Using PowerShell to send scheduled emails based on a php generated xml file

Laptop Lending Locker

D-Tech International has some vey nice equipment, and it works pretty well.  When these were purchased they were to send out the following email notices.

1. When a laptop is borrowed with the date and time that it is due back
2. an email notice 15 minutes before it is due
3. an email notice if it is overdue
4. an email notice when it is returned

Unfortunately not all the emails worked.  The 15 minute notice and the overdue notice were not working properly.  Email notices were sent when the laptop was taken out and when it was returned but not at the 15 minutes before it is due or when it is overdue.  Since the system is using a SirsiDynix ILS system it has a server called Horizon Web Services; which is more/less an API connector for the ILS Database.  

A php script generates a XML file which we will use to generate scheduled tasks for each laptop that is borrowed.  Those tasks will run at specific times to send notices out to the user that borrowed it.  The notice times obviously need to be flexible and only generate and send a notice for the laptop that is due within the operating hours of the location.

To do all this we are going to use powershell.  Below is how the XML file is generated and structured.

XML File

<notices>

<laptopCirc>

<displayName>Name</displayName>

<barcode>2222200xxxxxxx</barcode>

<emailAddress>email@domain.com</emailAddress>

<checkOutTime>2023-04-24T10:21:00-06:00</checkOutTime>

<timeDue>2023-04-24T14:21:00-06:00</timeDue>

<laptopName>Laptop 2</laptopName>

</laptopCirc>

</notices>

 

The Process:

The emails for the borrowing and the returning of the laptops work great.  However because this is something I can code and control the following notices will be generated.

• 15 minute pre-due notice
• Notice that the laptop is due
• 15 minute overdue notice
• 15 minute pre-closing notice
• Laptop not returned the next day notice

There will be 11 different files.  A powershell script with a bat file for executing the powershell script as to not change the default powershell security model on the system.  Below is a sample of the scripts for generating the task scheduler and email notices.

The Scripts:

Obviously because of the locked down security model we are going to use task scheduler to run bat files to execute our powershell scripts.  Our bat file must contain the $Path that goes to our powershell file.  Below is a sample file.

The Bat Files:

@ECHO OFF

Powershell.exe -executionpolicy remotesigned -File  $PATH\LaptopsDue.ps1

Powershell Files:

Generate Notices (Sample) - This is the biggest and most complex file; as this is the one that makes and removes our scheduled tasks.  Below is a sample of the script which will be provided at the end of the post.

#update the generated xml file from the php script (status.xml)

$WebResponse = Invoke-WebRequest "$URL/generate.php" -UseBasicParsing

$WebResponse

#URL to get the laptops data

$url = "$URL/status.xml"

#store the laptop xml file

$filename = "$PATH\status.xml"

$webClient = new-object System.Net.WebClient

$webClient.DownloadFile( $url, $filename )

#load the xml file we downloaded

[xml]$xml = get-content "$PATH\status.xml"

#check and see if there are any checked out laptops

#if there are laptops checked out laptops

if ($xml.notices.laptopCirc -ne $null){

    Write-Output "there are checked out laptops"

}else{

#if there are no checked out laptops

    Write-Output "There are NO check out laptops"

    exit

}

#Write-Output $xml.notices.laptopCirc

#here is where we sort the xml file

$xml.notices.laptopCirc | ForEach-Object {

###

#Conversions for date and time for creating tasks

###

$DueTime = [datetime]::ParseExact($_.timeDue.substring(0, 19), 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss', $null)

$PreTime = [datetime]::ParseExact($_.timeDue.substring(0, 19), 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss', $null)

$OverTime = [datetime]::ParseExact($_.timeDue.substring(0, 19), 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss', $null)

#Create Timestamps

$PreTS = $PreTime.AddSeconds(-900).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss')

$OverTS = $OverTime.AddSeconds(+900).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss')

$DueTS = $DueTime.AddSeconds(+0).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss')

#get current Date & Time

$nowTime = (Get-Date).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss').substring(11,5)

$nowDate = (Get-Date).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss').substring(0,8)

$nowTS = Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss

###TIME CHECK###

$whatDay = (get-date).DayOfWeek

if ($whatDay -match 'Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday' -and $nowTime -gt "10:00" -and $nowTime -lt "20:45"){

 Write-Output "Today is "+ $DayOfTheWeek

###Notices for Monday - Thursday

###NOTICES###

#Pre-Over Due Notice

$taskName = $_.laptopName+"_PreOverDue"

if(Get-ScheduledTask $taskName -ErrorAction Ignore) { 

Write-Output "Task Found" 

} else { 

$actions = (New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute '$Path\LaptopPreDue.bat' -WorkingDirectory '$PATH')

$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Once -At $PreTime.substring(11, 5)

$principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId '$user' -RunLevel Highest 

$settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable -WakeToRun

$task = New-ScheduledTask -Action $actions -Principal $principal -Trigger $trigger -Settings $settings

#taskname

$taskName = $_.laptopName+"_PreOverDue"

Register-ScheduledTask $taskName -InputObject $task

}

    [PSCustomObject]@{

   

    'displayName'   = $_.displayName

    'barcode'       = $_.barcode

    'emailAddress'  = $_.emailAddress

    'checkOutTime'  = $_.checkOutTime

    'timeDue'       = $_.timeDue

    'laptopName'    = $_.laptopName

###

#        'id'        = $_.id

#        'name'      = $_.name

#        'status'    = $_.status

#        'checkout'  = $_.checkout

#        'due'       = $_.due

#        'email'     = $_.email

}

}

Item Due Email Notice (SAMPLE)

#URL to get the laptops data

$url = "$URL/status.xml"

#store the laptop xml file

$filename = "$PATH\status.xml"

$webClient = new-object System.Net.WebClient

$webClient.DownloadFile( $url, $filename )

#load the xml file we downloaded

[xml]$xml = get-content "status.xml"

#here is where we sort the xml file

$xml.notices.laptopCirc | ForEach-Object {

#Conversions for date and time for creating tasks

$TimeDueTS = [datetime]::ParseExact($_.timeDue.substring(0, 19), 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss', $null)

#Timestamps

#$CurrentTimeStamp 

#add time to time due if required

$DueTime = $Due_Conversion.AddSeconds(+0).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss')

#get current time

$CurrentTime = (Get-Date).ToString('MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss')

$CurrentTimeStamp = Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss

$removeTask = $_.laptopName+"_Due"

$isDue = $DueTime.substring(11, 5)

#Send an email if the laptop is due

if ($CurrentTime -match $DueTime){

#send an email if the current time matches the time due.  Remove the task once the email is sent

#Write-output $_.laptopName $_.emailAddress

$emailBody = "Hello "+$_.displayName+",

Your laptop is now overdue and needs to be returned to the locker. If you need help with saving your document or the return process, please ask Staff. 

Laptops are loaned for a maximum of 4 hours"

$emailSubject = "Please return "+$_.laptopName+" to the locker"

$emailSubject

Send-MailMessage -Encoding UTF8 -From '$FROM ADDRESS' -To $_.emailAddress -Subject $emailSubject -Body $emailBody -smtpserver '$SMTPSERVER'

Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName $removeTask -Confirm:$false

}

    [PSCustomObject]@{

   

    'displayName'   = $_.displayName

    'barcode'       = $_.barcode

    'emailAddress'  = $_.emailAddress

    'checkOutTime'  = $_.checkOutTime

    'timeDue'       = $_.timeDue

    'laptopName'    = $_.laptopName

}

}

I have a scheduled task that runs every 5 minutes checking to see if a laptop is checked out; if it is it creates the notices; if not then it exits the script.  If there is a notice already made it skips creating it again.  It works really well.

Changing email setting for users in google group workspaces

Logged into google workspaces. You can control how you get emails from specific google groups however sometimes users may or may not get emails from groups. Here is how to fix it.

1. Go to groups.google.com. It should automatically take you to "My Groups" if not select "My Groups"




2. Go to People -> Members

You can change subscription and posting settings here.







Under subscriptions change subscription to Each Email if you want to get the emails for all emails.

This will change or reset the email settings for the user on the google group.

Migrating a website to shopify, while keeping your email working

Recently a site I was hosting on my shared host decided to move their online presence off Joomla to the shopify platform.  The website was originally on a shared host; which is fine but when the site was moved to shopify, I was asked to update the A and cname records for the domain to the shopify ip and url.

My host on CPANEL when you setup a domain, puts in a bunch of default settings for the domain, as they should.  Here is a sample of a default setup.

This client is forwarding domain emails to a gmail account, they don't have google apps or anything like that and it isn't required for them.  So when I updated one mx record pointing to my main a record and when I updated the A record to point to the new IP and change the cnames to point to shops.myshopify.com, my client being unaware that shopify doesn't provided email service email just stopped working because the mx record was pointing to the main A record.  This caused all email pointing to domain.ca to stop which was being forwarded by the server to a web email service.

The solution was to make a new A record with the old ip address in this case making a name record mail.domain.ca A = sharedhost IP and putting a new cname domain.ca MX = mail.domain.ca

Now you can see here I removed the mail.domain.ca cname record I felt it was redundant but if I have problems I can always put it back in especially since the mail.domain.ca was not being used.  I do have to setup DMARC but that is something else that I'm not doing at the moment.