasted in the new code afterward.
Wouldn't be at all surprised if I inadvertently commented out something important

[landyvlad]

Files attached (I believe I made the same changes in all three).
I think.