How to set up a PBEM tracker

[novice]

I figure we could use a thread explaining how to set up a PBEM tracker.

[novice]

Here's my recipe:

A pbem tracker is an email account that automatically forwards the save to the next player in the turn order, along with a web page that checks this account to let you know who has the save.

1. Register a new GMail account named after the game you want to track. E.g. [email protected]

2. Agree on a turn order and gather the email addresses of all the players (they need not necessarily be gmail addresses).

3. In email settings in GMail, add all the players' addresses as forwarding addresses. They will receive an email with a confirmation link that they have to click.

4. Once all players have confirmed that they are willing to receive forwarded emails from the tracker account, set up filters in the email account. You need one filter/rule for each player. The filter should specify that emails from a given player, that has an attachment, should be forwarded to the next player, never sent to spam, and labelled as forwarded (so that you can log in to the account and see that the filtering rules are working).

5. Download the tracker php page from here and edit it in a text editor.

6. Follow the instructions in the php comments to edit the tracker page correctly. Save the finished result as rbpbem00.php and send it to your favourite web hoster. Rumour has it that Mist and Darrell are able to host php pages.

[slowcheetah]

Cheers novice

[darrelljs]

I would suggest you edit in how to handle multi-player teams.

Darrell

[xenin]

Thanks for these instructions novice, they've been really helpful. One question I had when editing the php file: under the $game->mail_usernames = array heading, should i be putting in the full email adress or just the bit before the @? Will it make any difference?

Oh, and are the rumours of Darrell's hosting helpfulness true?

[novice]

The bit before @ is what worked for me, and I guess you'll have to ask Darrell.

[darrelljs]

I don't mind hosting, just send the .php file to my RB handle at gmail.

Darrell

[regoarrarr]

I don't mind hosting, just send the .php file to my RB handle at gmail.

Darrell

How bout you get the PBEM17 tracker set up so Dave stops sending the save to me :neenernee

Or is this some sort of penance I have to pay?

[plako]

Good instructions. One thing that Mist mentioned way back was that he had to enable IMAP from the email account I had generated (can be done through settings "Forwarding and POP/IMAP"). Not sure if this is still nescessary.

[plako]

Another comment. Example could inculde also a case with more than 1 player/team i.e. something like this:
$game->mail_usernames = array ( array ( "team1-player1" , "team1-player2" ),
...