Communications Templates - Advanced Features

This article will explain some of the more advanced features of editing templates. These features will help you get the most out of your templates, making them more effective. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Adding Hyperlinks
• Pre-populating templates with Case/Application data
• Pre-populating templates with Household member (Person) data
• Pre-populating templates with Repeatable Task data
• Adding Images
• Adding Tables
• Adding Formulae

Adding Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks can be useful when you're utilising templates to urge your client to action elsewhere. In the example below, we insert a hyperlink into a template to give the client easy access to additional advice resources. Follow the below steps to add hyperlinks to templates:

1. From within a template, click the link button in the toolbar
2. Fill in the details including putting the web address you'd like to link to within the URL field

Did you know: As shown above, if you'd like the link to open in a new tab when clicked, then select New Window under the "Target" dropdown in the Target tab of the Link config window.

Pre-populating templates with Case/Application data

Fields are an exceptionally powerful part of templates, as once you've set them up - they save users needing to manually add information that they've already captured in the system in a template. The reductions in admin burdens for users can be huge so this is a highly recommended feature to utilise in your system configuration. Follow the guide below to learn how to add fields:

1. Click empty space near where you'd like to add your field
2. Click the Insert Field icon within the toolbar
3. Choose from the available fields
4. Repeat for any other fields you'd like this template to pre-populate with

Note: Data on the system is stored in a variety of different ways e.g. Client / Case / Person. If you don't find the field you're searching for within the Client dropdown, check the Case one (and others) too. For guidance on the differences between data types, contact us at adminsupport@locata.org.uk

Pre-populating templates with Household member (Person) data

You can also setup your communication templates to pre-populate with information relating to Household members. We call this "Person" data. To do this, we'll be using the "Insert People" feature accessed via a button within the toolbar of the template editor, displayed below.

To use this feature for Peron fields, follow the below steps:

1. Click the "Insert People" button
2. [Optional] You can choose to filter down which people might appear here by using the dropdowns - in most cases this won't be necessary
3. Click Ok
4. Click your mouse cursor between the [[start person]] and [[end person]] tags
5. Click "Insert Field" and then insert whichever fields you would like to display from the "Person Field" dropdown

Did you know?: This feature works with the Table feature of comms templates, enabling you to display each Household Member in a new row of the table? The below images demonstrate how you can achieve this.

Configuration


Results

This new feature enables you to pre-populate letter and email templates with information relating to household members or other repeatable elements by using placeholders within the template setup. Below is an example of how we could set up a table of Household Member information, followed by the how the system interprets and pre-populates the template.

Pre-populating templates with Repeatable Task data

You can also setup your communication templates to pre-populate with information relating to repeatable tasks.  To do this, we'll be using the "Insert Repeatable Tasks" feature accessed via a button within the toolbar of the template editor, displayed below (middle). For further information on what a repeatable task is, see this article. 

To use this feature for Repeatable Tasks, follow the below steps:

1. Click the "Insert Repeatable Task" button, then choose the repeatable task you'd like to populate the template with from the dropdown displayed.
2. Click Ok
3. Click your mouse cursor between the [[start repeatable task...]] and [[end repeatable task]] tags
4. Click "Insert Field" and then insert whichever fields you would like to display from the relevant dropdown

Note: If you're unsure which fields to insert between the two tags - navigate to the repeatable task within the task settings to see which fields are available within that task.

Adding Images

Images can be added to your templates to enhance them visually. The below steps explain how to add images to a template:

1. From within a template, click the Add Image button on the toolbar
2. Fill in the image URL (where the image you'd like to show is)

Did you know: As shown in the images above, you can also add a URL on the link tab of the image configuration screen. This will mean if the recipient clicks the image it directs them to that URL - such as Rightmove in our example.

Note: You may need to adjust the width and height of your image to make it appear optimally. Trial this by using the Preview button to have a copy of the email sent to you whilst you adjust. 

Adding Tables

Tables are an excellent way to add structure to your templates. They can be used especially effectively in organising multiple Fields (explained earlier in the article) in an organised manner, to make the template easier to read and understand. They can also therefore be used for other purposes such as creating referral form templates. The below steps explain how to add tables, and the images show how to combine Tables with Fields for structure:

1. From within your template, click the Add Table button within the toolbar
2. Give your table the appropriate number of rows and columns. You can adjust these after this step if you need more
3. Adjust any other settings as appropriate - such as the tables alignment (where it appears on the page)
4. Insert Table content

Note: In the example above, we've used a two-column table to show the Field name on the left with the field's data on the right. The right-hand column will pre-populate where the information exists. 

Adding Formulae

Formulae can be used in templates to make certain content appear only if conditions are met. For example, we can include some additional advice text for homeless clients specifically approaching from the private sector. Formulae can work with most fields, so you can customise them to your needs regardless of module. Follow the steps below to use formulae in your templates:

1. From within your template, click the Insert Formula button
2. Choose the field you wish to filter the formula on then enter the value this field must or must not meet in order for the formula to trigger
3. Click OK then enter the information you wish to only display when the formula is met between the formula start and end tags as shown below

Note: The "Enter Value" field must match the answer you wish the formula to trigger against exactly.