Update: Latest Version = 1.1b
(now displayed at bottom of script's sidebar on left)
-------------------------------

The script below is a new way to allow readers to subscribe to yor comment posts. The original idea was from the ScriptyGoddess Subscribe-To-Comments scripts for MovableType. Jennifer, from ScriptyGoddess posted a call to any "doctor or Perl programmer in the house" because the Subscribe To Comments script is 1) a perfect opportunity for people to bombard enemies with spam emails, and 2) not helped by Jay Allen's masterwork the MT-Blacklist anti-spam plugin.

Well, as a better doctor than Perl programmer, I decided I'd better take up the challenge and have at it with my lumbering, kludgey Perl in order to sharpen my skills. So, I have hacked away at it for a few weeks in between real work, and I have produced a script which will easily substitute for the ScriptyGoddess one with very little work on your part and easy "revert" if you don't like it.

Here Are Some Features Of The Script
1) No hacking of MovableType or any related software
2) Single CGI script for easy installation and removal
3) Upgrade from ScriptyGoddess by simply changing two URLs in your Comments Listing Template
4) Easy Import of Old ScriptyGoddess Subscriptions
5) Web Based Interface For Managing All Subscriptions
6) Individual Entry Opt-Outs as Well as Sitewide Opt-Outs Available To Readers
7) Subscription Management Pages Secured By MovableType Password System
8) Subscriptions Stored In Database Instead of Flat File in Web Directory
9) Completely Compatible With Mt-Blacklist Plugin
10) Uses MT IP Banning For All Subscriptions
11) Readers Can Subscribe Without Posting, But Are Still Subject To MT IP Banning for Security
12) Completely Customizable Notification Email
13) Secure Reader Pages For Individuals To Manage Their Subscriptions
14) Reader and Blog Author Pages and All Others Separately Customizable With CSS
15) Easy to Purge All Related Data If Desired
16) Flood Control on Nonposting subscriptions
17) Optional automatic email notification if large volume of subscriptions (subscription spam warning)
18) Optional automatic (or reader chosen) expiration times for subscriptions
19) No hidden frames or occult popups - works perfectly* with both popup and inline comments

*the word "perfectly" is used largely to convey a feeling and not completely literally . This is because, much as I love Macs, a couple of their browsers are extremely inconsistent. The worst is Opera (Windows Opera is fine) - the workaround in the script causes a funny little bump that looks like the page is reloaded once after posting a comment - no big deal, but might surprise those few Mac Opera users a little. Also, Safari puts up a dialog box saying "Subscription Info Processed Successfully" requiring a click on okay to get rid of it. Again, nothing too unusual, I hope. All other browsers behave themselves just fine.

If you want to try it out here first, subscribe to comments for this entry (with or without posting) and see how it works. You will receive an email that will give you a link to the reader's page (to manage your subscription(s) at this site).

See Sample Page From Script (Installation Instructions and Tech Notes)

Screenshot of Script's Subscription Page

Download Script -> EZ Subscribe To Comments

Change History

EZSTC 0.1b
add popup window to basic script
release for beta testing

EZSTC 0.2b
add ip banning
add popup toggle switch

EZSTC 0.3b - 0.9b
experimental frame designs
variable clearing

EZSTC 1.0b
web based interface

EZSTC 1.1b
devised non-popup method for hooking MT after comments eval'd

EZSTC 1.2b
Add full featured web-based interface
full entry-wide, site-wide opt outs
import from ScriptyGoddess
reader management page
css for user and reader interface
customizable email
subscribe without posting
release for further beta testing

EZSTC 1.3b
fix to allow for inline comments

EZSTC 1.4b
fix double posting in some browsers

EZSTC 1.5b
add timing loop to accomodate unconventional browser eval order

EZSTC 1.6b
fix for proper preview functioning
better variable checking

EZSTC 1.7b
further fixes for Mac Camino and Win Firebird

EZSTC 1.8b
add manage subscriptions by email address

EZSTC 1.85b
minor fixes for uninitialized variable warnings

EZSTC 1.86b
minor fixes for Opera compatibility

EZSTC 1.87b
allows for optional email address on comments form

EZSTC 1.09b
limited release test of new features

EZSTC 1.091b
add button to clone settings from one blog to another

EZSTC 1.092b
flood control not applied to nonposting UNsubscribe

EZSTC 1.1b
100% customizable email, per blog settings, add expiration dates, eliminate hidden frame, flood control

Comments

104 Responses to EZ Subscribe To Comments

Paul Says:
December 19th, 2003 at 08:51 am
Hi,
i installed as you said but if i hit “preview” with empty fields or not, my site crashes…
my installation is fairly standard and preview worked well before.
Oscar Says:
December 17th, 2003 at 07:32 pm
I have released EZ Subscribe To Comments 1.08b. There are some new features and some fixes. First, I discovered that it works just fine with the SimpleComments plugin. But, Lisa’s trouble came from another source, i.e., that she had renamed the mt-comments.cgi script for added spam protection. I have written this into the script now, so that installing from scratch will cover this. It is also covered in the scripts documentation, but requires the new user to do nothing extra.

Other changes are:

1) you can point directly to the script to look at it by the url: http://www.yoursite.com/cgi-bin/mt/sub-to-com.cgi (or whatever) instead of having to add the ?config to it. Easier.

2) You can configure the entire “From:” email address of the notification instead of just the name.

3) the entries default to sorting by the most recently created at the top of the list. You can also select an entry by entry id.

4) There is a new section in which you can enter an email address and see (and manage) all entries and opt-outs for that person. This is useful if you notice a notification email bouncing. Perhaps your reader is out of business, or commission, or worse. But at least you can delete all their subscriptions in one place instead of having to hunt through every entry.

5) There are two new configurable areas. You can put any text and HTML on both the “Processing” and the “Previewing” pages that show up for a fews seconds after you hit Post or Preview (that terrible white page from the ScriptyGoddess version). Now you can enter a background color, different text, annoying ads, or anything else you want.
Oscar Says:
December 15th, 2003 at 09:57 am
Current version is 1.07b, and it seems to be stable across browsers. Lisa has had trouble with SimpleComments and this script but it works in a test blog for me, so I would appreciate hearing from anyone else giving that a try. Otherwise it looks as though all is well!
Oscar Says:
November 30th, 2003 at 11:00 pm
Hi Rori,

Well, see if you get notified of this comment ...

I will be posting a very much improved version of this script in a little bit, if I can just find a few more hours here and there to finish it up.

I think then it will be pretty complete, with its main virtue being NOT having to hack anything. We’ll see ...
Rori Says:
November 27th, 2003 at 08:21 pm
Hi Oscar, I am just learning about this subscribe to function and thought I would subscribe here and see how it works.

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