Newsletter Subscription Plugin for OMP 3.4

This plugin enables a newsletter subscription feature for Open Monograph Press (OMP) 3.4 and Open Journal Systems (OJS) 3.4 by registering subscribers as "Readers" within the system.

Features

• Seamless Subscription: Provides a dedicated endpoint (/newsletter/subscribe) for handling subscription requests.
• Automatic User Creation: Automatically creates a system account for new subscribers and assigns them the "Reader" role.
• Email Validation: Leverages the core PKP email validation workflow to ensure that subscribers verify their email addresses before being fully activated.
• AJAX Ready: Returns JSON responses, making it easy to integrate with custom front-end subscription forms or popups.
• Security: Includes validation for email formats and mandatory name fields, and uses random secure passwords for newly created accounts.
• Multi-Journal/Press Support: Handles subscriptions on a per-context basis.

Installation

1. Download the plugin files.
2. Upload the newsletter folder to your installation's plugins/generic/ directory.
3. Log in as a Site Administrator.
4. Go to Settings > Website > Plugins.
5. Locate the Newsletter Subscription plugin and enable it.

Usage

Once enabled, you can send POST requests to the following URL: your-site.com/index.php/press_path/newsletter/subscribe

Required POST Parameters:

• email: The subscriber's email address.
• firstname: The subscriber's first name.
• lastname: The subscriber's last name.

Example Integration (jQuery/AJAX):

$.post('/index.php/jlsr/newsletter/subscribe', {
    email: 'user@example.com',
    firstname: 'John',
    lastname: 'Doe'
}, function(response) {
    if (response.status === 'success') {
        alert(response.message);
    } else {
        alert('Error: ' + response.message);
    }
});

How it Works

1. Request Receipt: The plugin intercepts requests to the newsletter/subscribe path.
2. User Check: It checks if a user with that email already exists in the system.
3. Account Creation: If the user is new, it creates a profile, assigns the "Reader" role, and generates a random password.
4. Verification: If email validation is required in site settings, it sends an activation link to the user.
5. Role Assignment: If the user exists but isn't a Reader in the current context, it adds the role for them.

Requirements

• OMP 3.4.x or OJS 3.4.x
• PHP 8.0 or higher.

License

This plugin is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.

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Developed by OJSpro