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Help - Messages

The Messages menu allows you to create and manage messages that will be sent to your lists, as well as manage the messages that have been created by your users. There are three options within the Messages menu: Messages (displayed by default when the menu is opened), Create Message, and Find Message. Additionally, the Folders menu is displayed at the left at all times while the Messages menu is being navigated.

Messages
The Messages menu allows you to manage messages that you have created. A list of all messages is displayed, indicating the message's subject heading, the date the message was created and whether or not the message has any attachments (indicated by the paperclip column to the left of the Subject heading). This list can be sorted by subject or by creation date in ascending or descending order by clicking on the desired heading.
- Messages can be deleted by clicking the checkboxes beside the desired messages (click the checkbox at the top of the menu to select all messages) and clicking the "Delete Messages" button.

- Messages can also be organized into different folders; see the "Folders" section below for details.

- Clicking on a message's subject allows you to modify it (see "Modifying Messages" below).

Create Message
Clicking the Create Message link displays a form allowing you to define all aspects of a new message.
- Note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be filled in to create the message.

- Give the message a subject and the name it will appear as being from when it is delivered.

- By default, the email address you entered while logging in will be displayed in the three email address fields.

- The "From Email" field should contain the email address you want the message to be sent from.

- The "Reply to Email" field should contain the address you want replies to the message to be sent to.

- The "Bounce Email" field should contain the address you want messages that have been bounced to be sent to.

- Attachments can be added by clicking the "Browse" button, selecting a file, then clicking the "Upload" button.

- You have the option of composing the body of the message in text or HTML. If you select HTML, a plain text version of the message will be autogenerated for email clients that do not support HTML. If desired, you can enter the text portion of the email manually.

- If you compose an HTML message, you can choose to check two options appearing beneath the message body. You can track the number of list subscribers who open the message. Additionally, if you include a link in the message, you can track the total number of clicks that link receives from all recipients of the message.

- You can use any of the following tags to automatically insert information specific to individual subscribers or your administrative account:

> <%pro_first_name%> will automatically insert the value entered in the "First Name" field in the Account menu.
> <%pro_last_name%> will automatically insert the value entered in the "Last Name" field in the Account menu.
> <%pro_company%> will automatically insert the value entered in the "Company Name" field in the Account menu.
> <%pro_url%> will automatically insert the value entered in the "URL" field in the Account menu.
> <%sub_email%> will automatically insert the subscriber's email address.
> <%sub_name%> will automatically insert the subscriber's name.
> <%unsubscribe_url%> will automatically insert the URL that the subscriber can click on to be removed from the list If you are creating an HTML message, you could create an unsubscribe link: <a href="<%unsubscribe_url%>">Click here to unsubscribe <%sub_email%></a>.

- Click the "Create Message" button when you are done or click "Reset" to reset the form to its default values.

Modifying Messages
Click the desired messages subject, then click the "Edit" link to open the modify message form.

- Note that all fields marked by an asterisk must be filled in while modifying messages.

- New attachments can be added by clicking the "Browse" button, selecting a file, then clicking the "Upload" button.

- Existing attachments can be deleted by checking the boxes beside the desired attachments and clicking the Delete Attachments button.

- Clicking the "Preview" link will display a print preview of the message. From the preview menu you also have the option of sending a copy of the message to an email address (such as one of your own) so you can see how the message will appear when your subscribers receive it. Enter the name and email address of the account you wish to send the message to and click "Send".

- Clicking the "Select Lists" link will display a form allowing you to send the message to one of your lists (see below for details).

Assigning Messages To Lists
After checking the desired message(s), clicking the "Select Lists" link will display a menu allowing you to assign the selected message(s) to one or more lists.

- Choose the lists you want the selected message(s) to be sent to by checking the box beside the desired lists, or check the box at the top of the form to select all lists.

- You can view a list of all of the addresses in a list by clicking on the desired list's number of subscribers.

- Once you've selected the desired lists, click the Queue Mailing button. Note that this will not actually send the mailing, but only add it to the "Queued Mailings" folder in the Mailings menu (which you will automatically be forwarded to), from which it can be sent.

Find Message
Clicking the Find Message link displays a form allowing you to search for messages using any search criteria.

- Enter values for the messages you are searching for (Message ID, Subject, etc.), and define your search parameters in the bottom section of the form.

- You can define the maximum number of messages you want the search to display in the "Maximum Hits" field.

- If the "Match Any" box is checked the search will return all messages containing any of the search criteria entered in the search form. For example, a "Match Any" search for messages with "update" in the Subject field and "admin" in the From Name field would return all messages which contain "update" in the Subject field, even if they did not contain "admin" in the From Name field.

- Enter words that will be searched for in all fields in the "Keyword Search" field. The "Sort By" drop-down menus allow you to select whether to sort the search results by message subject or creation date, and whether to sort the results in ascending or descending order.

Folders
The Folders menu allows you to create folders to organize your messages in, as well as select which messages you want to view in the main Messages menu. By default, there is only one root folder in the Folders menu called "Messages".

- New folders can be added by entering a name in the field provided and clicking "Add". All new folders will appear as submenus beneath the root "Messages" folder. New folders cannot appear as submenus of other folders you've created.

- Clicking on a folder's name will display all messages contained within that folder in the main Messages menu. If you have clicked on a folder you've created, you also have the option of renaming the folder by changing it's name in the field provided and clicking "Update", or deleting the folder by clicking the "Delete" button. Note: Deleting a folder will also delete all of the messages contained within it.

- To move one or more messages to another folder, check the boxes beside the desired messages, or check the box at the top of the form to select all messages. Choose a destination folder from the "Move to" drop-down menu, and click the "Move" button.