Auto Entry System

It is now possible to set competitions as 'Auto Entry'.  If a compeititon is set as auto entry then it is not possible to enter the competition from the Competition Page, instead of the entry form, a message (set in admin) is shown which you can use to state the entry requirements.

Auto entry ignores the question/answer, force login and newsletter signup options, it simply enters the customer in to the competition if their order value is higher than the value that is set in the admin.

If you run mulitiple Auto Entry Competitions at the same time, then the customer will be entered into all eligible competitions based on order value.

In line with the rest of the system, customers can only be entered into a competition once, they won't be entered into the competition after the end date and they won't be entered if the Competition or Auto Entry has been disabled. Customers don't get a Competition Entry confirmation email at present.

Multi-Choice Question

You can set a question for the entrants to answer. This is NOT checked at entry and incorrect answers can be submitted and saved.

In the admin you are able to select the winner(s) from either 'Correct Entries Only' or 'All Entries' You are also able to delete the incorrect entries to just leave entries with the correct answer - deleting the incorrect entries has no affect on the newsletter subscribers.

General Points

• The competition system is capable of running multiple competitions at once;
• Competitions are date enabled and customers can't enter after the given date;
• Competitions have an optional question/answer requirement;
• Optional Newsletter signup;
• Old competition details are still viewable so customers can see what they may have missed out on and perhaps revisit your site to see if there are any new competitions to enter (and hopefully buy something);
• The module is the way to advertise your competition - the module will show (a snippet of) the latest competition;
• Entrants can only enter the competion once (once per email address);
• The winner is saved for future reference (whilst the competition exists) and can be emailed directly from the admin;
• SEO, mutli-store and multi-language enabled;
• Admin can set any number of winners from 1 to 999;
• Competitions can be set to Auto Entry at checkout if their order value is greater than the value set in the Admin.

Using the Admin Pages  

Module

This is just a standard module and is used in the same way as all other modules.  The module will show a snippet of the latest competition and a link to the competition page.  As with all modules this can go in column left, right, content top or bottom.  Be aware that the module strips html tags from the snippet.

Competition List

This is accessed via Admin > Competitions > Competitions and displays a list of competitions.

• Module Button: This is a shortcut to the module settings.
• Insert Button: This button is to insert a new competition.
• Delete Button: This button will delete the selected competition AND it will delete the corresponding entrants and the winner if one has been chosen.
• Edit Link: Opens the competition for editing.
  
• View Entrants: Click on this to view the entrants associated with the competition.

Inserting a Competition

Add a new competition from the Competition List page (Admin > Competitions > Competitions) by using the Add button in the top right of the page.

General Tab

• Competition Name: Speaks for itself, try and get a keyword in there.
  
• Meta Tag Description: Sets the meta tag description for the competition details page in the catalog.
  
• Auto Entry Message: If the competition is to be Auto Entry then then you can put a short message here with the entry requirements etc.
  
• Competition Details: Create your competition details here in HTML - it's the standard CKEditor the same as used for the products description.
  
• Question: If you want to set a question then enter it here.
  
• Answers A - D: Enter upto 4 answers here - only answers filled in will display.  Don't use special character but you can use things such as é. If there is at least 1 answer set here then the form will display the answer field(s) in the catalog. If there is no answer set here then the answer field(s) will not display.

Data Tab

• Answer Is: Set which answer is the correct one (this only effects selecting the winner(s).
  
• SEO Keyword: Sets the SEO URL keyword for the competition page in the catalog.
  
• Number of Winners: Sets how many winners you want for the competition, limited to 999.
  
• Enable Auto Entry?: Set to Enabled to enable the auto entry at checkout feature.
  
• Auto Entry Order value: Set the amount a customer needs to spend to be entered into eligble competitions.  This value runs off the 'Sub-total' of the cart so it is the amount excluding all taxes etc.
  
• Require login to enter: If you set this to Enabled then the button on the catalog competition entry page will be replaced with a link/text saying 'You must login to enter this competition'.
• Force Newsletter Subscription?: If you want to capture your competition entrants email address to use for newsletters then set this to enabled. NOTE: Email addresses will only be stored if you have activated the Terms & Condidtions Tick Box as you will need to add that the entrant agrees to receiving newsletters in Terms and Conditions.
  
• Thumbnail (optional): Select an image to use with the competition This image is used for the module and the competition list page.
  
• Thubmnail Image Size: The size set here is ONLY for the Competitions List page.  The size for the module image is set within the Competition Module settings.
  
• End Date: This is required and is the end date for the competition.  After the date has passed the entry form in the catalog will not longer show and a 'this competition has now closed' messge will be shown.  The competition will still be visible in the catalog.
  
• Stores: Select the store to show the competition in.
  
• Status: Enable or disable the competiton - disabling the competition will prevent it from showing in the catalog.

Competition Entrants List

This is accessed via the Competion List by clicking on the 'view entrants' link.

• Insert Button: Click this button to insert an entrant.
  
• Delete Button: Click this button to delete the selected entrant(s).
  
• Go Button: Once the competiton has ended then you can select an appropriate action from the dropdown box and click the go button. The options here are to select a winner from 'All Entries' or 'Correct Entries Only', you can also delete all incorrect entries as well.The winner is chosen at random and then automatically saved for future reference. If you have already selected a winner then the button will read 'View Winner' instead and if you click the button you can view the winner for the selected competition.
  
• Edit Link: Allows you to edit the name/email of an entrant.

Competition Winners Page

• Cancel Button: Takes you back to the competition list.
  
• Delete Button: This allows you to delete the current winner and then takes you back to the competition entrants list so you can select another winner in case you don't hear back from current the winner.
  
• Email Winner Link: Click on this link and the winner will be emailed, you are then returned back to the competition entrants list.

Newsletters

Newsletter Subscribers can be managed from Admin > Competitions > Newsletters.
When you send emails from the admin (Admin > Marketing  > Mail) you find a new select entry called 'Competition Entrants'. 

Newsletter Unsubscribe

There is an 'Unsubscribe (Competition Newsletter)' page where users can enter thier email address and unsubscribe from the Competition Newletters.

The unsubscribe page can be found at the following URL:

index.php?route=extension/competition/unsubscribe

It is recommended that you add a link to this page for any competition newsletters that you send out. This will only unsubscribe customers that are subscribed to the Competition Newsletters - it will not remove customers from any other lists.

Edits to Emails

The email text is held in the language files and can be found in the following locations:

• Winners Email: ../admin/language/english/competition/competition.php

Subject: Competition Entry - Update
Congratulations, you're the winner of our Competition 1 competition.

Please reply to this email with your name and address and we'll arrange delivery of your prize.

Kind Regards,

Your Store.

• Entry Email: ../catalog/language/english/information/competition.php

Subject: Competition Entry

Thanks for entering our competition and good luck.

We'll notify the winner by email shortly after the competition closing date which is 31/10/2011

Kind Regards,

Your Store.

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