Substituting Field Values Into A Message

Many bill messages contain static text (i.e., the message is the same on every bill). However, the system supports messages whose contents are dynamic. For example, consider the bill message Thank you for your charitable contributions in 2000 for $123.12, please keep this bill for tax purposes. This message contains two substitution values (the year and the amount) as is therefore considered dynamic.

Dynamic messages can be implemented as follows:

• Create a bill message code whose Message on Bill contains substitution values. For example, the bill message code to produce the message illustrated above would contain the following Message on Bill - Thank you for your charitable contributions in %1 for %2, please keep this bill for tax purposes.
• Use either of the following methods to link the message code and its substitution parameters to the bill:
  • Create a background process or algorithm to insert a permanent or temporary bill message on the appropriate accounts. Then, when an account's bill is next completed, the system will sweep the message (and its substitution parameters onto the bill).

    In addition to inserting the appropriate bill message code, your background process / algorithm must also insert the appropriate substitution values. The name of the table in which account messages are inserted is CI_​ACCT_​MSG. The name of the table in which a message's substitution values are inserted is CI_​ACCT_​MSG_​PRM (you will insert one row for each substitution field).

    Please see the background process (REACH) for an example of a background process that performs this type of function. Please see the algorithm identified by DEP PIF MSG for an example of an algorithm that performs this type of function.

  • Rather than adding the dynamic message to account (and then letting the bill completion logic transfer the account message to the bill), you could construct a bill completion algorithm that adds the message code and substitution values on the bill (during bill completion). The name of the table in which bill messages are inserted is CI_​BILL_​MSGS. The name of the table in which a message's substitution values are substituted is CI_​BILL_​MSG_​PRM (you will insert one row for each substitution field).