Phplist

phplist is an open-source mailing list manager. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database for storing information.

Premise

The software runs on a web server and allows web site administrators to set up a web based newsletter subscription system where users can subscribe to the desired mailing lists.

It allows email messages to be sent out to a large number of subscribers and also allows email message templates to be set up (e.g. for a consistent look and feel). It also allows the email messages being sent out to be personalised with attributes that are unique to each subscriber.

Software features

phplist is a one-way email announcement delivery system with automated subscription management, commonly used for newsletters, publicity lists, notifications, etc. (It is different from group mailing list systems like GNU Mailman).

phplist hosts a wide range of features:

• The Web Interface lets you write and send messages, and manage phplist over the internet.
• phplist keeps sending messages from your web server after you shut down your computer.
• 100,000 + subscribers. phplist is designed to manage mailing lists with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
• Double opt-in subscription. The automated subscription management, includes the use of a 'confirm Opt in e-mail' function which helps to avoid false subscripions, and conforms to anti-spam requirements in many countries.
• No duplicate messages. No 'forgotten' messages. phplist manages message delivery with a message queue, ensuring that every subscriber gets the email message, and that no subscribers receive two copies, even if they're subscribed to more than one list.
• E-mail tracking features provide message open and click tracking statistics. Message open tracking, which is based on a tracker image, has limitations as some email clients [like Mozilla Thunderbird) and many webmail clients (like Gmail, Hotmail, and others) will block images by default. Click tracking provides tracks links and URLs. Statistics can be viewed by message, URL or subscriber.
• Multiple Subscribe Pages allow you to choose several different combinations of templates, user attributes and lists.
• Templates are customizable, and allow for easy site integration.
• Multiple Templates on different subscribe pages can integrate phplist with several different web sites.
• Subscriber Attributes like 'name', 'country', and other personal information, are completely customizable. You can specify what information you need to get from users when they subscribe.
• User-Specific Content. You can use Subscriber Attributes in message content personalize messages with the subscriber's name, country, or any other attribute.
• HTML email messages. Subscribers can be given the choice between text or html email messages. You decide whether subscribers can choose, what the default choice is, and what format a message is sent in: text only, or Multipart/alternative HTML/text.
• An integrated HTML Editor allows you to edit HTML messages through phplist . You can use FCKeditor or TinyMCE.
• Installation via Fantastico, FTP upload, or SSH.
• Multiple List Administrators. The super-admin can assign lists to List Managers, who can manage their users and lists. The super-admin user can 'prepare' messages that can be sent by list managers to their lists.
• Subscriber preferences. Every email message contains personalized URLs for subscribers to update their preferences or unsubscribe. Subscribers can update their own information and keep your database up to date. Unlike most other mailing list managers, in phplist subscribers can change their email address.
• The user management tools will allow you to manage and maintain large databases of subscribers.
• Bounce processing keeps your database clean of unused and non-existent email addresses.
• Advanced bounce handling lets you teach phplist to distinguish between permanent and temporary message-delivery errors. You can define automated actions on receipt of bounce messages according to matches with your regular expressions.
• CSV Import and Export. Use CSV (Comma-separated values) and tab delimited files to import your existing list of users or to export the users on the phplist system for use in your in-house database. phplist's database has a 'foreign key' to help keep multiple copies of databases synchronized without duplicating users.
• Attachments can be uploaded and included in messages for download.
• Send a Web page. You can tell PHPlist the URL of a web page you want to send to your users, and phplist will fetch it and send it. You can also put subscriber-specific parameters in the URL.
• RSS feeds can be automatically sent to a mailing list on a weekly, daily, or monthly basis.
• PDF messages can be automatically created and sent as attachments to ensure that your message is seen the way it was designed, regardless of their email message reader.
• Sending speed. In shared hosting environments it may be useful to keep the number of sent messages below the limit allowed by a hosting company. phplist uses two methods to achieve this. Batch Processing allows setting the maximum number of sent messages in a given time period. And throttling will help avoid overloading the server by inserting a pause between each sent message.
• Domain Throttling limits the number of emails to specific domains to keep on the friendly side of their system administrators.
• Scheduled Sending lets you tell PHPlist when the message is to be sent.
• Repetition. A message can be repeated automatically to send updated dynamic content and attachments.
• Text from HTML. phplist will automatically create a text version of an html message. Optionally the message composer can create it manually.

Translations

The administrators interface of phplist is available in 9 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese. Translations for the public pages are available in 25 languages.

The English language documentation includes installation and configuration instructions, and a user manual. Translations of the installation and configuration instructions are available in Spanish, French and Dutch.

See also

• Mailing list
• Netiquette
• Usenet
• Newsletter
• Electronic mailing list
• Distribution list
• Dada Mail

External links

Official Web Sites

• phplist homepage
• phplist documentation
• phplist forums
• Japanese phplist community
• Polish phplist community

Reviews

• phplist: Not your everyday Mailman - Sean Kerner
• phplist Mini-Review
• phplist - Easy Mass Email Management