EmailPlusTemplate record type

The EmailPlusTemplate record type defines the templates for the content and layout of an email message. A template can be used by multiple rules for the same record type.

EmailPlus Template Definition tab

The EmailPlus Template Definition tab specifies basic information about the template such as its name, kind, and a description.
  • Record Type list

    The record type for which the template is to be defined. If a record type is not selected, it is not possible to specify some information in the template record.

  • TemplateName field

    A name for the template that identifies its purpose. It must be unique in the population of templates for a given record type.

  • Template Kind area
    Defines the type of template to create. There are three types of templates:
    • Special Interest
      This type of template is used to notify users of when a change is made to the records that they subscribe to. There can be only one special interest template for each record type. A special interest template is never explicitly associated with an EmailPlusRule. The rule is implicit in the EmailPlus package.
      Note: Users can also subscribe to an EmailPlus Rule, in which case they are notified whenever the rule is triggered. For more information about subscribing, see the Adding subscribers to an EmailPlus rule.
    • Ownership

      This type of template is used to send notification of a change of ownership. Both the old and new owner will receive email notification when the ownership is changed. There can be only one Ownership template for each record type. An Ownership template is never explicitly associated with an EmailPlusRule. The rule is implicit in the package. To prevent users from subscribing to notifications associated with an individual record, see Customizing an enabled record type.

    • Rule

      Templates of this type must be associated with one or more rules. When a rule is triggered, an email is generated using the template associated with it.

  • Description area

    Contains a description of the template.

Templates tab

The Templates tab contains the definitions for the mail subject header and the body of the email message.

The Email Template Subject field contains the text that the email header displays. The Email Template Body field contains the content of the email. These two field can contain plain text and special substitution tags to expand the values that they represent when the template is applied. If you select Template Body is HTML, then the body can contain all valid HTML tags that can be placed between the <BODY> and </BODY> tags. For template bodies that are specified as HTML, when you need to force a new line, add a <BR> tag into the HTML source. You can use HTML tags with the SMTP Direct, SMTP Relay, and PostOffice Relay transport types, or with the Custom transport type, if the custom transport supports HTML tags. See Template meta tags for a list of template tags that you can use.

Using Rules tab

The Using Rules tab lists all the rules that are currently associated with a template. In the Using Rules table, you can see which rules are affected by changes to the template. Seeing the rules helps you decide whether to create a new template or to modify the existing one.

Attachments tab

On the Attachments tab, you can attach graphics or files to an email, and to specify an email header. EmailPlus does not use the attachments package. It does not use changes in the storage model that newer versions of the attachments package might provide. Template attachments are always stored in the HCL Compass database. On the Attachments tab, you can do these actions:
  • Attach graphics or files to email messages that are created using the template. The attachments are used to embed graphics in the template. The files are referred to in the HTML message body. For example, to include a picture of a bug in a defect email message, add the graphic to the Attachments field, and then refer to it in an HTML tag.
  • Specify additional email header instructions. Header fields are lines composed of a field name followed by a colon, followed by a field body. For example, suppose you want to add a priority to an email header in which x-Priority is the field name and 1-High is the field body. You would enter x-Priority::1-High in the Mail Headers field. The separator :: is used to identify the key::value pair of email header. If it is missing, the entire line is passed as is to the email header. Mail headers are supported only by the SMTP Direct, SMTP Relay, and PostOffice Relay mail transports provided that the HCL Compass mail component is not used. The custom transport can also support headers, but the support is implementation dependent. For more information on email headers, see the Internet Engineering Task Force web site, and search for RFC 2822 Internet Message Format.