Embedding mailing list capability into Anvil app

[mattstibbs]

Background: I want to build some mailing list capability into a membership management type app in Anvil - the primary functions of the app are:

1. To manage a membership database, and handle basic collection of yearly subscription fees and

2. To facilitate easy mail outs to subsets of the membership lists to notify about upcoming events etc.

Have tried searching past posts, and although there is some discussion of which email sending services to use, I couldn’t see anything that addresses building the mailing list capabilities into the Anvil app to make it easy for users.

I’d like to get some of the basic benefits of usual mailing list services e.g. easy email design and basic open / read tracking - but would love to abstract this for users if possible. If not, I’d at least like some clean integration between the membership database and the service our admins are using to send out the mailouts.

Has anyone tackled or achieved something similar before? If so, do you have any pointers or recommendations you could give me please?

Thank you!

[duncan_richards12]

You can do that by using the Anvil User Service and there’s built in Email Service:

Sending and Receiving

Also, see this post about the extent that you can format the emails you send:

Templated/Formatted Emails

Oh, yes, I forgot about that! In fact, even the joined list with simple HTML tags that I build contains links to custom URI protocols that don’t work from (some) email clients. So the first line has a normal click here for details link which opens an app that shows the same HTML in a custom HTML component. Summary of my current process: Build the HTML with one click here for details link that contains a link like https://show_email.anvil.app/#?email_id=123. Store the HTML string in a table …

[mattstibbs]

Thanks @duncan_richards12.

I have used the Anvil Email Service before, but my main concern with this was that it doesn’t give open / read analytics capability. It’s a stretch goal, but I’d really like to be able to present back to the sending admin user which emails have been successfully delivered / opened vs those that didn’t reach a member. I presume you’re not aware of a way of doing this with the Email Service?

Thanks for the link to the templating thread - that’s useful. I haven’t worked out how to provide users with a functional-enough editor for designing the emails as of yet - I’m not sure how easily that can be done in Anvil. I guess a custom email design form, and the some kind of sanitising code to take the inputted formatted text and convert it to simple-enough HTML that it works for most email clients. Would be lovely if there was already something that would do this…

[yahiakalabs]

For the email tracking bit, Sendgrid has a feature for that where it sends webhooks to your app:

Getting started with the Event Webhook | SendGrid Docs | Twilio

I’m sure other email providers have similar features too. So you don’t have to build it yourself.

[mattstibbs]

Ah - that sounds useful and I didn’t spot that from my initial looking around! That could indeed work nicely. Thank you.

The other referenced thread suggests that people have had issues with deliverability for SendGrid, but as you say it would make sense that others have similar features…

[jshaffstall]

Deliverability has a ramp up period when you start sending from a new domain, especially one that sends out regular emails to lists. Various spam services will assume your domain is not that trustworthy until you have enough time and enough emails that users haven’t reported as spam. It’s a whole issue beyond just what email service you use (though that plays a part, too.)

[mattstibbs]

Does anyone know if it is possible to specify headers using the Anvil Email Send functionality? i.e. could I specify delivery and read receipt headers in the emails I send via the Anvil Email API?