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The Knowledgebase

Engage: Message Builder

For an index of Engage articles, return to the Engage Table of Contents. This article discusses the following topics related to the Message Builder:

 

Message Builder

Craft templates to use in future campaigns using the Message Builder! Create message formats that meet your institution's design standards, and streamline the process of creating future campaigns. 

 

Menu

When opening the Message Builder, a modal opens offering three options:

  • Create New - Create a new template
  • Duplicate - Duplicate an existing template
  • Edit - Edit a saved template

Screen_Shot_2022-05-09_at_10.24.08_PM.png

Clicking on "Create New" opens a modal with the required "Template Name" field and optional "Template Description" field. Clicking "Create" complete creating the template and opens the builder.

Screen_Shot_2022-05-09_at_10.30.27_PM.png

Clicking on either "Duplicate" or "Edit" opens an interface to find and either duplicate or edit an existing template.

Screen_Shot_2022-05-09_at_10.29.06_PM.png

 

Builder Interface

The Message Builder shows a preview of the current email in the central panel, together with editing options above and to the right.

builder3.png

Top Toolbar

Location Icon Button Function
Left

builder_left.png

devices

 Screen Size - Switch between previews of the message sized for a desktop browser, tablet, and phone
Center

builder_middle.png

forward/back arrows and magnifying glasses

 Manage View - Undo/Redo and to adjust the zoom
Center Right

builder_rightcenter_borders.png

square

 View Borders - Toggle invisible layout elements on and off
 

builder_rightcenter_fullsccreen.png

arrows point out

 Fullscreen - Toggle a fullscreen view on and off
 

builder_rightcenter_viewcode.png

HTML brackets

 Export Code - See the HTML code for the current message, which can be copied to be used again
 

builder_rightcenter_importcode.png

arrow points to drive

 Import Code - A window shows to paste HTML code to be used in this message
 

builder_rightcenter_toggleimages.png

yellow caution sign

 Toggle Images - Toggle images on and off to see what the email would look like if images are not downloaded by an email client
 

builder_rightcenter_messagesettings.png

pencil to paper

 Message Settings - Edit the name, description, and preview icon for this message.
 

builder_rightcenter_savemessages.png

disc

 Save - Available when editing from Engage > Campaign Management. Manually save the message.
 

builder_rightcenter_open.png

folder

 Open Templates - Available from Engage > Message Builder. Open the menu interface to manage messages and templates
Right

builder_right_stylemanager.png

brush

 Style Manager - Dimensions (such as padding and margin), typography, and decorations
 

builder_right_center.png

gear

 Trait Manager - Id and Title for the selected element
 

builder_right_layermanager.png

three lines

 Layer Manager - A list of all elements on the page
 

builder_right_blocks.png

4 panels

Blocks - Elements that can be dragged to the message to create the layout

  • Sections - Column layouts
  • Content - Text, buttons, and other interface elements
  • Media - Elements such as images

 

Mail Merge

When creating a message, customize your messages using mail merge fields! These fields make it possible to send personalized emails referencing information about your contacts and simplifying the process of sending to a wide variety of contacts with a single message campaign.

  • Contact Fields -
    • First Name, Last Name, and Email Address are required profile fields when creating a contact, whether by file upload, through an analytics report, or by signing up for an event or registering for a contact list.
    • Middle Name and Preferred Name are optional fields. If no information is entered in the middle name field for a contact, then no information will be included in the resulting email. If no preferred name is available, then the merge field will use the contents of the "First Name" field instead when sending.
  • Settings - For contacts created from an analytics report that includes users with profiles in the system, additional merge fields are possible. Which applicant parameters are used for each merge field is set in Engage > Settings > General. For each field, a generic term can be set to use if this parameter is blank for a particular contact. (See Engage: Settings for more information.)
  • SEVIS - In ISSS sites, additional fields are available that draw on SEVIS fields for existing users.

This chart outlines the merge fields available in the Engage Message Builder, including fields that are available only for ISSS sites.

  Study Abroad ISSS
First Name Contact Field (required) Contact Field (required)
Middle Name Contact Field Contact Field
Last Name Contact Field (required) Contact Field (required)
Email Address Contact Field (required) Contact Field (required)
Preferred Name Contact Field, also
Mapped in Settings > General		 Contact Field, also
Mapped in Settings > General
Class Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
College Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
Department Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
Financial Aid Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
Major Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
Minor Mapped in Settings > General Mapped in Settings > General
SEVIS Campus Site N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Country of Citizenship N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Country of Permanent Residence N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Education Level N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Id N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Program Start N/A Automatic for existing users
SSEVIS Program End N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Status N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Stage Status N/A Automatic for existing users
SEVIS Visa Type N/A Automatic for existing users