Overview

Notification Templates are Microsoft Word-based notifications used to merge data from specific functional areas, such as permits, evaluations, and compliance actions. Notification templates are used to create a variety of notifications for activities such as item status changes, account-related notifications (expiring passwords, account invitations), and deadline reminders. For more information on how to edit and format notifications using Microsoft Word, visit the Microsoft Word Help Center.

In order to use the Notification Template editor, the AceOffix browser plugin must be installed on the client desktop browser. In addition, Microsoft Office must also be installed on the desktop. While notifications are composed in Microsoft Word, the templates are converted to HTML before sending as email. 

To edit notification templates, navigate to Admin > Notification Templates. This page displays a list of existing notification templates; to edit a template, click the corresponding Open button. Or, to create a new template, click the Add New Notification Template button. In either case, a page will display to configure the notification template. To review an existing notification template, click Preview or, to start editing the notification template, click Edit. If Preview or Edit is clicked, an AceOffix window opens (as the New Notification Template or Edit Notification Template page).

Editing a Notification Template Using AceOffix

The AceOffix window contains the Editor section, which displays the notification itself as an editable Word document, along with, in the left-hand pane, a list of merge fields available for insertion into the notification. 

Open

Creating a notification is the same as creating a document in Microsoft Word; the only difference is that the notification template also includes words or values that would change dynamically based on the permit information, inspection, or any other data that would be different from one notification to another. These dynamic values are added via the insertable merge fields.

Insertable Fields Type

There are two types of fields: single insertable fields (non-bold) and looping insertable fields (bold). These fields can be filtered at the top of the fields list by adding text in the fillable field, resulting in predictive results:

Open

Single insertable fields are listed in a regular (non-bold) typeface. To insert a field in the notification, double-click on any non-bold insertable fields from the list, and text will be inserted in the notification (at the location of the cursor) in the following form:

Fields inserted in this way will be changed to their corresponding values when previewing or generating the notification. 

Looping insertable fields are listed in bold in the insertable fields list. The names listed in bold groups together multiple fields that represent a table of values. For example, a site usually has multiple contacts associated with it. To insert into a notification all contacts related to that site, double-click the contacts field. This will insert fields into the notification template using the following syntax:  

 This code will loop through all contacts available for that notification. For more details on loops, visit Using Loops in Document Templates.

To display the items available within a bold insertable field, single-click on any bold insertable fields; this will display the available single fields within that grouped field:

Notification Template Possibilities

The Notification Template Editor is a powerful tool that can generate complex notifications using conditional logic and a variety of data sources. It can also perform data manipulation and calculations. Some of the syntax that can be used in a notification template can be found on the Document Template Syntax Guide page.

Standard Notification Template Fields

See the Standard Document/Notification Template Merge Field List for a list of standard merge fields.

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Related Content

• Document Template Syntax Guide

• Inserting Images into Notification Templates

• Using Loops in Document Templates

• Troubleshooting Notification Problems