Links in HTML version of email are not converting into tracking links

ℹ️ Support
1

Hi guys,

I have version 3.0.12 installed in my cPanel.
After activating clicktrack and sending out a campaign:

  • The a href links I inserted through my campaign templates are converted into tracking links just fine.
  • However, the ones I inserted in the content of a new campaign are not converted into tracking links.

I tried “everything”

UPDATE

I found out that the links in the plain text version of email are converted - but not the html version of email.
Is this what the documentation meant by tracking is still experimental?
Did I miss anything? Anyone please enlighten me? :frowning:

2

Where does it say that?

Sounds to me like a bug, very odd. Can give examples of the links that are not converting? I know there are a few odd issues with symbols etc from time to time, but I would assume these affect text as well as html…

3

Thank you for your reply anna.

Where does it say that?

Note: under Click Tracking:
http://docs.phplist.com/MessageTracking.html#hn_Click_tracking

Can give examples of the links that are not converting?

Source:

<p>
1. Lean Field Developments recently secured a package of CSG Infrastructure works on the Santos GLNG project in the Surat Basin seeking Poly HDPE Welders
<br />
<a href="http://www.seek.com.au/job/29086829">http://www.seek.com.au/job/29086829</a>
</p>

<p>
2. HDPE Pipe Welders Urgently Required for Various Ongoing FIFO Positions Across WA
<br />
<a href="http://www.seek.com.au/job/29155849">http://www.seek.com.au/job/29155849</a>
</p>

<p>
3. Qenos Pipe Resin Receives European and ISO Certifications
<br />
<a href="http://pipeliner.com.au/news/new_qenos_product_receives_european_and_iso_certifications/94018">http://pipeliner.com.au/news/new_qenos_product_receives_european_and_iso_certifications/94018</a>
</p>

PDFed emails below:
(LOL, tons restrictions for new user .___. Sorry, could you open the last link manually? Thanks~)
HTML

Plain Text

So…you don’t have this problem? O_O

4 
<a href="http://www.seek.com.au/job/29155849">http://www.seek.com.au/job/29155849</a>

Links such as these where the link text includes a url are not tracked. If they were tracked then the href url (which would be going to phplist) would be different to the url in the link text.
Many email clients will treat these as phishing and raise a warning, as Thunderbird does

The simplest way around this is to remove the http:// or https:// from the link text. To most people it will still look to be a link to a web page, and won’t fail the phplist filtering.

2 Likes
5

You’re a legend @duncanc!
Why did I not test this ._.
That makes perfect sense regarding the phishing and warning.

However on mine, it still won’t work if

  • The link text “looks like” a URL (even after the http:// and www is omitted), example:

`No HTTP

  1. Lean Field Developments…

    www.seek.com.au/job/29086829`

`No WWW

  1. Lean Field Developments…

    seek.com.au/job/29086829`

Also not good...

  • and if there’s one that’s using the http://, therefore not converted; the rest (even the proper ones) will also not be converted, example:

`BAD

  1. Lean Field Developments…

    http://www.seek.com.au/job/29086829`

`GOOD

  1. Lean Field Developments…

    Number 2`

GOOD <a href="http://www.seek.com.au/job/29086829">1. Lean Field Developments...</a>

When sent, everything will go BAD...

I just have to go back to the way I was doing it originally - use the heading text as the link text.
I had to do this because my readers want the heading texts and links to be separate.

Anyway this is good to know, and thanks to @duncanc and @anna for replying
Very much appreciated :smile:

6

That approach works for me. Here is an example from an email

and the actual html from the email source is

For m=
ore information visit <a href=3D"http://www.ealingcivicsociety.org/lists/lt=
.php?id=3Dfx1SBFVIUA5JUAg" >www.9-42thebroadway.com</a>

I guess that there is something else in your email body that is stopping phplist from recognising links correctly.

1 Like
7

Ah right, very old docs, new ones are at System overview | phpList manual - old ones are slowly being taken down.

1 Like