Copyright (c) 2008 Infrae. All rights reserved.
See also LICENSE.txt

Meta::
  
  Valid for:        SilvaMailing 0.4
  Author:           Guido Wesdorp
  Email:            info@infrae.com
  Last author:      $Author: wim $
  SVN Revision:     $Date: 2008-09-16 16:05:36 +0200 (Tue 16 Sep 2008) $
  Last modified:    $Rev: 30924 $

NOTE: this document is used in a (partially) documentation-driven, agile
development process. This means that the information presented may be ahead of
the implemented code, may describe features that are not yet (fully)
implemented, or even features that will never be implemented at all...

============
SilvaMailing
============

What is it?
===========

SilvaMailing is an extension product for the Silva content management system,
that allows Silva users to send out mails to website visitors that have signed
up to receive them. It is inspired by an existing (Drupal-based) mailing system
used by the customer that requested the feature, although it is simpler and 
highly integrated into, and thus adjusted for, the Silva CMS.

Installation
============

See INSTALL.txt.

Using SilvaMailing
==================

After the product has been installed properly (see INSTALL.txt for more
details), you can start adding 'Silva Mailing Folder' objects to the
Silva root from the Silva Management Interface (SMI). These objects serve as
containers for 'Silva Mailing Document' type objects (a special type of
Silva document that serves as batch email content), provide access to
configuration and subscribers via the properties tab, provide a form for
public subscription and allow to send mailings off to a test user or
subscribers.

To configure the mailing folder, visit its 'properties' tab. There you can set
which mailhost to use (e.g. 'service_mailhost' or 'MailHost', depending on what
id your mailhost/maildrophost has in the ZMI) and what address to use in the
'from' header of emails (the 'sender' address).

When a Silva Mailing Folder is placed somewhere, a Silva Code Source type
object is placed inside it (accessible only via the Zope Management Interface)
that provides the public forms, as well as a default document, a _plain_ Silva
Document type object, that includes the Code Source in its public view. In
other words: there will be a Silva document called 'index' that displays the
subscription form. Note that this document has not been made public yet.

After a Mailing Folder object has been placed and configured properly, users
can start creating 'Silva Mailing Document' type objects inside it. These
basically form a mailing each, providing the contents of a single HTML mail.
To send this mail off, visit the 'publish' tab and click the 'send' button in
the 'send as mailing' box. This box also provides a 'test email' field in
which you can enter an email address to send the mail to for testing purposes -
in case this is provided, email will not be sent off to the subscribers, only
to this address.

TODO
====

* i18n, xml import/export, move event hooks and other Silva integration issues

