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Email Templates 101

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Shelley Labrecque
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Email templates in Vantaca enable automated email communications for both internal and external audiences. You configure email templates on the steps of an action type so each step can send its own branded, personalized message when it runs.

Templates are built in the drag-and-drop Email Designer. This article covers how to get to the right place to edit a template, how merge tags work, and how to host images for use in templates. For the full editor walkthrough (build, style, components, save, assign), see Email Templates.

Important: Email templates are configured at the action type step level. Each step within an action type can have its own template, merge tags, and reply method.

Contents

Open a Step's Email Template

To open the email template configured on an action item step:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps.
  2. Locate the action type, and click the caret to expand it.
  3. Click Rules next to the step, and then open the Email Templates tab.

The Email Templates view opens (your Template Portfolio). The template currently assigned to the step shows at the top of the screen as the Assigned Template.

Note: Steps that show Homeowner in the Send To column are homeowner notification steps. The Reply Method dropdown on the Rules screen controls how recipients can reply, and applies to whichever template is assigned. See What are the different types of Reply methods for Email Templates? for details.

Create or Edit an Email Template

Templates are created and edited in the drag-and-drop Email Designer. From the Email Templates tab on a step:

  • Create from scratch: Click Create Template to open the Email Designer with a blank canvas.
  • Start from a pre-built design: Use the category tabs (General, Alerts, Board, Collections, Invoices, Meetings, Requests, Violations, Welcome) and search to find a design, hover over its card, and click Edit Template.
  • Edit an existing template: Hover over the template card and click Edit Template.

For step-by-step instructions on building the template, adjusting styling, inserting merge tags, adding components (Pay Now, Do Not Reply, Signature, Logo), and saving the template, see Create an Email Template.

Note: The Email Designer also supports an HTML view. Open a template, then click the HTML tab at the top of the canvas to paste or edit raw HTML directly. For AI-assisted HTML workflows, see HTML Email Templates.

Use Merge Tags

Merge tags automatically populate with homeowner, association, or action item data when the email sends.

To insert a merge tag in the Email Designer:

  1. Click in the text of a component and place your cursor where you want the tag.
  2. Click Merge Tag in the pop-up toolbar, and select the merge tag you want to add.

The merge tag appears within the text, identified by a blue container. Common merge tags include:

  • Association Name: The name of the association.
  • Homeowner Name: The name of the homeowner.
  • Action Item Description: The description of the action item.
  • Property Address: The property address.
  • Account Balance: The current account balance.

Note: Merge tags are case-sensitive and must match the exact spelling shown in the Merge Tag picker. For the full list of available tags and what they pull from, see Merge Tags.

Host Images for Email Templates

Most images in the Email Designer (logos, brand assets, marketing visuals) reference external image URLs. Images must be hosted on a publicly accessible web server, and the URL must be absolute (beginning with https://).

You can host images in two common places:

  • Vantaca System Files: Upload images to System > System Files, then right-click an uploaded image and select Copy Link. See Add Association Logos to Email Templates for the per-association logo workflow.
  • Your website: Host images on a page on your company website, and copy the image URLs. For images you do not want visible in your site navigation, create an orphan page (see below).

Create an Orphan Page for Image Hosting

An orphan page is a webpage on your site that exists but has no internal links pointing to it. Use orphan pages to host images for email templates without making the images visible in your site navigation.

To create an orphan page for image hosting:

  1. Access your website administration panel.
  2. Create a new page (for example, name it Images or Email Assets).
  3. Do not add the page to any navigation menus or link to it from other pages.
  4. Upload your images to this page.
  5. Publish the page.
  6. View the published page, right-click an image, and select Copy image address.
  7. Use the copied image URL in your email template (paste it into the Image component's source field in the Email Designer).

FAQ

Q: How do I test my email template?

A: To test an email template:

  1. Add your email address to a test homeowner record in a test association.
  2. Trigger the action item that uses the email template.
  3. Review the email you receive and verify all merge tags populated correctly and formatting displays properly.
  4. Refine the template as needed and repeat the test until you achieve the desired result.

Q: Why is an email going out blank on an action item?

A: This occurs when no email template has been assigned to the action item step. To check, navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps, locate the action type, click Rules on the step, and open the Email Templates tab. If no template is shown as the Assigned Template, hover over a template card and click Assign Template to attach one to the step.

Q: I need to replace a merge tag across all available email templates in my database. Can Vantaca assist with this?

A: Vantaca Technical Support cannot perform bulk merge tag replacements or insertions across email templates. This task must be completed manually within the system by updating each email template individually.

Q: Why did my Broadcast Email display unexpected line breaks that weren't visible in the Preview?

A: This issue typically occurs when copying text from outside Vantaca and pasting it into the Description field when creating a broadcast email action item.

Solution: When pasting content into the Description field, use the appropriate paste option for your browser:

  • Edge and Chrome: Paste as plain text.
  • Firefox: Paste Without Formatting.

Using these options removes hidden formatting from the original source, ensuring your message displays as intended when sent.

Q: My image URLs aren't loading in the email. What should I check?

A: Verify the following:

  • All image URLs are absolute URLs beginning with https://.
  • Images are hosted on a reliable, publicly accessible web server.
  • Image file sizes are optimized (very large files may fail to load in some email clients).
  • The image URLs are correct: pasting the URL directly into a browser should display the image.

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