Campaign scheduling module

What it does

The NPro Windows service is an app that you install on a Windows server and runs as a Windows Service.
The service is making periodic requests to a number of URLs that you may define.
Its use is not limited to Newsletter Manager Pro but rather it can be used by anyone who is in need of such an app.

Highlights

• With Newsletter Manager Pro it enables you to,
  • Schedule and send your campaigns in the background automatically,
  • Set-up auto-responder campaigns,
  • Create recurrent campaigns,
  • Automate birthday newsletters,
  • Set-up follow-up mailings.
• You may install it on a different server from the one NPro is installed.
• You may install several instances of the service because you define the service name as you like, when installing it.
• The service restarts automatically after server reboot and it has very low server overhead.

Configuration

The service loads resources (URLs) from an xml file. Here is how it looks:

<scheduler>
    <debug>true</debug>
    <resources>
        <resource>
            <TargetUrl>https://youddomain.tld/npro/admin/_start.asp?apiKey</TargetUrl>
            <interval>5</interval>
        </resource>
        <resource>
            <TargetUrl>http://youddomain.tld/test/url.aspx</TargetUrl>
            <interval>2</interval>
        </resource>
    </resources>
</scheduler>
        

You may define several Target URLs each with its own periodic interval. For example, if you have several installations of Newsletter Manager Pro you can add one target URL for each.
But as mentioned earlier you may also install several services (one for each installation).

The debug parameter when set to true creates a log file that shows when the service runs and what it does. After initial testing you may change it to false.

What's new in the latest release?

• Until November 2025 there were two versions of the scheduler, the standard one and the server edition. Today they are consolidated into one single release that introduces a couple of novelties.
• It was built from scratch using NET 8.0.
• Several Target URLs each with their own intervals.
• Asynchronous operation.
• You can define the service name when installing it which means you can setup multiple Windows services.
• It will use the operating system's default security protocols. This allows it to negotiate the highest, most secure version of TLS (like TLS 1.2 or 1.3) that both your server and the remote server support.

Server considerations

Consider the NPro Windows service when your Host is not offering any scheduling utilities. Some hosts offer such utilities in their control panel (usually named cron for Windows, task scheduler, scheduled tasks). So in case they do then you can schedule your campaigns with the core Newsletter Manager Pro package (since NPro v.12).

Dedicated server / Your own VPS

This is the ideal case. You have your own server and you have full control of what to install.

Shared hosting environment

Most likely your Host will not agree to install it. In this case consider also that the Windows service can be installed on a different machine than the one you installed Newsletter Manager Pro. Even at your own Windows-OS pc.

Application scenarios

One-time mailings

• You create a new campaign
• You create a scheduler task for this campaign and define the activation date/time that you want the sending to start
• You may use the batch sending option (select "Send in batches and repeat until completed". Example: send 1000, wait 1 hour and so on) or not (select the "Send all messages at once" option).

Periodic or recurrent mailings

• You create a new campaign
• You create a scheduler task for this campaign and define the activation date/time that you want the sending to start
• Under recurrence settings, you check the "recurrent event" check box and you say for example: repeat every week. 1/week.
• You can still use the batch sending option if you need to do so.

Send Birthday newsletters automatically

• Create a birthday newsletter.
• Create a birthday filter: Menu > Filter+ > Create birthday filter. You can use the same filter any day.
• Create a new campaign that uses the filter and the newsletter you created.
• Schedule this campaign and make the task recurrent (to repeat every day).

Automatically follow-up by subscription date (auto responders)

• Suppose you want to send a newsletter on the 3rd, 5th, 7th day after the day one subscribed.
• Create 3 newsletters each one for a specific day.
• Create 3 filters for these days: Menu > Filter+ > Follow-up by date subscribed.
• Create 3 campaigns that use these newsletters and filters.
• Schedule these campaigns and make the tasks recurrent (to repeat every day).
• The scheduler will execute these campaigns daily and it will send the newsletters only to the subscribers that match the filter criterion.
• Since these tasks are recurrent the scheduler will re-program these to run daily.

Benefits

• By scheduling your campaigns you don't have to be in front of your computer. Everything is done in the background.
• Even if a sending fails or the server is re-started the scheduler will start again and continue the mailing from where it stopped.
• You can put your periodic campaigns in auto-pilot. You create a periodic scheduler task and then you can work on your newsletter and have it ready just before the sending date.
• By applying batch settings you can spread the mailing, over a week (days etc) instead of sending all newsletters at once.