Email templates—Platform Services

Use email templates for frequent and consistent email messages to users, other employees, and even contacts outside your company.

About email templates

Use email templates for frequent and consistent email communication with users, employees, and contacts outside your company. You can build email templates as plain text or for HTML email. Like any email, templates can include images and links. Templates often include merge fields from the object in scope and related objects.

For example, in an Employee Profile application, you might set up an email template that informs employees about new hires. You can set up a template on the Employee Profile object. The email includes the employee's name, title, bio, and their picture. You might also create email templates for daily tasks like notifying participants about meetings. Anything communicated regularly that uses merged data from your application is a good candidate for an email template.

Email templates are needed for certain kinds of automation. For example, you can create triggers and workflow actions that automatically send email messages based on an email template. Until you have at least one email template, you cannot create those types of automation. Build your templates before you build your email triggers and workflow actions.

Add an email template

Whenever you need an email type trigger or workflow action, you can build an email template to use in that automation. For example, you might have a Collections application to send an email automatically to a customer when a clerk updates the Collection Activity status. In this case, first create an email template using merge fields for the information specific to that customer. Then call that template as part of your workflow application.

The difference between writing an email template and writing a regular email is the use of merge fields from object records instead of specific information.

1. Go to Platform Services > All > Objects.

2. Find and select the object for which you want to create the email template.

   Use Filter by application at the top of the page to filter by custom applications.

3. On the Object Definition page, select Email templates at the top of the page.
4. Create a new email template record in one of two ways:
   1. Select New template in the Email Templates section.
   2. Select Clone next to an existing template that's similar to what you want to create.
5. In Template name, enter a name that identifies the template in lists on the Object Definition and Trigger Properties pages. Be sure to use a name that clearly defines the use of the email template.
6. Optionally, select Private to prevent other users from using this template.
7. From the Format dropdown list, choose HTML or Plain text.

   If you choose HTML, you can use all formatting options available in the HTML Editor Toolbar. If you select Plain text, the email size is reduced, and you cannot add any HTML tags or images. Merge fields can be used with either format.

8. In Subject, type in a subject for your email for your recipients to see. Intacct displays this value in the email subject line when the email is sent out.
9. Enter the email template in the template text area. Use the formatting toolbar to format and style your template. See More email template options for further details.
10. Use the Available merge fields tool to add merge fields to your email template.
    1. Choose a field type from Select field type. These consist of the current objects, related objects, and special system types, like current user and date.
    2. In Select field, choose a field. The options consist of the available fields for that field type.
    3. Drag and drop or copy the associated merge field from Copy merge field token to the email template text box.
11. Select Save.

More email template options

Use the table below to add links, add images, edit the source code, and format and style your email template.

Default for departments without specific rules field descriptions

Task	Instructions
Add links	Highlight the text that you want to be a link, then select the globe and chain icon. In the Insert Hyperlink window, enter the destination address in URL. Because the link is in an email, other hyperlink properties do not apply. Leave Target, Style, Class, and Name empty. Select Submit.
Add images	Select the picture icon. In the Insert Image page, enter the image address in Image URL. For example: https://www.example.com/images/thisimage.jpg The image must be hosted and available on the internet. In Alternate text, enter text to display in place of the image. This text displays for recipients who have turned off images. Optionally, type pixel values in Width and Height to set the width and height of the image. Setting only width or height keeps the image proportional, while setting individual values for width and height can cause the image to distort. Optionally, enter a pixel value in Border to add a frame around the image. Optionally, set the alignment of the image in Alignment. Enter a pixel value in Horizontal space to create space to the left and right of the image. Enter a pixel value in Vertical space to create space above and below the image. Select Submit.
Change the text color	Highlight the text that you want to change. Depending on what you want, select Foreground color (font) or Background color (highlight). Use the color menu to change the color of your text in one of three ways: Select a standard web color. Enter a hexadecimal RGB value in the text box, such as "10E5F7," then press the Enter/Return key. Enter an X11 color name, such as "Crimson," then press the Enter/Return key. You can look up hexadecimal RGB values and X11 color names online with a search engine.
View and edit the source code	Select Source. Email templates support the HTML tags supported by standard email programs, such as Outlook. With some HTML expertise, you can extend the formatting beyond what's available through the formatting toolbar.

Edit an email template

As your application matures, you might find you need to update email templates. For example, if your company policies change, you might need to update your Collections email templates. You can also find that an escalation through multiple email templates is more effective than a single email template. You can edit an email template at any time.

1. Go to Platform Services > All > Objects.

2. Find and select the object for which you want to edit the email template.

   Use the Filter by application dropdown list at the top of the page to filter by custom applications.

3. On the Object Definition page, select Email templates at the top of the page.
4. Select Edit next to the email template that you want to edit.
5. Make changes as needed.

   See Add an email template and more email template options for more information about your options.

6. Select Save.

View a list of email templates

You can view a list of all existing email templates related to an object from the Object Definition page.

1. Go to Platform Services > All > Objects.

2. Find and select the object for which you want to view the email templates.

   Use the Filter by application dropdown list at the top of the page to filter by custom applications.

3. On the Object Definition page, select Email templates at the top of the page.

Delete an email template

When an email template is no longer useful for your application, you can delete it. Before deleting, make sure that the email template is no longer being used by any triggers or workflow actions. After you delete an email template, it cannot be restored.

1. Go to Platform Services > All > Objects.

2. Find and select the object in which the email template you want to delete resides.

   Use the Filter by application dropdown list at the top of the page to filter by custom applications.

3. On the Object Definition page, select Email templates at the top of the page.
4. Select the Del link beside the email template that you want to delete.
5. On the delete confirmation dialog box, select the Yes checkbox, then select Delete.