Templates for emails and signatures

Basics

The HTML templates for mass emails or standard emails can be created and edited in the CRM system. The creation of Email or Mass email templates takes place in the administration console in the Administration document templates node.

Figure: Loaded HTML template

For the creation, processing and use of HTML templates, the activation of the HTML editor is mandatory. If the HTML editor has not been activated, the templates are only possible in text mode without any formatting, links or images.

Under certain circumstances, it may happen that mail templates exist in a system that are only in txt format. To convert the templates to html formatting, the HTML editor must be installed and the MailUtilities property value set to true.

Figure: Convert the value of MailUtilities

Templates for single emails

For standard mail actions (send/answer internal/external mail) 3 templates are used:

EXTERNALMAIL
EXTERNALMAILSIGNATURE
INTERNALMAILSIGNATURE

The templates may not be renamed. Additional templates can be created. You can edit the templates by clicking the Edit button to start the HTML editor.

Figure: Edit a mail template in the WYSIWYG mode

If individual signatures should also be used, these must comply with a naming convention. The name "EXTERNALMAILSIGNATURE" or "INTERNALMAILSIGNATURE" must be supplemented with any postfix (e.g. "_01").

The email templates are used depending on the mail type.

Figure: Sending an email

Depending on the user setting Use default mail signature, either the MS Outlook signature (if the checkbox is active) or the CRM signature is used.

Figure: Setting for the mail signatures

The MS Outlook signature is used (the option is enabled)

Send external mail - the content of the HTML template EXTERNALMAIL is included in the email. Logically, there should be no HTML signature in this template.
Send internal mail - the content of the HTML template INTERNALMAIL is included in the email. Logically, there should be no HTML signature in this template.

The MS Outlook signature is not used (the option is disabled)

Send external mail - the content of the HTML template EXTERNALMAILSIGNATURE is included in the email. In this template, you should save an HTML signature.
Send internal mail - in this case we only use the HTML template INTERNALMAILSIGNATURE, where you can store the internal signature.

Alternatively, you can use the Individual signature option, where you can select an available template or set it as the default for the started mail sending action.

Figure: Selecting a mail template

Tips for formatting the HTML templates

We assume rudimentary knowledge of HTML for the editing of HTML templates, because not all formatting can be done via the editor. You can find details in the HTML editor chapter.

Bookmarks

System and optional bookmarks

In addition to the standard HTML objects, the bookmarks are also available. The bookmarks are fields from the application whose content is to be included in the email to be sent. The available bookmarks can be found in the Bookmark column of the administration dialog. The bookmarks must be integrated in the HTML template in a curly bracket (for example, {zip code} for a postal code).

Regardless of the mapped bookmarks, there are system bookmarks that cannot be seen in the mapping table but can still be used in the template.

^{System bookmarks}	^Description
^{salutation}	Salutation
^{body}	Text from the memo field of an activity. The HTML formatting from the memo field is included in the email. The standard font for the memo field can be set via System settings/System preset user settings/Format/Standard font Memo field activity
^{Name}	Name of the mail addresses
^{LastName}	Last name of the mail addresses
^{sender}	Sender
^{createdate}	Creation Date
^{subject}	Subject (from the activity)
^{originbody}	Text from the mail that is answered (to be used only for reply mails)
^{[%REPLY_PART_BEGIN%]} ^... ^{[%REPLY_PART_END%]}	Highlight the section that will be skipped if it is not a reply mail.

In the case of serial mail, HTML formatting is used by default. It must be noted that text formatting (e.g. bold, underline, etc.) within a used variable can neither begin nor end. Otherwise, the variable can no longer be recognized, and consequently it cannot be replaced by the corresponding value, e.g. the salutation of the contact person. If this happens, then the formatting must be canceled and then set again, without ‘cutting up’ the variable.

Incorrectly accepted variables in the editor

If the variables are not accepted correctly in the editor, the following workaround is recommended:

Almost all variable names are underlined by the spell check in red. For these then a special span tag is set in the HTML, which then destroys the variable.

{LastName}

becomes

{<span class="SpellE">LastName</span>}

If you add the red underlined variables to the dictionary, the variables are no longer destroyed. Alternatively, the option “Check spelling while entering” can be switched off. Further options: The variables are all written in uppercase and in Outlook, “Ignore words in CAPITAL LETTERS” is set.

Suppression of blanks in the mail signature

Depending on whether a value is filled, the mail signature can react differently.

Configuration

The syntax looks as follows:

XML

{ISNOTNULL <Ausdruck> $!!$<Wert1>$!!$<Wert2>ISNOTNULL}

The expression must always begin with {ISNOTNULL and stop with ISNOTNULL}. The separator used in the expression is $ !! $. It should be noted that at value1/2 all entered spaces are taken into account. If the HTML editor is used in the activity text, the signature must be edited in the source text in order to prevent errors in connection with formatting.

Example:

XML

{<b>ISNOTNULL ...

Here the starting point would not be found, since it must mandatorily be {ISNOTNULL.

Example 1

An example which replaces an unfilled mail address by info@cursor.de.

XML

mail: {ISNOTNULL {Mail}$!!${Mail}$!!$info@cursor.deISNOTNULL}

For an employee, mail addresses are like Klaus.Mueller@cursor.de.

XML

mail: Klaus.Mueller@cursor.de

No email address is entered for employee:

XML

mail: info@cursor.de

Example 2

An example to show a filled and unfilled mobile number differently.

XML

Telefon: {Tel}{ISNOTNULL {Mobil}$!!$ | {Mobil}$!!$ISNOTNULL}

Tel is filled with 0641/40000-0. If mobile is filled with 017211122233, the line in the mail looks like this:

XML

Telefon: 0641/40000-0 | 017211122233

If mobile is not filled, the line looks like this:

XML

Telefon: 0641/40000-0

Note that if the mobile number is not filled, an empty string is reached by $!!$ISNOTNULL}. i.e. there is no space between the separator and the end condition ISNOTNULL}.

Images

It is also possible to integrate graphics into the mail templates (e.g., signatures). For this purpose, a png or jpg graphic file must be available in an accessible directory, which must be inserted via the HTML source.

XML

<img src="z:\Pfad\zu\Logo.png" />

^{E.g. <img src="z:\T\dma\Logo.png" />}

An email with a picture in the signature is sent with this embedded graphic, so that the correct representation is guaranteed independently of the mail client or the operating system. It must be noted that some mail clients do not open the graphics by default. In that case, a release must be granted in the client.

If an email with a signature as an msg file is imported into the CRM system, this graphic will not be imported as a separate document. The graphics can only be displayed after the email has been opened (open the content menu/the email below).
If an email with a signature is imported into the CRM system as an activity, this graphic is not visible in the memo field of the activity.

Source text for standard HTML templates

EXTERNALMAIL.html

XML

<html>
<head>
 
</head>
 
<body>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;">
{salutation}
<br />
<br />{body}
<br />
<br />[%REPLY_PART_BEGIN%]
<br />-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
<br />Von: {sender}
<br />Erstellt am: {createdate}
<br />Betreff: {subject}
<br />
<br />
<br />{originbody}
<br />
<br />[%REPLY_PART_END%]
</body>
</div>
</html>

EXTERNALMAILSIGNATURE.html

XML

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;">
{salutation}
<br />
<br />{body}
<br />
<br />
<br />Mit freundlichen Grüßen
<br />
<br />{Unterschrift}
<br />CURSOR Software AG
<br />{Abteilung}
<br />Telefon: {Tel}
<br />Fax: {Fax}
<br /><a href="mailto:{EMail}">{EMail}</a>
<a href="http://www.cursor.de/">www.cursor.de</a>
<br />Friedlich-List-Stra&szlig;e 31
<br />35398 Gie&szlig;en
<br />[%REPLY_PART_BEGIN%]
<br />
<br />
<br />-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
<br />Von: {sender}
<br />Erstellt am: {createdate}
<br />Betreff: {subject}
<br />
<br />{originbody}
[%REPLY_PART_END%]
</div>
</body>
</html>

INTERNALMAILSIGNATURE.html

XML

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;">
{salutation}
<br />
<br />{body}
<br />
<br />_________________________________________________________
<br />
<br />Mit freundlichen Grüßen
<br />
<br />{Name} {NachName}
<br />
<br />_________________________________________________________
<br />
<br />[%REPLY_PART_BEGIN%]
<br />-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
<br />Von: {sender}
<br />Erstellt am: {createdate}
<br />Betreff: {subject}
<br />
<br />
<br />{originbody}
<br />[%REPLY_PART_END%]
</div>
</body>
</html>

General information

You can access the source text of the template via the context menu (right mouse click/Edit HTML source code)
Of course, you can use other HTML text editors and add the source code into the editor via Copy & Paste
After editing, save the template (menu File / Save or key combination CTRL
+S).
If you copy content from other editors in WYSIWYG mode, they may be interpreted differently in the CRM editor.

Mass emails

Start window of the application: Menu item Marketing / Serial mail in the menu bar.

The process of serial mail generation is based on that of the serial letter. The process is almost identical. Instead of a serial letter document, a serial mail is generated here. You can generate as many serial letter templates as you like, which can be selected via the wizard.