What are Email Variables?
Email Variables enhance Email Templates to make them more customized with current and relevant information.
Why did we create Email Variables?
Email Templates are often sent to many users at once. In order to include the correct information to each one (without sending a custom to email to every recipient), Email Variables allow for mass emails to appear customized.
How to Utilize Email Variables
Email Variables are a component of Email Templates that can be utilized when creating Email Notifications. When first creating an Email Notification, you’ll want to create the Email Template, which is what you want to say to your recipients. For a refresher on how to create Email Notifications, start with this article.
Update Email Variables and Company Contacts
Step 1: Hover over Configuration Icon and click Email Variables. You’ll be presented with a list of Email Variables.
Step 2: Update variables that clearly have incorrect information that you may use later by clicking the edit icon (examples of ones to update: CompanyName, CompanyAddress, and contact information such as SM Contact).
Step 3: Do the same for Configuration > Company Info> Contacts. The information may already be correct and just need to be double checked.
Add Email Variables to Email Templates
Now that the Email Variables are appropriately updated, they can be used in Email Templates.
Step 1: Hover over Configuration Icon and click Email Templates.
Step 2: Click the edit icon of the template you want to update.
Step 3: Add Email Variables from the edit screen of an Email Template. They can either be typed in manually by putting a ## on either side of the word/phrase or by clicking and dragging the word/phrase from the Email Variables column.
Any place that you see a ## around a word/phrase, will be updated automatically once that Email Notification goes out.
In the example above, BuyersName and BuyersPhoneNumber will be ones updated from the Email Variables menu. Many Email Variables don’t require any update on the user’s part and will update automatically, such as Todays Date, Supplier Name, Company Logo and other Attributes in the site.
If the Email Template requires an Attribute value, such as Supplier Name, just make sure the text between the number signs is the Attribute ID you see from Configuration > Attributes (the ID can differ from the Name, so pay close attention).
If an Attribute ID has special characters in it, it may not work as an Email Variable.
Witness Email Variables in action!
You’ll see the Email Variables put to work the next time that Email Notification goes out using the Email Template you updated with Email Variables.
You can see these on your end by checking the Email Logs in the Configuration menu. How an Email Variable was displayed in the outbound email will be displayed here.
When using eBlast, send just one email first and double check the Email Logs that the Email Variable was used accurately. If you see the ## around a word/phrase, it needs to be fixed. Once it’s fixed, you can send it to the rest of the recipients. You can also send the email to yourself to test it by updating the Email Group and removing everyone but your email address – but don’t forget to switch it back!