Looking for a way to manage a once only download

[Joey Nolan]

Hi,
I have a PDF file on my site that I want to distribute freely but I want to
be able to contact anyone who downloaded it to warn them about mistakes and
new versions and updates etc...

So I need some way to keep their email addresses and someway to prevent them
sharing the link to the PDF file. I want the download to be once-only.

I've seen some sites
- with a form for the user to fill in
- where the user fills in his email address
- and receives a mail
- containing a unique link to the file to download
- and I think the link has a timeout on it somehow.

Can anyone please point me to a script so that I can set up something
similar?

TIA

Joey

[Toby A Inkster]

Re: Looking for a way to manage a once only download

Joey Nolan wrote:

I have a PDF file on my site that I want to distribute freely but I want to
be able to contact anyone who downloaded it to warn them about mistakes and
new versions and updates etc...

I think the best approach to this would be something like this:

<h1>My Document</h1>
<p><a href="/documents/mydocument">myd ocument</a></p>
<h2>Important Updates</h2>
<p>From time to time, there are important and life-changing updates
made to My Document which are very important and life-changing. If
you wish to be made aware of any changes, please sign up for the
updates mailing list. Messages are infrequent, typically less than
one per month. I <a href="/privacypolicy"> respect your privacy</aand
will not sell your e-mail address to spammers. You may unsubscribe at any
time. To sign up, submit your e-mail address here:</p>
<form action=blah method=post>
<div>
<input name=email><inp ut type=submit>
</div>
<div style=font-size:smaller>
<label><input type=radio name=status value=important checked=checked >
Alert me to only the most important updates</label>
<label><input type=radio name=status value=all>
Send me alerts for all updates to the document</label>
</div>
</form>
<p>Alternativel y, I also provide an <a href="/updates/mydocument">RSS feed
listing recent changes</a>.</p>

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux

* = I'm getting there!

[Joey Nolan]

Re: Looking for a way to manage a once only download

Thank you Toby.
That indeed is much simpler.

Joey

[Rami Elomaa]

Re: Looking for a way to manage a once only download

Joey Nolan kirjoitti:

So I need some way to keep their email addresses and someway to prevent them
sharing the link to the PDF file. I want the download to be once-only.

Just remember that instead of sharing a link they can still share the
actual file. Once the user has downloaded the pdf, he can email it to a
friend, post it on their own website or print 1000 copies of it.

--
Rami.Elomaa@gma il.com

"Wikipedia on vähän niinq internetin raamattu, kukaan ei pohjimmiltaan
usko siihen ja kukaan ei tiedä mikä pitää paikkansa." -- z00ze