Better, clearer organization of email templates
We'd like to improve the current workflow of creating and using email templates. In this thread we've collected all the comments we've found about email templates and merged related threads. Feel free to add more ideas.
Here are the most common wishes:
1. Sort templates into folders,
2. Full display of long filenames,
3. Sorting and search
4. Save without quiting
AdminTeam Husky
(Email features, Wild Apricot by Personify)
shared this idea
63 comments
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Anonymous
commented
We would like to be able to sort templates into folders and have a variety of sorting options like: newest to oldest, oldest to newest, alphabetically and reversed alphabetically.
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Nancy Seley
commented
In order to find my templates, as I create (duplicate) a new template each month for that month's newsletter. I name them the same, e.g., 2019 - May Newsletter, etc. but I have soooo many templates from prior years, I have to scroll through to find my current template. I also have various event templates for our practice sections. I would love to see the long file names and in a list and be able to create file folders to store these templates, like EP section, FL section, Newsletter for each year, etc., just to keep it organized. Right now, it is such a mess to find things especially in the format of thumbnails with short file names.
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Krista Underwood
commented
Please make it so that the email templates will appear in alphabetical order...or some kind of order. Right now it seems to be random and it is so hard to go back to a previous email template and find it. Thanks!!
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Robin commented
Agree to some extent with last post, however the default for all these system emails should remain the same as at the moment so as not to push any changes to existing setups.
Also consider that a template beyond the header and footer includes a lot of other stuff that would essentially be different for all the different documents.
What is really required is that we could define headers and footers separately from the actual templates. That we can define multiple headers and footers. Then in any email template we should have the ability to select from any of the defined headers and footers.
With this approach we then just change our 'global or default' footer as and when required and this gets populated across all templates that use that footer.
Of interest, it should also be noted that any images included anywhere in an email are resolved at email read time rather than at email send time. That is when you send an email where you have included an image as your header, what is included in the outbound email is actually the URL of the image rather then the actual image.
Recently, I changed my website banner on my page templates. I use the same banner as a header image in all my email templates. I made this change by dropping in a new image into my system files structure with the same name as the previous.
When composing a new email, the original image still shows (strange), but once email is sent and opened in email client, the new image displays. What is really interesting however is that when reading emails sent long before the header change, these now also the new header
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nalini
commented
We need ONE stanrad template for all emails - not just manual but also the system generated emails - that can be applied to the website website so the look and feel of each email going out is the same. Currently, if I have to change the footer of my mails, i have to go and update all event email templates, member emails, manual email templates, invoice/receipt templates, donation receipt etc etc - the list goes on.
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aramko aramko
commented
Email Templates please add folders. The organization of email templates needs to be upgraded. There is no way to sort these documents. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add folders.
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Ability to send an email from directory search results on a Public page.
This ability would need to be enabled by the web page administrator when setting up the directory search gadget (default would be OFF).
If turned on - it would need to specify the template to be used.
During the processing of the email workflow - user sending the email would only have ability to edit text and then send (no ability to edit the recipient list).
Would also suggest that while the template may include macros and links that ability for user edit/add macros and links not be available.
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As well as Save without quitting - add Quit without saving
Add ability within the email flow to specify additional email field(s) to apply only to the current send of the email
Add ability within the template definition to specify additional email field(s) to be always used for that template. Of course with the ability when actually sending the email to edit that.
We have the ability to send a specific email at a future date and time. How about the ability within the template to on a recurring schedule - say first Sunday of every month, or every Monday and so on - essentially the typical functions that you have in a calendar for scheduling recurring events.
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Nancy Seley
commented
I would like to see a list view where I can stiry by name or date and create file folders to put in older templates or announcements separate from my newsletters
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vmulvey1
commented
Email Templates please add folders. The organization of email templates needs to be upgraded. There is no way to sort these documents. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add folders.
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Dale Jeffries, BOD Governorshill.org
commented
Can the Files function be expanded to support email Templates?
We also need to store and access documents by our members and would love to have a tool like this as a gadget.
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gayle.btler
commented
We send out our 20-page newsletters/activity list as a pdf link, because of the inflexible WA templates and slow, frustrating experience of formatting. The email/newsletter tools aren't up to contemporary standards.
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Susan Peterson
commented
Yes, a way to organize the created templates is sorely needed. Also a better search feature. When will this change be made? Hope it is soon!
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Becky Parsons
commented
Every time I train a new volunteer Newsletter Editor they always describe our software as "clunky", and after a couple months they are ready to quit. In WA, designing a professional looking newsletter is a lot harder than designing a professional looking web page.
1. Please allow us to insert layouts into emails as we go, just as we can do in web page design. Your template layouts are so limiting. Picture layout is difficult at best.
2. Please create a caption space for picture layout in email blasts.
3. And yes, please allow folders for templates to be set up.
4. And yes, please allow paragraph spacing flexibility in emails so we don't have huge spaces between paragraphs.
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Barbara
commented
I agree wholeheartedly with having the ability to sort templates in various ways, automatic thumbnails of templates, and using a list view to conserve scrolling time.
One additional thing that would make templates and emails much easier to work with would be the ability to have template blocks that can be added, deleted, and rearranged. For example, in a newsletter, we have numerous articles that are now created as one long block of text. I would love to be able to make each article a block that can be moved up or down so that it is easy to edit the flow of the newsletter.
Another issue I have noticed with email templates is that (usually when you have more than one person working on them) sometimes the code gets ridiculously long, repeating the style information over and over when it is unnecessary. Then, the email starts acting oddly or changes to the text will not work and I have to go into the HTML editor and clean up vast amounts of code. This is incredibly time-consuming!
I'm not sure if this information is helpful, but Constant Contact has these features. Their templates are light-years ahead of WA in terms of usability.
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Kara Henrys
commented
A folder system to organize our email templates would be great. We have so many that need to be updated and repeated each month/year (newsletters, event confirmations, etc.) that some sort of Word-like filing system would make them so much easier to track down as opposed to trying to remember what you named it.
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DeeDee
commented
Really need the ability to sort email templates into folders.
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Michael
commented
In my emailing so far (fairly new to WA) I've noticed two things:
1) Even the simplest of emails require multiple steps to send (maybe there is a way to send simple emails faster?)
2) I often start an email and realise I need to refer to something elsewhere in WA, and have to go back. I can't do this without the empty 'draft' email being left behind. Perhaps an option to cancel a new email would fix this. Even better would be a way to allow the new email to occur in a second window, so I could refer to other information from WA at the same time! This would be so helpful. -
Simon van Lieshout
commented
Email list forwarding via an alias per group/saved search (see wishlist item with title "email list forwarding"). This would offer a huge usability improvement for less technically able administrators and organisations with administrative functions distributed amongst multiple people. If security is a concern, sending emails from the app using a simplified interface and template would be a great alternative.
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Simon van Lieshout
commented
Email list forwarding from an alias should also be within the scope of this thread as a solution to improved usability. See https://forums.wildapricot.com/forums/308932-wishlist/suggestions/18585130-email-list-forwarding
