Blank PHPList Pages after installing HTTP/Request

[NeilW]

Hi everyone,

Well, as you can see below, I have tried to research this problem through the forum, but I am still having grief, and even though I am trying to duplicate everything I am learning along the way, I can't get past the stage where once I follow the instructions below, and try to get back into phpList admin or anything else to do with phpList (such as un-subscribe a user) all I get are blank web pages.

What I am trying to do is send a web page by using HTTP/Request after initially trying to send an eMail with the following body;

[URL:http://www.mywebsite.com/newsletter.html?email=[email]]

1. PHPlist installation = 2.10.19
2. Pear package is installed at /usr/local/lib/php:/home/username/pear/HTTP/Request.php
3. I am using Request.php not the more recent Request2.php, as I noticed that Request2 can cause a similar problem of blank phpList web pages.

At the forum topic below, "liliplanet" was apparently able to get things to work as listed underneath, but I can't even get back into phpList/Admin to send an eMail because all I get when I try to log in is a blank web page.

So this is what I have followed/done...

http://forums.phplist.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=37153&p=89086

Changes have been made to list/admin/lib.php as follows as per http://forums.phplist.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2658&start=75

replaced @include_once "HTTP/Request.php"; - (approx line 111) with ...

Code: Select all

$origIncludePath = get_include_path();
    set_include_path(get_include_path() . ':/usr/local/lib/php:/home/username/pear');

    @include_once 'HTTP/Request.php';

    set_include_path(get_include_path() . $origIncludePath);



replaced require_once "HTTP/Request.php"; - (approx line 590) with ..

Code: Select all

$origIncludePath = get_include_path();
    set_include_path(get_include_path() . ':/usr/local/lib/php:/home/username/pear');

    require_once "HTTP/Request.php";

    set_include_path(get_include_path() . $origIncludePath);



added the following to config.php
(Now, I am actually not sure what config.php file this is. There are so many config.php and configure.php in the phpList installation. - So any advice on the EXACT one would be great.)

I opted for the config/config.php file, but that really does not look to be correct.

Code: Select all

ini_set('include_path',ini_get('include_path').':/usr/local/lib/php:/home/username/pear');


So is anyone able to help me get this thing working please as I am on a strict deadline and this is just driving me crazy?

Thanks kindly.

[NeilW]

BTW, I installed Request.php manually after following the instructions from my Web Host below;

1. Download what you need from http://pear.php.net Some packages may depend on others so you may need more than one file.
2. Extract the files.
3. Create a new folder under your account root folder called "pear" (without the quotes)
4. Upload all files under the pear folder.
5. Create php.ini under public_html with the line:
include_path = .:/usr/local/lib/php:/home/username/pear
6. Add a line to .htaccess:
suPHP_ConfigPath /home/username/public_html (change username to your cPanel username)
To use a PEAR library in an application you would add the following line:
require_once 'packagename.php'
or
require_once 'packagesubfolder/packagename.php'

I initially followed all of this exactly without making any of the changes as described above and got the same blank web pages problem.

[AlanGeorge]

Neil

from the little that I know after playing with phpList the template for sending a web page should include the [CONTENT] placeholder and the message should be something similar to

[URL:http;//www.mydomain.com/locationfolder/newsletter.html]

i.e. the content , so why use ?email=[email] ot have I missed something important here.

regards

Alan

[NeilW]

All fixed and working!

If anyone else like me does not have PEAR installed on their Hosted Web Server but are able to do a manual install of PEAR, please do not fall into the same trap as I did and read the instructions in these pages too literally.

Yep! To be able to pick up a web page and include it as your eMail, you certainly DO need HTTP/Request.php.

BUT...

You ALSO need to download and install;
1. PEAR-1.9.4
2. Net_URL-1.0.15
3. Net_Socket-1.0.10

Some of these have been depreciated and I have not yet tried the updates, but these versions do work.

My web page uses a separate css style sheet and there is no in-line style, yet from the one test I have done, everything renders perfectly.

The only things are, and it makes sense when you think of it, any [PLACEHOLDERS] or [ATTRIBUTES] that you may embed in the web page do not come up in the eMailed version.

Plus it is sending two eMails one in TEXT and the other as HTML. I thought I had things set up to only send HTML, so I must have missed something somewhere, but that's the next job on the list.

Also, I did not need to make any of the changes that others had to make that I listed on the top of my first eMail.

Just following the instructions of my Web Host was sufficient.

[NeilW]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for your response.

I did not need to insert the [CONTENT] placeholder in the eMail, just the [URL]

I picked up the ?email=[email] code from the docs here, but I am as miffed as you are on what it does as I sent another eMail without it and there were no differences between the two.

[AlanGeorge]

How strange, I did not have to install pear as it was already installed on the host server and all the placeholders that I embed in an external [URL:etc} e.g. [FIRSTNAME], [USERTRACK] all appear and work perfectly ok as does the [VIEWONLINE] place holder.
Each to their own I guess....... that said I've not tried using external css, maybe after lunch unless Englad are thrashing Italy today....or is that tomorrow?
Anyway congrats on getting PEAR to work sort of...sounds as though you also have much work to do.

[AlanGeorge]

Neil

with any newsletter I send I create a template usually the same one that contains [CONTENT] wrapped by the html <head> and <body> tags.

Then in the message itself I put the [URL:http://] with all the css defined within the page itself. Sign up to one of my lists and I'll send one of my annomally testing mails just to show you
http://www.alangeorge-photography.com/

Alan

[NeilW]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the tips, would love to learn more on how you do that.

I have signed up for your newsletter and was actually on your web site earlier today when I was trying to find ways around the problems I have been having.

I like the way you have customised/integrated phpList. I am only a newbie to it and as you recognised, have heaps to do, in getting newsletters out, but as soon as things settle down a bit really want to learn more.

I think that England will thrash Italy.

- From what I hear Italians don't play much cricket and therefore are not really good at it!

[AlanGeorge]

We are talking about the Six Nations later today ...... Rugby Union! Live on the BBC though NZ v Eng in the test match (Cricket) will probably end in a draw

Wondered who from Aus was wandering around my pages... PIWIK is very handy once the geoip is installed.... thanks for the comments..

Will add you to the annomally list and send a test external webpage/Newsletter...

Alan

[NeilW]

We are talking about the Six Nations later today ...... Rugby Union! Live on the BBC though NZ v Eng in the test match (Cricket) will probably end in a draw

I knew that , and still think that England should win, but just wanted you to not get too confident on the upcoming Ashes Tests.

Yeah, actually would really appreciate some help, I like the way [VIEWONLINE] seems to work but can't seem to find anything here about it. Plus setting up a "newsletter" directory somehow while still operating within phpLists is really cool.

How do you find your set-up works with gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc?

[AlanGeorge]

Hi Neil

the view OnLine and NewsArchive hacks that I have compiled are based on the original hacks and subsequent updates that can be found on the forums. These are available on my site and include further modifications by myself which have worked since 2.10.17.

There is also a hack to apply additional email headers UnSubscribe and Reply-to which can be switched on and off in the config.php useful for some email clients.

The last one is quite handy for gMail though I've not had any problems with receipt or how the newsletters appear in the various browsers.

You probably ought to read up on the SPF header that has to be set up in your Hosting control panel (they should be able to tell you how).

Just go to my website and type view online into the search field. Note this search engine also works with my newsletters...

http://www.alangeorge-photography.com/

Regards

Alan

[AlanGeorge]

Neil

forgot to mention which is is probably why I don't consider it.....

eMails cannot have external CSS or external fonts you have to embed the css inside the eMail in order for it to render correctly in all clients.

Sorry forgot that one rather important fact....oooops not enough coffee today.

Alan