Glossary Item Box

Squirrelcart v5.5.0

News Groups

Overview

News Groups are regular groups in Squirrelcart that you've designated for use with the News module. By designating a group as a "News Group", customers with user accounts will have the option to opt in or out of the group. You can then choose the group as the recipient when creating a mailing.

 

It is not necessary to designate a group as a News Group in order to send mailings to its members, but it is recommended. Users usually do not appreciate receiving unsolicited email. If you are creating a News Group and want to add all your customers to it, we recommend sending an initial mailing to the group letting them know that you've created the list and they've been added because they are a customer, along with instructions for removing themselves.
How Customers Opt In/Out of News Groups

When you designate a group as a News Group, that group will appear in a new box at the bottom of the account page, seen when the customer logs in and clicks "Account Details". It's also seen when the customer is creating a user account.

You can control the text that appears at the top and bottom of this box using the Header and Footer fields in the Account Page Opt In section of the News Settings page.

 

If you've created 1 or more News Groups and don't see the box shown above on the account page, it may be because you are missing the PHP code needed to display it. The code goes in the "account_form.tpl.php" template file, and is as follows:

 

  <?=$News_Groups?>

 

Creating a News Group
  1. Click the "Settings > Groups" menu link in the control panel
  2. If you want to create a new group, click . If you want to designate an existing group as a News Group, click it's record row to open it.
  3. Enter a Name for the group, and check the News Group field to indicate that you want this group to be a news group. A fieldset labeled News Group Settings will appear.
  4. Fill out the News Group Settings section using the information below as a guide.


    Name
    This field is optional. It controls the name of the group that will appear on the Opt/In section of the Account Page. If left blank, the Name field in the Details fieldset will be used.

    Default State
    This controls the default state of the checkbox that controls membership for this group on the Opt/In section of the Account Page.
  5. Click Save Changes

 

 

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