FAQ:
Question. I am interested in your program, but due to the nature of inputting email and name, I'm worried that my email account will be open to spam.Answer. Santa's List does not, and will never employ the use of spyware to collect personal information and email addresses. We take your privacy very seriously. If you want to use the program to scramble names, but not email out, you can alway type in the players' names, but not their email. A copy of the master list will be found in the directory where you unpacked the program ("masterlist.txt"). Obviously, one person needs to see the master list to disseminate the pairing information.
Question. I coordinated the list and punched in all the info correctly, why am I not included in the master list?
Answer. All participants involved MUST be added to the list of email, that includes the email of the originator. If you are the coordinator and did not include your name to the list, you will not be matched with a partner!
Question. What if I don't want to email out the results? Could I still generate the list and hand them out by hand?
Answer. Yes, you can. Make sure you check the "master list" checkbox and don't put anything in the SMTP server settings. It'll give you an error about sending out the emails, but it will still generate a file called "masterlist.txt" in the directory where you unpacked the program. Use this text file as the master list. Of course, you will obviously know all the players and their pairings and will preclude you from playing.
Question. I tested my email settings and it worked. But some players are not getting sent their email, why?
Answer. There could be a number of problems. Please check the obvious first (i.e. email was typed in correctly?). Short of common mistakes, one major problem is possibly the SMTP server only allows a certain number of connections within a certain amount of time to protect themselves from spammers. What we suggest is that you check the "Send master list" checkbox before you hit the "Send" button and manually send the emails to those who haven't received it. This obviates the need for one person in the game to know who all the pairs of gifter to giftees, but currently we have no good workaround for the SMTP server problems on your end; however, we plan to add sendmail support that will bypass the SMTP server requirements. You could always try installing SMTP server software on your machine as an alternative for your ISP's servers, but this requires more work and knowledge that we cannot provide. If you want to stick with the original master list, then make sure you check the box indicating so. By default the program also generates a "masterlist.txt" in the directory where you installed the program. Masterlist.txt can be used as a backup, in case email completely does not work. If you're in a jam, you can always use the text file, masterlist.txt as the redeeming file.
Question. If I enter all the data and find that I need to close out and get back later to complete the list, can I save the current settings for future completion?
Answer. Currently "Santa's List" does not have a "Save" feature, but that will be in the top priority in the next release.
Question. If I generated the list once and sent it, and I realized that I entered some information wrong, could I resend the same pairings as before, but with the minor changes?
Answer. No. Each time you use the program, it randomizes the list differently than you did the last time you ran it. The only solution is to run it again, making absolutely sure all the settings are correct, and stick with the new pairing--making the previous pairing null and void.
Question. Can't I just copy and paste a list from another program (i.e. word processor, text editor, etc.)?
Answer. No; however, we plan to add the ability to load text files in future releases.
Question. Your program worked out great for us, is there any way we can show you our gratitude?
Answer. You can always send us an email--see the Contacts page--with your kind words. If you can provide us with positive testimonials, don't be surprised if we'd reply asking for permission to post the testimonials. And obviously, we would greatly appreciate donations to our PayPal account (see the About Us page), in any amount you feel that it was worth--it would certainly bring us some holiday cheer.
Question. Your program worked out terribly for us, I want to gripe and send a complaint. What do I do?
Answer. We're sorry the program did not work out for you as planned. Perhaps you can help us make it better by sending in comments.