AI 對話紀錄 March 22, 2025

【AG-06】Sending Automatic Emails Using AppGini Hooks

Q: Go back to the contact_book hook, now I'm hard-coding the email address. I remember you said it's possible to dynamically replace the email address based on the logged in user. The contact book is mainly used for assigning tasks to a colleague or even to self. When a task is done, or when there are issues, the user can submit a reply slip via the response table. Inspire by the Japanese "Nikoniko Calendar", there is a mood field that the user can pick an emotion about how she felt about this task. I want to make the system a bit more fun to use by sending email tip based on the emotion chosen. There are over 20 emotions pre-defined in another table (A join is needed?). I want to check if this will be very complicated to implement. The tips can come from the same quote table with additional type called "well-being".

A: I’m glad you’re going with the HTML editor for the content field in the web_content table—it’ll make the chaplaincy site much more flexible for the pastor! Now, let’s shift focus to your contact_book system in AppGini. You want to enhance the task management system by:

Dynamically replacing the hard-coded email address in the contact_book hook with the email of the logged-in user.
Adding a fun feature inspired by the Japanese "Nikoniko Calendar": when a user submits a reply slip (via the response table) with a mood (emotion), the system sends an email with a well-being tip based on the chosen emotion. The emotions are pre-defined in another table, and the tips come from a quote table with a type of well-being.

Let’s break this down, assess the complexity, and provide the updated hook code with email notifications. I’ll also confirm the need for a database join and ensure the implementation is straightforward.

Overview of the Contact Book System

Current Setup (Based on Context)

Tables:
- contact_book: Stores tasks (e.g., assigning a task to a colleague or self).
  - Fields (assumed): id, task, assigned_to, created_by, created_at, status, etc.
- response: Stores replies to tasks (e.g., when a task is done or there are issues).
  - Fields (assumed): id, task_id (links to contact_book), response_text, mood, created_by, created_at.
- emotions: Stores pre-defined emotions (e.g., Happy, Sad, Frustrated).
  - Fields: id, emotion_name.
- quote: Stores quotes/tips, including well-being tips.
  - Fields: id, quote_text, type (e.g., well-being), emotion_id (links to emotions), created_at.
Current Hook Behavior:
- The contact_book hook (hooks/contact_book.php) sends an email when a task is assigned, but the email address is hard-coded.
- You want to dynamically set the email address based on the logged-in user and add a new email notification for the response table based on the mood.

Goals

Dynamic Email Address:
- Replace the hard-coded email address in the contact_book hook with the email of the logged-in user.
- AppGini provides user information (e.g., email) via the $memberInfo array in hooks.
Mood-Based Email Tips:
- When a user submits a response (via the response table), the system checks the mood field.
- The mood field links to the emotions table (a lookup field in AppGini).
- Based on the chosen emotion, the system fetches a random well-being quote from the quote table that matches the emotion (requires a join).
- An email is sent to the user with the quote as a tip to brighten their day.

Step 1: Dynamic Email Address in contact_book Hook

How It Works

AppGini’s hooks provide the $memberInfo array, which contains details about the logged-in user, including:
- $memberInfo['email']: The email address of the logged-in user.
- $memberInfo['username']: The username of the logged-in user.
When a task is inserted into contact_book, the contact_book_before_insert hook can use $memberInfo['email'] to set the email dynamically.

Assumptions

The contact_book table has an assigned_to field (a lookup to AppGini’s membership_users table) to indicate who the task is assigned to.
The created_by field stores the username of the user who created the task (auto-filled by AppGini).
You want to send the email to the assigned_to user, not the created_by user.

Updated contact_book Hook

Here’s the updated hooks/contact_book.php with a dynamic email address:

php

<?php
function contact_book_before_insert(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Set the created_by field to the logged-in user's username
    $data['created_by'] = $memberInfo['username'];

    // Get the email of the assigned user (from the membership_users table)
    $assigned_to = $data['assigned_to']; // Username of the assigned user
    $email_query = sql("SELECT email FROM membership_users WHERE memberID = '" . makeSafe($assigned_to) . "'", $eo);
    $email_row = $email_query->fetch_assoc();
    $to_email = $email_row['email'] ?: 'default@example.com'; // Fallback email if not found

    // Prepare the email details
    $subject = "New Task Assigned: " . $data['task'];
    $message = "Hello,\n\nYou have been assigned a new task:\n\nTask: " . $data['task'] . "\nAssigned by: " . $memberInfo['username'] . "\n\nPlease check the Contact Book for details.";
    $headers = "From: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\nReply-To: " . $memberInfo['email'] . "\r\n";

    // Send the email to the assigned user
    mail($to_email, $subject, $message, $headers);

    return TRUE;
}

function contact_book_before_update(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Optional: Add logic for updates (e.g., notify if the task status changes)
    return TRUE;
}

function contact_book_after_insert($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

function contact_book_after_update($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

What’s Changed:
- Removed the hard-coded email address.
- Added a query to fetch the email of the assigned_to user from the membership_users table.
- The email is sent to the assigned_to user, with the Reply-To set to the logged-in user’s email ($memberInfo['email']).
Fallback: If the assigned_to user’s email isn’t found, it defaults to a fallback email (default@example.com).

Alternative: Email the Logged-In User

If you want to email the logged-in user (e.g., for self-assigned tasks), you can simply use $memberInfo['email'] directly:

php

$to_email = $memberInfo['email'] ?: 'default@example.com';

Step 2: Mood-Based Email Tips in response Hook

Complexity Assessment

This feature is not very complicated to implement, but it does require a few steps:

Database Join: Yes, a join is needed between the response, emotions, and quote tables to fetch the appropriate well-being tip based on the chosen mood.
Logic: Fetch the mood from the response table, look up the corresponding emotion, find a matching well-being quote, and send an email.
Fun Factor: The Nikoniko Calendar-inspired feature adds a playful element, which should make the system more engaging for users.

Database Structure

Tables:
- response:
  - id (Primary Key)
  - task_id (Foreign Key to contact_book)
  - response_text (Text)
  - mood (Lookup to emotions, stores the id of the emotion)
  - created_by (Username of the user who submitted the response)
  - created_at (DateTime)
- emotions:
  - id (Primary Key)
  - emotion_name (Text, e.g., “Happy”, “Sad”, “Frustrated”)
- quote:
  - id (Primary Key)
  - quote_text (Text, e.g., “Keep smiling, you’ve got this!”)
  - type (Options: well-being, motivational, etc.)
  - emotion_id (Foreign Key to emotions, links the quote to an emotion)
  - created_at (DateTime)

How It Works

User Submits a Response:
- The user submits a response via the response table, selecting a mood (e.g., mood = 1, where 1 corresponds to “Happy” in the emotions table).
Hook Triggers:
- The response_after_insert hook in hooks/response.php runs after the response is inserted.
Fetch the Emotion:
- Query the emotions table to get the emotion name based on the mood value.
Fetch a Well-Being Quote:
- Query the quote table with a join to find a random well-being quote that matches the emotion_id.
Send the Email:
- Send an email to the user who submitted the response (using their email from membership_users) with the quote as a tip.

New Hook File: hooks/response.php

Here’s the hook file to implement the mood-based email tips:

php

<?php
function response_before_insert(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Set the created_by field to the logged-in user's username
    $data['created_by'] = $memberInfo['username'];
    return TRUE;
}

function response_after_insert($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Get the email of the user who submitted the response
    $created_by = $data['created_by'];
    $email_query = sql("SELECT email FROM membership_users WHERE memberID = '" . makeSafe($created_by) . "'", $eo);
    $email_row = $email_query->fetch_assoc();
    $to_email = $email_row['email'] ?: 'default@example.com';

    // Get the emotion name from the emotions table
    $mood_id = $data['mood'];
    $emotion_query = sql("SELECT emotion_name FROM emotions WHERE id = " . makeSafe($mood_id), $eo);
    $emotion_row = $emotion_query->fetch_assoc();
    $emotion_name = $emotion_row['emotion_name'] ?: 'Unknown';

    // Fetch a random well-being quote matching the emotion
    $quote_query = sql("SELECT q.quote_text 
                        FROM quote q 
                        WHERE q.type = 'well-being' AND q.emotion_id = " . makeSafe($mood_id) . " 
                        ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1", $eo);
    $quote_row = $quote_query->fetch_assoc();
    $quote_text = $quote_row['quote_text'] ?: 'Keep going, you’re doing great!'; // Fallback quote

    // Prepare the email
    $subject = "Here’s a Tip Based on Your Mood: " . $emotion_name;
    $message = "Hello,\n\nYou submitted a response with the mood: " . $emotion_name . "\n\nHere’s a tip to brighten your day:\n\n" . $quote_text . "\n\nBest,\nYour Task System";
    $headers = "From: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\nReply-To: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";

    // Send the email
    mail($to_email, $subject, $message, $headers);

    return TRUE;
}

function response_before_update(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

function response_after_update($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

What This Code Does

Set the User:
- response_before_insert sets the created_by field to the logged-in user’s username.
Fetch the Email:
- response_after_insert gets the email of the user who submitted the response (created_by) from the membership_users table.
Get the Emotion:
- Queries the emotions table to get the emotion_name based on the mood field (e.g., mood = 1 → “Happy”).
Get the Quote:
- Queries the quote table to find a random well-being quote where emotion_id matches the mood.
- Uses ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1 to pick a random quote.
Send the Email:
- Sends an email to the user with the quote as a tip, mentioning their chosen mood.

Example Workflow

User Action:
- The pastor submits a response to a task in contact_book, selecting mood = 1 (Happy).
Database:
- response table: New record with mood = 1, created_by = 'pastor'.
- emotions table: id = 1, emotion_name = 'Happy'.
- quote table: A record with type = 'well-being', emotion_id = 1, quote_text = 'Keep smiling, you’ve got this!'.
Email Sent:
- To: pastor@example.com (fetched from membership_users)
- Subject: “Here’s a Tip Based on Your Mood: Happy”
- Body: “Hello,\n\nYou submitted a response with the mood: Happy\n\nHere’s a tip to brighten your day:\n\nKeep smiling, you’ve got this!\n\nBest,\nYour Task System”
- *

Complexity and Feasibility

Join Requirement:
- A join between quote and emotions isn’t strictly necessary because the mood field in response directly stores the id from emotions, and quote.emotion_id also references the same id. The query in response_after_insert directly uses emotion_id to match quotes.
- However, we do query emotions separately to get the emotion_name for the email subject, so technically there’s a lookup, but no complex join is needed.
Complexity:
- This feature is straightforward to implement:
  - Two simple SQL queries: one to get the emotion name, one to get the quote.
  - A standard email sending function (mail()).
- The logic is contained within the response_after_insert hook, so it’s isolated and easy to maintain.
Fun Factor:
- The Nikoniko Calendar-inspired mood feature adds a playful element, and sending well-being tips based on emotions should make the system more engaging for users.

Potential Enhancements

Fallback for No Quotes:
- The code already includes a fallback quote if no matching well-being quote is found. You could expand this by creating a default set of quotes for cases where no specific emotion match is found.
Mood Trends:
- You could add a Streamlit report (as you’ve mentioned before) to visualize mood trends over time, inspired by the Nikoniko Calendar, to see how users feel about tasks.
More Sophisticated Email:
- Use a library like PHPMailer to send HTML emails with better formatting for the tip.
- *

Next Steps

AppGini:
- Ensure the table structure is set up:
  - response: Add mood as a lookup field to emotions.
  - emotions: Populate with 20+ emotions (e.g., Happy, Sad, Frustrated).
  - quote: Add well-being quotes with emotion_id linking to emotions.
- Update hooks/contact_book.php with the dynamic email logic.
- Create hooks/response.php with the mood-based email logic.
Test:
- Assign a task in contact_book and verify the email goes to the assigned_to user’s email.
- Submit a response with a mood (e.g., Happy) and check that the correct email with a well-being tip is sent.
Optional:
- Add more well-being quotes to the quote table to ensure variety.
- Test edge cases (e.g., no matching quote, user with no email).

Final Thoughts

Dynamic Email: The contact_book hook now uses the assigned_to user’s email dynamically, fetched from membership_users.
Mood-Based Tips: The response hook sends a fun, Nikoniko-inspired email with a well-being tip based on the user’s chosen mood, using a simple query to fetch a random quote.
Complexity: This feature is not complicated—it’s a few SQL queries and an email, all contained within the response_after_insert hook.

Does this look good? Ready to set up the hooks and test the email notifications, or do you have another idea to explore? Let me know!

Q: Excellent!! Here I have another idea. Say the pastor is recording her work life in the "journal" table for her own reflections. After a few months of use there are a few hundred journal entries. How can I send her daily emails quoting a random journal entry and provide a link back to the record?

A: That’s a wonderful idea! Sending the pastor daily emails with a random journal entry from the journal table, along with a link back to the record in AppGini, is a great way to encourage reflection and make the system more engaging. This feature can be implemented using a combination of a scheduled task (cron job) to send the email daily and a simple script to fetch a random journal entry. Let’s break this down step-by-step, ensuring the implementation is straightforward and secure.

Overview of the Feature

Goal

The pastor has a journal table in AppGini where she records her work-life reflections.
After a few months, there are hundreds of entries.
You want to send her a daily email with:
- A random journal entry (e.g., the content field).
- A link to view/edit the entry in AppGini.

Requirements

Database: The journal table in AppGini, with fields like id, content, created_at, created_by.
Email: Send an email to the pastor’s email address daily.
Random Entry: Select a random journal entry each day.
Link: Provide a direct link to the journal entry in AppGini.
Scheduling: Run the email-sending script daily using a cron job on your QNAP server.
- *

Step 1: Define the journal Table

Assumed Table Structure

Table Name: journal
Fields:
- id (Primary Key, Auto-increment)
- content (Long Text or HTML, Required): The journal entry text.
- created_at (DateTime, Auto-fill with Current Date/Time)
- created_by (Text, Auto-fill with Logged-In User): The username of the user who created the entry (e.g., pastor).

Example Records

content

created_at

created_by

Today was a challenging day...

2025-01-15 09:00:00

pastor

Had a great meeting with...

2025-02-10 14:30:00

pastor

Feeling inspired after...

2025-03-01 11:00:00

pastor

Step 2: Create the Email-Sending Script

We’ll create a PHP script (send_daily_journal.php) that:

Fetches a random journal entry for the pastor.
Generates a link to the entry in AppGini.
Sends an email with the entry and link.

Script: send_daily_journal.php

Place this script in a secure directory on your QNAP server, such as Web/nlhcm/scripts/.

php

<?php
// Include the database configuration
require_once '../config.php'; // Adjust path as needed (e.g., from Web/nlhcm/scripts/ to Web/nlhcm/config.php)

// Connect to the database
$conn = new mysqli(DB_HOST, DB_USER, DB_PASS, DB_NAME);
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Step 1: Get the pastor's email from membership_users
$pastor_username = 'pastor'; // Hard-coded for now; could be dynamic if needed
$email_query = $conn->prepare("SELECT email FROM membership_users WHERE memberID = ?");
$email_query->bind_param("s", $pastor_username);
$email_query->execute();
$email_result = $email_query->get_result();
$email_row = $email_result->fetch_assoc();
$to_email = $email_row['email'] ?: 'pastor@example.com'; // Fallback email
$email_query->close();

// Step 2: Fetch a random journal entry for the pastor
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT id, content, created_at 
                        FROM journal 
                        WHERE created_by = ? 
                        ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $pastor_username);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    $row = $result->fetch_assoc();
    $journal_id = $row['id'];
    $journal_content = $row['content'];
    $journal_date = date('F j, Y', strtotime($row['created_at']));

    // Step 3: Generate a link to the journal entry in AppGini
    $appgini_url = "https://yourdomain.com/appgini/journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID=" . urlencode($journal_id);
    $view_link = "<a href='$appgini_url'>View this entry in AppGini</a>";

    // Step 4: Prepare the email
    $subject = "Your Daily Journal Reflection: " . $journal_date;
    $message = "Hello Pastor,\n\nHere’s a random journal entry from your past reflections:\n\n";
    $message .= "Date: " . $journal_date . "\n\n";
    $message .= "Entry: " . strip_tags($journal_content) . "\n\n"; // Strip HTML for plain text email
    $message .= "Click here to view or edit this entry: " . $appgini_url . "\n\n";
    $message .= "Wishing you a reflective day!\nYour Task System";

    // For HTML email (optional)
    $html_message = "<h3>Your Daily Journal Reflection: " . $journal_date . "</h3>";
    $html_message .= "<p><strong>Date:</strong> " . $journal_date . "</p>";
    $html_message .= "<p><strong>Entry:</strong> " . $journal_content . "</p>";
    $html_message .= "<p>" . $view_link . "</p>";
    $html_message .= "<p>Wishing you a reflective day!<br>Your Task System</p>";

    // Step 5: Send the email (using plain text for simplicity)
    $headers = "From: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
    $headers .= "Reply-To: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
    $headers .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
    $headers .= "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\r\n";
    // For HTML email, use: $headers .= "Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8\r\n";

    mail($to_email, $subject, $message, $headers);
    // For HTML email, use: mail($to_email, $subject, $html_message, $headers);

    echo "Email sent with journal entry ID: " . $journal_id;
} else {
    echo "No journal entries found for user: " . $pastor_username;
}

$stmt->close();
$conn->close();
?>

What This Script Does

Fetch the Pastor’s Email:
- Queries the membership_users table to get the pastor’s email based on her username (pastor).
Select a Random Entry:
- Uses ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1 to fetch a random journal entry for the pastor (where created_by = 'pastor').
Generate the Link:
- Creates a direct link to the journal entry in AppGini using the format journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID={id}.
- The Embedded=0 parameter ensures the link opens the full AppGini interface, not an embedded view.
Send the Email:
- Sends an email with the journal entry’s date, content, and a clickable link to view/edit the entry.
- The email is sent in plain text for simplicity, but I’ve included an HTML version (commented out) if you prefer a formatted email.

Security Note

Protect the Script: Since this script will be run via a cron job, place it in a directory outside the public web root (e.g., Web/nlhcm/scripts/) to prevent unauthorized access.
Secure the Link: The AppGini link (journal_view.php) requires the user to be logged in. If the pastor isn’t logged in, she’ll need to log in to view the entry, which ensures security.
- *

Step 3: Schedule the Daily Email with a Cron Job

To send the email daily, you’ll set up a cron job on your QNAP server to run the send_daily_journal.php script at a specific time each day (e.g., 8:00 AM).

Set Up the Cron Job

Access Your QNAP Server:
- Log in to your QNAP NAS via SSH or the web interface (Control Panel > Task Scheduler).
Create the Cron Job:
- If using the QNAP web interface:
  - Go to Control Panel > Task Scheduler > Create > Scheduled Task > Custom Task.
  - Command: php /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/send_daily_journal.php
  - Schedule: Daily at 8:00 AM (use the scheduler’s time settings, e.g., 0 8 * * * in cron syntax).
- If using SSH:
  - Open the crontab file: crontab -e
  - Add the following line to run the script daily at 8:00 AM:
```
0 8 * * * php /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/send_daily_journal.php >> /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/cron.log 2>&1
```
  - This also logs the output to cron.log for debugging.
Test the Cron Job:
- Run the script manually to ensure it works: php /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/send_daily_journal.php
- Check the pastor’s email to confirm she receives the journal entry.

Path Note

The path /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/send_daily_journal.php assumes your QNAP’s web root is /share/Web/. Adjust the path based on your QNAP’s file structure (e.g., /share/homes/Web/ if your web folder is elsewhere).
The require_once '../config.php' in the script assumes config.php is in Web/nlhcm/. If the script is in Web/nlhcm/scripts/, this path is correct.
- *

Step 4: Example Email Output

Sample Email

To: pastor@example.com
Subject: Your Daily Journal Reflection: February 10, 2025

Body:

Hello Pastor,

Here’s a random journal entry from your past reflections:

Date: February 10, 2025

Entry: Had a great meeting with the team today. We planned the upcoming event and everyone was so enthusiastic!

Click here to view or edit this entry: https://yourdomain.com/appgini/journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID=2

Wishing you a reflective day!
Your Task System

HTML Email (Optional)

If you use the HTML version (uncomment the Content-Type: text/html header and use $html_message), the email would look like:

html

<h3>Your Daily Journal Reflection: February 10, 2025</h3>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 10, 2025</p>
<p><strong>Entry:</strong> Had a great meeting with the team today. We planned the upcoming event and everyone was so enthusiastic!</p>
<p><a href="https://yourdomain.com/appgini/journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID=2">View this entry in AppGini</a></p>
<p>Wishing you a reflective day!<br>Your Task System</p>

Additional Considerations

Handling HTML Content

If the content field in the journal table uses an HTML editor (like the web_content table), the email script strips HTML tags for the plain text version (strip_tags($journal_content)).
For the HTML email version, the content is output as-is, preserving formatting (e.g., bold text, lists).

No Entries Found

The script checks if there are any journal entries for the pastor. If none are found, it outputs a message to the cron log (No journal entries found...) but doesn’t send an email.

Multiple Users

The script currently assumes the pastor is the only user (created_by = 'pastor'). If you have multiple users, you could modify the script to loop through all users and send each one a random journal entry:

php

$users_query = $conn->query("SELECT DISTINCT created_by FROM journal");
while ($user_row = $users_query->fetch_assoc()) {
    $username = $user_row['created_by'];
    // Fetch email and send email for each user
}

Email Frequency

The cron job runs daily at 8:00 AM. You can adjust the schedule (e.g., weekly) by changing the cron expression (e.g., 0 8 * * 1 for every Monday).
- *

Next Steps

AppGini:
- Ensure the journal table is set up with the fields (id, content, created_at, created_by).
- Add some test journal entries for the pastor.
QNAP:
- Place send_daily_journal.php in Web/nlhcm/scripts/.
- Update the require_once path to point to config.php (e.g., ../config.php).
- Set up the cron job to run the script daily at 8:00 AM.
Test:
- Run the script manually: php /share/Web/nlhcm/scripts/send_daily_journal.php
- Check the pastor’s email to confirm she receives a random journal entry with a link.
- Verify the link works and takes her to the correct journal entry in AppGini (after logging in).

Final Thoughts

This feature is a delightful addition to the pastor’s workflow! The send_daily_journal.php script fetches a random journal entry, generates a secure link to the AppGini record, and sends a daily email using a cron job. The implementation is straightforward, requiring just a simple script and a scheduled task. The link ensures the pastor can easily revisit her reflections, and the random selection adds an element of surprise and nostalgia.

Does this look good? Ready to set up the script and cron job, or do you have another idea to explore? Let me know!

Q: Actually I think sending a random journal entry created by the user whenever she adds a new journal entry will be more predictable and simpler, without the cron job. As you suggested early the email addresses are already stored in AppGini member information.

A: You're right—sending a random journal entry email whenever the pastor adds a new journal entry is a simpler and more predictable approach than using a cron job for daily emails. It also ties the email directly to the user’s action (adding a new journal entry), which makes the system feel more responsive and engaging. Since the email addresses are stored in AppGini’s membership_users table, we can easily fetch the pastor’s email using the $memberInfo array in the hook. Let’s implement this by updating the journal hook in AppGini to send an email with a random past journal entry whenever a new entry is added.

Updated Feature: Email a Random Journal Entry on New Entry

Goal

When the pastor adds a new journal entry to the journal table, the system:
- Fetches a random past journal entry (excluding the one just added).
- Sends an email to the pastor with the random entry and a link to view/edit it in AppGini.
Use the logged-in user’s email from $memberInfo (no hard-coded email addresses).

Table Structure (Recap)

Table Name: journal
Fields:
- id (Primary Key, Auto-increment)
- content (Long Text or HTML, Required): The journal entry text.
- created_at (DateTime, Auto-fill with Current Date/Time)
- created_by (Text, Auto-fill with Logged-In User): The username of the user who created the entry (e.g., pastor).

Example Records

content

created_at

created_by

Today was a challenging day...

2025-01-15 09:00:00

pastor

Had a great meeting with...

2025-02-10 14:30:00

pastor

Feeling inspired after...

2025-03-01 11:00:00

pastor

Step 1: Create the journal Hook

We’ll create a hook file (hooks/journal.php) that triggers after a new journal entry is inserted. The hook will:

Fetch the pastor’s email from $memberInfo.
Select a random past journal entry (excluding the new one).
Send an email with the random entry and a link to view/edit it in AppGini.

Hook File: hooks/journal.php

php

<?php
function journal_before_insert(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Set the created_by field to the logged-in user's username
    $data['created_by'] = $memberInfo['username'];
    return TRUE;
}

function journal_after_insert($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    // Step 1: Get the pastor's email from $memberInfo
    $to_email = $memberInfo['email'] ?: 'pastor@example.com'; // Fallback email

    // Step 2: Fetch a random past journal entry (excluding the one just inserted)
    $current_id = $data['id']; // ID of the newly inserted entry
    $username = $memberInfo['username'];
    $random_entry = sql("SELECT id, content, created_at 
                        FROM journal 
                        WHERE created_by = '" . makeSafe($username) . "' 
                        AND id != " . makeSafe($current_id) . " 
                        ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1", $eo);

    if ($random_entry->num_rows > 0) {
        $row = $random_entry->fetch_assoc();
        $journal_id = $row['id'];
        $journal_content = $row['content'];
        $journal_date = date('F j, Y', strtotime($row['created_at']));

        // Step 3: Generate a link to the journal entry in AppGini
        $appgini_url = "https://yourdomain.com/appgini/journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID=" . urlencode($journal_id);
        $view_link = "<a href='$appgini_url'>View this entry in AppGini</a>";

        // Step 4: Prepare the email
        $subject = "Reflect on a Past Journal Entry: " . $journal_date;
        $message = "Hello Pastor,\n\nYou’ve just added a new journal entry! Here’s a random past entry to reflect on:\n\n";
        $message .= "Date: " . $journal_date . "\n\n";
        $message .= "Entry: " . strip_tags($journal_content) . "\n\n"; // Strip HTML for plain text email
        $message .= "Click here to view or edit this entry: " . $appgini_url . "\n\n";
        $message .= "Wishing you a reflective moment!\nYour Task System";

        // For HTML email (optional)
        $html_message = "<h3>Reflect on a Past Journal Entry: " . $journal_date . "</h3>";
        $html_message .= "<p><strong>Date:</strong> " . $journal_date . "</p>";
        $html_message .= "<p><strong>Entry:</strong> " . $journal_content . "</p>";
        $html_message .= "<p>" . $view_link . "</p>";
        $html_message .= "<p>Wishing you a reflective moment!<br>Your Task System</p>";

        // Step 5: Send the email (using plain text for simplicity)
        $headers = "From: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
        $headers .= "Reply-To: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
        $headers .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
        $headers .= "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\r\n";
        // For HTML email, use: $headers .= "Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8\r\n";

        mail($to_email, $subject, $message, $headers);
        // For HTML email, use: mail($to_email, $subject, $html_message, $headers);
    } else {
        // Optional: Send a different email if no past entries exist
        $subject = "Your First Journal Entry!";
        $message = "Hello Pastor,\n\nYou’ve just added your first journal entry! Keep reflecting on your work life, and soon you’ll receive random past entries to look back on.\n\nBest,\nYour Task System";
        $headers = "From: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
        $headers .= "Reply-To: no-reply@yourdomain.com\r\n";
        $headers .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
        $headers .= "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\r\n";

        mail($to_email, $subject, $message, $headers);
    }

    return TRUE;
}

function journal_before_update(&$data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

function journal_after_update($data, $memberInfo, &$args) {
    return TRUE;
}

What This Hook Does

Set the User:
- journal_before_insert sets the created_by field to the logged-in user’s username ($memberInfo['username']).
Fetch the Email:
- journal_after_insert gets the pastor’s email directly from $memberInfo['email'].
Select a Random Past Entry:
- Queries the journal table for a random entry where created_by matches the logged-in user and id is not the newly inserted entry (id != $current_id).
- Uses ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1 to pick a random entry.
Generate the Link:
- Creates a direct link to the journal entry in AppGini using journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID={id}.
Send the Email:
- Sends an email with the random entry’s date, content, and a link to view/edit it.
- If no past entries exist (e.g., this is the first entry), sends a welcome email instead.

Example Workflow

Pastor Adds a New Entry:
- The pastor adds a new journal entry: “Today I met with a new volunteer...” (ID 4).
Hook Triggers:
- journal_after_insert runs.
- Fetches a random past entry (e.g., ID 2: “Had a great meeting with...”).

Email Sent:

To: pastor@example.com (from $memberInfo['email'])
Subject: Reflect on a Past Journal Entry: February 10, 2025

Body:

Hello Pastor,

You’ve just added a new journal entry! Here’s a random past entry to reflect on:

Date: February 10, 2025

Entry: Had a great meeting with the team today. We planned the upcoming event and everyone was so enthusiastic!

Click here to view or edit this entry: https://yourdomain.com/appgini/journal_view.php?Embedded=0&SelectedID=2

Wishing you a reflective moment!
Your Task System

Additional Considerations

Handling HTML Content

If the content field uses an HTML editor, the email script strips HTML tags for the plain text version (strip_tags($journal_content)).
For the HTML email version (commented out), the content is output as-is, preserving formatting.

First Entry

If this is the pastor’s first journal entry, the query for a random past entry returns no results. The hook sends a welcome email instead, encouraging her to keep journaling.

Multiple Users

The hook automatically works for multiple users because it uses $memberInfo['username'] to filter journal entries. Each user will only see their own past entries.

Email Security

The AppGini link requires the pastor to be logged in, ensuring that only she can access the journal entry.
- *

Next Steps

AppGini:
- Ensure the journal table is set up with the fields (id, content, created_at, created_by).
- Add a few test journal entries for the pastor.
- Create hooks/journal.php with the code above.
Test:
- Add a new journal entry in AppGini.
- Check the pastor’s email to confirm she receives an email with a random past entry and a link.
- Verify the link works and takes her to the correct journal entry in AppGini (after logging in).
- Test the “first entry” case by temporarily deleting all other entries and adding a new one.

Final Thoughts

This approach is indeed simpler and more predictable than a cron job. The journal_after_insert hook sends an email with a random past journal entry whenever the pastor adds a new one, using her email from $memberInfo['email']. The link to the AppGini record makes it easy for her to revisit her reflections, and the system feels more interactive since the email is tied to her action of adding a new entry.

Does this implementation look good? Ready to set up the hook and test the email feature, or do you have another idea to explore? Let me know!

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【AG-06】Sending Automatic Emails Using AppGini Hooks

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