Send recurring email based on date using PHP

Question

I am not sure where to begin setting up an automatic recurring email reminder app. I currently have a form that inserts data into a msyql database.

<form method="post" action="save.php">

<p>
    <label for="name">Full Name</label><br />
    <input type="text" name="name" data-h5-errorid="error-name" required />
    <span id="error-name" class="error">Please enter a full name</span>
</p>

<p>
    <label for="address">Address (Street Address Only)</label><br />
    <input type="text" name="address" data-h5-errorid="error-address" required />
    <span id="error-address" class="error">Please enter an address</span>
</p>

<p>
    <label for="email">Email</label><br />
    <input type="email" name="email" data-h5-errorid="error-email" required />
    <span id="error-email" class="error">Please enter a valid email address</span>
</p>

<p>
    <label for="date">Date of Service</label><br />
    <input id="date" type="text" data-h5-errorid="error-service" name="date" required />
    <span id="error-service" class="error">Please choose a date</span>
</p>

<p>
    <label for="reminder">Reminder</label><br />
    <select name="reminder">
        <option value="1">30 Days</option>
        <option value="2">60 Days</option>
        <option value="3">Semiannual</option>
        <option value="4">Annual</option>
    </select>
</p>

<p>
    <label for="notes">Notes on Service</label><br />
    <textarea name="notes" rows="15"></textarea>
</p>

<p>
    <input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</p>

</form>

I am storing all fields in the database and have that working properly using http://medoo.in/. How do I go about creating a PHP script to send a recurring email based on the Service Date and the selected Reminder (every 30 days, 60 days, semianually, annually)? I was thinking of using PHP mailer to send the actual emails and running a daily cron job.

Answer 1

<?php

//first start with a MySQL query to gather the rows to send an email
//this is for 30 days but you can adjust the numbers for each case

$30_day_query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE reminder = 1 AND date
BETWEEN DATE_SUB(NOW(),INTERVAL 29 DAY) AND DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)";

$execute = mysql_query($30_day_query);

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($execute)){
//get info of user
$name = $row['name'];
$email = $row['email'];

//send the email however you want
}
//repeat for the rest of the reminder options
?>

If you run this in a daily cron job, you will not send duplicate emails.

Answer 2

just write a piece of code to configure time interval for your cronjob.(With recieved data from your form.) If you are using DirectAdmin just follow Cronjob execute PHP script answer by Dušan Radojević. then its almost finished!