Last Contacted

Author:Scott Reilly

Version:0.9.14

Last update:2012-01-24

Compatibility:WP 3.3 – 3.3.2

Comments:go here

Download:[ zip ]

Description:

Easily keep track of the last time you interacted with your contacts.

Extended Description

Easily keep track of the last time you interacted with your contacts.

NOTE: This plugin is currently considered experimental. The implementation and/or interface may change, and features may be added or removed. Attempts will be made to ensure data viability through subsequent releases but is not guaranteed. Not recommended for use on a live production site.

This plugin allows for contacts and contact groups to be imported from Google Contacts (and in future releases, other contact services) into a WordPress installation. The contacts can then be managed to keep track of the details about your interactions with each contact. You can record:

Date you contacted the person
The method used to contact the person (email, IM, phone, in person)
A brief note about the interaction (optional)

Links: Plugin Homepage | Plugin Directory Page | Author Homepage

Find out more at the plugin’s WordPress Plugin Repository page.

Screenshots

Click to see full-size image.

A screenshot of the main plugin page for managing groups and contacts.
A screenshot of the contact services import page.
A screenshot of the plugin settings page.
A screenshot of the admin dashboard widget.

Installation

Be aware the plugin is still in an experimental state. It is not recommended for use on a production site just yet.
Whether installing or updating, whether this plugin or any other, it is always advisable to back-up your data before starting
Unzip last-contacted.zip inside the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ admin menu in WordPress
Go to the ‘Import’ link under the top-level admin menu for the plugin and follow the directions for importing your contacts.

Credits

Thanks to (PC.DE)[http://pc.de/icons/] for the Berlin icons used by the plugin.

Thanks to Yusuke Kamiyamane, by way of Randy Jensen, for the Fugue icons used in the menus.

TODO

BUGS/MINOR

Properly report failed OAuth authentication
Extract import stuff from LastContacted and put into dedicated class
Remove non-sprited versions of sprited icons
Dashboard widget: reinstate hide contact button for dashboard

ENHANCEMENTS

Prefix all CSS classes with “lc_”
Summarize stats for each import (when manually performed) (i.e. X groups added/removed, X contacts added/removed)?
Expose date for when group/contact first got imported?
Expose name of contact source for each contact?
Require registration of contact services (rather than having Google Contacts assumed)
Use wp_remote_get|post methods to contact Google
Display time since rather than date of last contact? (“5 days ago” vs “2011-11-01″)
Pseudo-cron (or at least expire) knowledge about contacts not having Gravatar

FEATURES

Allow access to contact history beyond most recent (popup? embedded listing that needs to be expanded?)
Show multiple email addresses for contact if there are more than one?
Support multiple contact sources
Recognize a contact from across multiple contact sources
- Handle name collisions (may be same or different person)
- Handle same contact with different name under each source (perhaps via manual merge capability)
Sparklines for frequency of contacting per contact
Support multiple users : either each user manages their own contacts (walled gardens) or one user is designated the master and all users share in contacting that person’s contacts (community garden) (i.e. so it can be a team tool)
Support addition (and removal) of contact methods

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why is this plugin currently considered experimental?
A. Development is still ongoing. The implementation, interface, and feature set are liable to change, and if so, possible without regard to backward compatibility. The 1.0 release will signify plugin stability. However, feel free to try things out on a test installation. I welcome the feedback!

Q. Will this support importing my contacts from a service other than Google Contacts?
A. In the future, yes; an API will allow support for other contact services. At present, no; only Google Contacts is supported.

Q. Can I manage my contacts via this plugin?
A. No. This plugin provides an interface for managing when you contacted your contacts. It does not provide a means for managing contacts themselves. By that I mean you can’t add contacts, edit contact details, assign/deassign contacts to groups, etc with this plugin. Nothing you do ever gets pushed up to the contact service (i.e. Google Contacts). Use the contact service to manage your contacts.

Release Log

0.9.13

Recommended update: smaller contact popup hover zone; don’t show form by default; move ‘hide contact’ button; dropped support for WP 3.2

0.9.12

Initial public availability (still an alpha release)

Copyright & Disclaimer

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.