Siebel Email Administration Guide > Configuring Communications Templates >

Creating Simple Templates

Simple templates apply to replies in Siebel Email Response. You also use simple templates for the Send Email, Send Fax, or Send Page, or Send Wireless Message commands. You access these commands from the File application-level menu, from the communications toolbar, or by using keyboard shortcuts. For information about the fields for the Templates list and the Simple form, see Fields for Templates.

You can complete the procedure this topic to create a simple template. You can also create a simple template by saving a message as a template. For more information, see Saving Messages as Templates.

To create a simple template

1. Navigate to the Communications screen, then the My Templates view.

   Administrators and other advanced users can navigate to the All Templates view of the Communications screen.

2. In the Templates list, complete the following steps:
   1. Add a new record. (Alternatively, you can add the record in the Simple form.)
   2. Specify the name of the template for the new record.
   3. Specify the channel type, such as Email, Fax, Pager, or Wireless Message.
   4. Specify the language and locale that is applicable to the template.
   5. Optionally, provide a short description for the template.
3. In the Simple form, complete the following steps:
   1. Specify the name of the template if you did not already do so in the Templates list.
   2. Specify the channel type for the template if you did not already do so in the Templates list.
   3. Specify the template type, such as Greeting, Body, or Closing:
      • When replying to an inbound email message using Siebel Email Response, users can select templates with each type to insert into the reply.
      • When using the Send Email, Send Fax, or Send Page, or Send Wireless Message command, users can select templates with a Body template type to insert into the message.
   4. Specify the language and locale for the template if you did not already do so in the Templates list.
   5. For an email or fax template, specify whether this template is an HTML template or a plain-text template.

      For a simple template, this setting determines if the template appears in the Body drop-down list. Templates appear in the list only when they correspond to the user preference setting for Default Message Format. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.

   6. For a template that is intended for public use, select the Public check box when the template is ready for publicly availability.
   7. Optionally, specify for Pick Available Substitutions the appropriate business object (Object) for the recipient group of the template:
      • The primary business component of the business object that you specify determines the substitution fields that are available for the template text. The available business components serve as the primary business component for a business object. For more information, see Substitution Fields in Templates.
      • For the Send commands, the recipient group helps determine when users can specify the template. For more information, see Visibility and Access for Templates.

        The actual recipients are determined when the using the template.

   8. Specify a subject line for the template, as applicable for the channel type.

      The subject line is overridden by any subject line the user specifies when using the template, for example, when sending an email message in the Send Email window, or when replying to an email message in Siebel Email Response.

   9. Enter the template text.

      As appropriate, copy and paste fields from the list of available field substitutions. Include the brackets around the field names. The Text field allows you to use editing and formatting controls. For an HTML email or fax template, formatting you apply is preserved. For a plain-text template, formatting is eliminated when you save the template. For more information, see Editing and Formatting Controls for Text in Templates.

      The Available Substitutions list is populated with field names. For more information, see Fields for Templates (for the Simple form).

4. Test the template to verify that it functions as required and that field substitution behavior works correctly.

   To test a template, send it in the intended usage context, for example, by using the applicable Send command, or by specifying a test reply for Siebel Email Response. Perform this test before you make a template publicly available.