Email Templates

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About Email Templates

Email templates are used to create an email-based conversation centered on a specific object record. The variables they contain are replaced with record data, to create a customized message.

You can create new templates, and modify the ones that already exist.

Working with Email Templates

Creating or Editing an Email Template

1. Click [New Email Template] or select an existing template
2. Create the template content, use the Template Variable tool at the top of the page to insert template variable placeholders into the template.
3. Click [Save]

Tip: The easiest way to create your own template is to start by copying one that is close to what you want. That way, many of the variables you need are already in the template body.

Choosing Template Variables

The section at the top of the page gives you variables you can use in the template. The list may varies, depending on the type of template you're creating. Here are some of the standard categories:

Case Templates

User Fields - Fields pertaining to the current logged in user. Company Fields - Data from the Company Information settings Custom Variables - Special variables that are available to all templates. you can add to and modify, as needed. Portal Fields - The name of the web portal channel a case came in on, and the background color used for that web page. (Used to customize the email to match the channel.)

To get a template variable:

1. Under Category select the kind of field you want to access.
   (The list varies, depending on the type of template.)
2. Select the field you want.

   Otherwise, the template variable appears.

3. Copy the name that appears in the Variable field, and paste it into one of the template fields.

   (For example, From Name:, From Email Address:, Subject:, or Message:.)

Specifying Template Content

Basic Information

• Template Name - The name that appears in the list of templates.
• Type - When this field is present, it is possible to specify multiple template types, which determines where it can be used and which template variables are available.
• From Name - The name that indicates the person or department the email came from. For example, "Company Support".
• From Address - The email address that end-user replies will go to. (See the note below)
• Subject - Subject for the message.
• Message - Choose how you want to compose the message:

• Use the WYSIWYG HTML Editor
• Paste HTML code written in an external editor into the RAW HTML window
• Write a Plain Text message

Attachments

Choose one or more of the Document Templates you've created to encapsulate Case data. The document is generated from the data and attached to the message.

Processing Related Records

About Related Record Variables

In a Custom Object, fields from related records can be added to a Document Template. (That is, records from an Object that has a Lookup to the current object.)

For example, OrderItems has a lookup to Orders, so in a Document Template for Orders, related OrderItems records can be accessed. (In an object Form, related records are typically displayed in a Subform, although they need not be.)

When formatting a record in the current object for printing, those related records and the fields they contain can be processed in a loop.

Finding Related-Record Variables

Related Object variables are found using the Template Variable Tool.

Here, in the Email Template for Claims, the related ClaimItems object is being chosen from the category list:

Within that group, the Item Name field is listed, along with other fields in the ClaimITems object. Once selected, the variable name appears in the Variable area, along with the loop it needs to be surrounded by for processing:

#foreach( $ClaimItems_record in $ClaimItems ) $ClaimItems_record.item_name #end

If a loop already exists, you would use only the variable name part:

$ClaimItems_record.item_name

Note: For a many-to-many relationship like one between Claims and Tags, the variable looks like this: $Claims_Tags_record.related_to_Tags.tag_name where: $Claims_Tags is the Junction Object that produces the many-to-many relationship related_to_Tags is the name of the Lookup field in the Junction Object that references a Tags record tag_name is the field to display The "dot" separator (.) joins each of the segments in the variable name

Using Related Record Variables

Processing Related Records in a Loop

Typically, you'll create a table for the related records, define its headings, and then create a row for a single record, putting the related-record variables into the cells of the row. You then enclose that row in a loop, using the #foreach instruction defined by the Velocity templating engine.

Related records are returned in an array, so the loop creates a new table row for each record in the array.

Here is an example that processes OrderItems for an Order (with formatting attributes removed for simplicity):

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" enclose="div">

<tbody> </tbody>

1. foreach( $OrderItems_record in $OrderItems )

1. end

...

Quantity	Product	Unit Price	Amount
$OrderItems_record.item_quantity	$OrderItems_record.related_to_ProductInventory.product_name	$OrderItems_record.item_price	$OrderItems_record.total

</syntaxhighlight>

where:

• The <tbody> element is required around the header row.

• The Velocity #foreach directive does the looping.

Learn more: http://velocity.apache.org/engine/releases/velocity-1.7/user-guide.html

• The looping construct defines $OrderItems_record as a loop variable.
• The loop variable iterates over the $OrderItems array.
• The $OrderItems array is automatically available in the template, because OrderItems is a Related Object. (All related objects are available. Each is an array.)

Special Considerations for Subform Variables

Totals and additional computation fields defined for a Subform are also available in the Template Variable Tool. To find them, you access the main object (not the object displayed in the Subform), because those fields are added to the object that contains the Subform.

For example, the Subform for OrderItems totals the $Amount column, and then does additional computations on it to add a surcharge. Those values are shown in the $Orders Fields category as Total $Amount and Shipping for $Amount, respectively. (The final total is shown as Net Total $Amount.)

Sample Template for an Order Invoice

This sample:

• Creates an invoice for an order, showing all items in it
• Gets the name and price of order items from the ProductInventory object
• Uses Velocity #foreach processing to process OrderItems records for an Order
• Uses Velocity #if conditionals to display surcharge and discount rows only if those values are present

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" enclose="div">

<html><head> <title></title> <style>

div {  
     padding-top: 5px;  
     padding-bottom: 5px;  
     padding-right: 5px;  
     padding-left: 30px;  
     border: 3px;  

margin-top: 5%; margin-right: 40%; margin-bottom: 5%; margin-left: 5%;

   }

</style>

</head><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080" alink="#FF0000">

<img width="100" height="100" src="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/android-robot-logo2.jpg" alt="Company logo" />    <---- Company Logo Here
$company.name

$company.street  
$company.city, $company.state,
$company.country - $company.zip

 
 (Phone): $user.phone

---

Order Invoice

Invoice Date: $Orders.date_created

Bill To:
$Orders.account.name - $Orders.account.number
$Orders.account.street
$Orders.account.city, $Orders.account.state,
$Orders.account.country - $Orders.account.zip

(Phone): $Orders.account.phone


Invoice #: $Orders.order_number
 

<tbody> </tbody>

1. foreach( $OrderItems_record in $OrderItems )

1. end

1. if( $Orders.grid_surcharge_031f67dd4b3946949df2da276e5c82a6 > 0 )

1. end

1. if( $Orders.grid_discount_031f67dd4b3946949df2da276e5c82a6 > 0 )

1. end

Quantity	Product	Unit Price	Amount
$OrderItems_record.item_quantity	$OrderItems_record.related_to_ProductInventory.product_name	$OrderItems_record.item_price	$OrderItems_record.total
		Sub Total	$Order.grid_comptn_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4
		Surcharge	$Orders.grid_surcharge_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4
		Discount	$Orders.grid_discount_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4
		Tax	$Orders.grid_tax_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4
		Shipping	$Orders.grid_shipping_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4
		TOTAL AMOUNT DUE	$Orders.grid_net_total_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4

Payment Due upon reciept
Thank you for your business!

</body> </html> </syntaxhighlight>

The Subform part of the resulting invoice then looks something like this:

(The Order Invoice Template file is available in the downloads area.)