Digest Item Count Variable/Token Hook Code Request

Adding that variable is certainly possible. However, you can only compare using == and !=, and I don't think you can nest the conditionals. (If at all, the chances are better in the 'else' part.)

If/then with one, two, or three should certainly work, but I don't see a good way to get 'four or more'...

Maybe a hook_subscriptions_digest(&$user_mails) and a convention that we'd merge $user_mails['mailvars'] into $mailvars would be a more flexible solution? That would allow you to define whatever variables you like.

You'd have to do a bit of PHP programming to take advantage of such a hook.

Essentially, you'd write a Drupal module with a function that receives the $user_mails array, you'd count the bodies (or whatever) and you'd set $user_mails['mail_vars']['!number_of_ads'] to whatever you want. Then you could use that variable in your digest template.

We'll do a hook and I'll help you with it...

But it'll take a while. Please nag me in three weeks if I haven't done it by then.

Be sure to try this on a test system — it's completely untested.

Apply the attached patch to the -dev version.

Then create a mysite module for your site:

Create mysite.info

; $Id$
name = Mysite
description = Contains the site-specific customizations.
package = Other
core = 6.x

and mysite.module

<?php
// $Id$

/**
 * @file
 * Customizations for the mysite website.
 */

/**
 * Implementation of hook_subscriptions_digest_alter().
 */
function mysite_subscriptions_digest_alter(&$digest_data) {
  $digest_data['mailvars']['!digest_count'] = count($digest_data['bodies']);
}

Put the files with the other contrib modules (usually sites/all/modules/mysite) and enable the module. Then you should get a new !digest_count variable.

Gook luck!

Egads... I just realized that you are already using the !digest_count variable in another part of the module to count digest emails, not digest bodies...

That's completely unrelated and does not interfere.

I did the instructions you gave, then I took my subscriptions_mail.templates.inc_.txt file

There should not be any underscore after ".inc"!

Did you create and activate the Mysite module? If you changed "Mysite", then did you change it wherever it occurs?

Do you by chance have the Devel module installed? Then you can change

function mysite_subscriptions_digest_alter(&$digest_data) {
  $digest_data['mailvars']['!digest_count'] = count($digest_data['bodies']);
}

to

function mysite_subscriptions_digest_alter(&$digest_data) {
  dpm($digest_data['mailvars']);
  $digest_data['mailvars']['!digest_count'] = count($digest_data['bodies']);
  dpm($digest_data['mailvars']);
}

Now, when you run cron manually, you should see the mailvars array twice, with the !digest_count variable inserted the second time.

1) How does your way of doing this add more functionality for me?

It's a general mechanism that lets you or anyone else add (or change!) any number of !variables programmatically without hacking. It's an opportunity for customizing Subscriptions by adding just the minimum amount of code required. It's the preferred mechanism throughout all of Drupal to do such customizations — THE Drupal Way.

This hook is for digests and I intend to add similar hooks for non-digest notifications and comments.

2) Should I start a different 'feature request' to ask if there is a way we can externalize the subscriptions_mail.templates.inc file functionality

Yes, please.

THANK YOU for so much work! This has been invaluable for me, and I've learned quite a bit as well.

You're welcome. Are you ready to jump into PHP programming yet?

Great! :-)

What do you find difficult in PHP over Perl?

Perl has a definite barrier between it and the HTML, where as PHP can be mixed in with the HTML a lot more.

At the theming level yes, but at the module level there's no HTML. There's a strict separation between those two levels.

BTW, Devel is your friend, and especially the dpm() function; it's easy to quickly insert anywhere and shows you what data you're dealing with. For heavy lifting, a debugger that let's you break on any given line and inspect variables is indispensable.

Any idea when this will be rolled into another release version?

Probably by the end of the year.

Thank you for the feedback, that's nice to hear.

I've committed it to the -dev version. Give it up to 12h to be repackaged.

Please check it out and let us know if it still works. Then we can release 1.2.

(If you wish to keep a backup of the old version, be sure to move it OUT FROM BELOW the Drupal directory tree!!!)