Selecting Autoresponder Software
Selecting Autoresponder Software
Comparison Chart
"How Autoresponders Differ"
The table below can be used as a guide to find the Master Series CGI software that provides the main features need.
The software titles are links to description pages which have, along with other information, links to server requirements for the script, and the user's manual (which should be consulted before deciding which autoresponder meets your requirements).
Autoresponders have a multitude of uses for webmasters. They can be used to providing many kinds of information for visitors or potential clients — from plain text documents to images to spreadsheets.
Autoresponder Comparison Chart
| Features | ||||||||
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| HTML |
Text |
Attach- ments |
Trigger by (NOTE) |
Trigger by web page form |
Multiple responses per form submission |
Trigger other auto- responders and list servers on the Internet |
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| Master Info |
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| Master Autoresponder Bank | |
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| Master |
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NOTE: Triggering an autoresponder by email requires your server to pipe/relay the incoming email to the autoresponder software. See Requesting Documents By Email, below
Requesting Documents from Remote Autoresponders
Some autoresponders can, in addition to responding with local documents, trigger other autoresponders and/or list-servers located elsewhere on the Internet.
Response Differences
Some autoresponders can respond with more than one document during the same form submission — the user would check the checkboxes of those documents s/he wants to receive.
How Autoresponders Differ
Autoresponders differ in the way they are "triggered" and the format of their response:
- How will the autoresponder be triggered?
- By a webpage form
- By email
- Types of email the autoresponder can send?
- Text email
- HTML email
- Attachments allowed
- No attachments outgoing email
Requesting Documents By Web Page Form
"Triggering by webpage form" means the requestor provides an email address for the document to be sent to. The form is submitted to the autoresponder software, which handles the request.
Requesting Documents By Email
If the trigger is by email, your server must intercept the email coming in and then pipe/relay the email to the autoresponder software. The autoresponder software then handles the request.
If this is what you want, then you'll want to make sure your hosting company provides that functionality for your account. An email something like the below can be used to inquire:
Hello People, I'm installing a Perl script that will process email sent to a certain email address. The server will need to relay/pipe that email to the script. Would that be done with the Unix ".forward" file, the sendmail "aliases" file, the procmail "procmailrc" file, forwarding specified through cPanel, or some other way?