Redmine Batched Notifications Plugin

This plugin for Redmine helps reduce the volume of email notifications by batching updates for a single issue into a single email. When multiple edits are made to an issue by a user within a short timeframe, instead of sending an email for each update, the plugin waits for a configurable period and then sends one summary email containing all the changes.

Compatibility

This plugin has been tested and is confirmed to work with Redmine v6.x. It is not known if it is compatible with earlier versions.

How it Works

Instead of sending an email instantly for every issue update, this plugin waits for a short, configurable period. If more updates are made to the same issue by the same user during that time, it groups them all into a single, summary email. This prevents users from being flooded with notifications for rapid, minor changes. The plugin also ensures that private notes are only sent to users with the appropriate permissions.

Installation

1. Clone this repository into your Redmine plugins directory.

   git clone https://github.com/tuzumkuru/redmine_batched_notifications.git plugins/redmine_batched_notifications

2. Run the plugin migrations:

   bundle exec rake redmine:plugins:migrate

3. Restart your Redmine application.

Configuration

The plugin can be configured from the Redmine administration panel (Administration -> Plugins -> Redmine Batched Notifications -> Configure):

• Enabled: Turn the batching functionality on or off globally.
• Delay (seconds): The time to wait for more changes before sending a notification. Each new change on an issue by the same user will reset this timer.

Development Environment (Docker)

A Docker-based development environment is provided for convenience.

1. Start the services:

   docker compose up -d

2. Run the setup script: This script will set up the Redmine instance with some test data.

   docker compose exec redmine /usr/src/redmine/plugins/redmine_batched_notifications/docker/setup_redmine_dev.sh

3. Access the services:

   • Redmine: http://localhost:3000
     • Admin: admin / admin
     • Test users: testuser1 / password, testuser2 / password
   • MailHog (email catcher): http://localhost:8025

4. Stopping the environment:

   docker compose down

Testing

The plugin includes a set of tests to ensure its functionality. The tests are run inside the Docker container to ensure a consistent environment.

1. Start the services:

   docker compose up -d

2. Run the setup script for tests: This script will set up the Redmine test database.

   docker compose exec redmine /usr/src/redmine/plugins/redmine_batched_notifications/docker/setup_redmine_tests.sh

3. Run all tests for the plugin:

   docker compose exec redmine bundle exec rake redmine:plugins:test NAME=redmine_batched_notifications