Siebel Communications Server Administration Guide > Configuring Communications Templates >

Creating Advanced Templates

This section describes how to create an advanced template. Advanced templates are specified for outbound communication requests. Differences from simple templates include the following:

• Delivery profile can be associated for an advanced template.
• A recipient group is specified for an advanced template (a business object is specified for a simple template).
• You can specify to create activities for requests that use the template.
• You can specify to include a bookmark URL for the recipient source record.
• You can create template items for advanced template. For more information, see Specifying Template Items for an Advanced Template.

For information about the fields for the Templates list and the Advanced tab, see Fields for Templates. For information about the fields for template items, see Fields for Template Items.

For information about creating a simple template, see Creating Simple Templates.

NOTE:  For an advanced template, a communications profile you will specify as the delivery profile must already exist before you can specify it for the template. For more information about creating profiles, see Configuring Communications Drivers and Profiles.

To create an advanced template

1. Navigate to Communications > My Templates.
2. In the Templates list:
   1. Add a new record. (Alternatively, you can add the record in the Advanced form below.)
   2. Specify the name of the template for which you added a new record.
   3. Specify the channel type, such as Email, Fax, Pager.
   4. Specify the language and locale that is applicable to this template.
   5. Optionally, provide a short description for the template.
3. Click the Advanced view tab.
4. In the Advanced form:
   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 delivery profile for the template.
   4. Specify the language and locale for this template, if you did not already do so in the Templates list.
   5. For an email or fax template, specify whether this is an HTML template or a plain-text template.

      NOTE:  The HTML Template setting affects the text you enter in the Text field. It does not affect template items.

   6. For a template that is intended for public use, check the Public box when the template is ready to be publicly available.
   7. For an email template, specify whether to include a Siebel bookmark with the message.
   8. Check the Create Activity box, if you want to set activity logging for any outbound communication request for which this template is specified.
   9. Optionally, specify the recipient group, which determines what kind of recipients the template will be sent to.

      The recipient group you specify here only determines which substitution fields are available for the template text. The actual recipients are determined in the context in which the template is used (for a communication request).

   10. Specify a subject line for the template, as applicable for the channel type.
   11. Optionally, enter the template text. As appropriate, copy and paste fields from the list of available substitution fields. Include the brackets around the field names.

       The Text field allows you to use editing and formatting controls, as described in Editing and Formatting Controls for Template Text. For an HTML email or fax template, formatting you apply is preserved. For a plain-text template, formatting is stripped when the template is saved.

       The Available Fields list is populated with field names as described in Fields for Templates (for the Advanced tab).

       A template that includes template items does not require that you also include template text.

5. Optionally, add template items to the template, as described in Specifying Template Items for an Advanced Template.

   A template that does not include template text should generally include one or more template items in order to provide content. You can combine template text and template items in the same template. The template text appears in the message body, before the content specified with the template items.

6. Test the template to verify that it functions as required and that field substitution behavior works correctly. Do this before you make a template publicly available.

   To test a template, send it in the intended context: that is, by creating and submitting an outbound communication request.