FileField Mail

Overview

Allows filefield downloads to be restricted until the requester confirms the email address. This email address is stored in the database and reported back to privileged users. The requester receives a mail with a link to the requested file.

Features

Captures file downloads of files which are provided through a filefield and configured as tracked. Anonymous users are redirected to a form where they can enter their email address, instead of immediately starting the download (which would be standard behavior). After submitting the email address, they receive an email witch contains the download link as well as configurable subject and text areas.

For logged in users the download starts immediately as usual.

Download statistics of tracked files by anonymous and logged in users are provided under Reports / Tracked downloads.

New in 7.1.2

If the protected file is configured as private, it will be checked if the user really received the link by mail or just guessed the download URL correctly.
For this reason a hash at the end of the download URL is verified.

Requirements

• The File module (from Core) must be enabled.
• A content type must contain a filefield.
• A configured mail server

Configuration

Install as usual. Click the "manage display" tab of the content type which contains the filefield you want to be tracked. Set the format of the filefield to "Generic file (with tracking)". Save the display settings.

Go to configuration / content authoring / Filefield Mail. Insert the subject of the mail, the text of the body field before (e.g. Thank you for your interest..) and after (e.g. Sincerely, Your Fubar Team) the download link. Save the configuration.

Recommended Modules

It is strongly recommended to use Captcha or a module with similar functionality. FileField Mail sends an email to an address provided by an anonymous user. Therefore it can be misused by malicious software to fill someones mailbox. Prevent this by using a module which ensures that the user is human.

Similar Projects

See http://drupal.org/node/1613392 for a comparison of download tracking modules.

Filefield track and Webform Protected Downloads are similar modules, because they have D7 versions and collect an e-mail address from the user.

Filefield track captures the download and redirects the user to a form. The user can enter an email address. Filefield track does not send an email, but starts the download immediately after submission. Thus, the email address is not verified and any formally correct address will be accepted.

FileField Track uses cookies to relieve the unregistered user from having to type the e-mail address repeatedly for every download.

Webform Protected Downloads tracks file downloads only from webforms. It does not track downloads from other content types. Webform Protected Downloads sends an email to the address to verify it.

Some of my code is taken from those two modules. Thank you guys :-)

Filefield Mail (this module) combines features of both modules and extends them. It tracks filefields in content types. The links are not replaced, so that they still lock the way they were configured. The mail address is verified by sending an email. The text of the email can be configured.

FileField Mail omits using cookies. They prevent a visitor from having different downloads sent to different email accounts. And they become a problem, if more than one visitors share the same computer without different user accounts (on the computer).