Email Templates

By Shelley Labrecque Updated

The Email Designer is a drag-and-drop design tool in CMP for creating and managing professional email templates that send from your action item steps.

When you open the Email Template tab for an action item step, the Email Designer opens the email that is sending now. Click into it and start editing. Your changes save as a draft, and the email that sends does not change until you click Publish. You can also start from a Vantaca template or one of your company's own templates, or build a new email from scratch using drag-and-drop components.

Important: Emails that are already configured and approved in the Email Designer are not changed by the drafts and publishing updates. If a step still uses your original email, it keeps sending until you publish a new version.

Contents

Set Up Your Email Brand Colors

Before you edit your emails or create new ones, Vantaca recommends setting your Email Brand colors first.

Set Permissions for Email Branding

Before a user can set up or update email brand colors, you need to grant them the appropriate Logo Management permissions for their role.

To grant Logo Management permissions:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Roles, and select the role you want to update.
  2. Locate Settings > Logo Management in the role's permissions list, and click Edit to open the Edit Role Security screen.
  3. Select one or more of the following permissions, and click Save changes:
    • View: Allows the user to view company logos and the Email Branding screen.
    • Add: Allows the user to upload a new company logo and set the initial brand color scheme.
    • Update: Allows the user to edit an existing logo or adjust the saved brand color scheme.
    • Delete: Allows the user to remove a company logo.

The Email Branding feature minimizes the editing you need to do on individual templates. Setting your brand colors extracts the primary, secondary, and accent colors from your logo and applies them to all Vantaca-provided email templates. When you review your updated templates, they will already reflect your company branding.

As you adjust your colors, the Template Preview on the right shows how each color will look in a real email, so you can fine-tune the look and feel before saving.

To set your brand color scheme:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Logo Management, and then click Email Branding.
  2. (Optional) Add a description.
  3. Click Choose Logo, and upload your logo.
    Accepted formats: .bmp, .tif, .tiff, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, and .png. Max 5 MB. Max 600 × 150 px.
    The Template Preview shows how each color will be applied.
  4. Review the suggested colors. To adjust, click any color swatch and pick a new value. Click the × next to a color to clear it.
  5. Click Save to apply the color scheme.
LogoManagement.png

Important: Email Branding applies your color scheme to Vantaca-provided email templates only. It does not add your logo image to your email templates, and it does not change templates you have manually created or customized. To add your logo and a brand style to any email, including one you have edited, use Apply Branding in the Email Designer. See the "Email Templates: Drafts, Publishing, Version History, and Association Overrides" article. You can update your colors any time, and Vantaca will ask you to confirm before reapplying them.

Notes:

  • Existing logo entries on this screen are unchanged. The original toolbar button is now labeled New Statement Logo, and statement logos continue to work exactly as before.
  • Bulk color changes across all templates are not currently available.

Open the Email Designer for a 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 Email Template in the Rules screen.
    The Email Designer opens the email that is sending now for that step. If the step does not have an email yet, the Email Templates view opens so you can pick a starting template or create one.

Edit Your Current Email

Vantaca does not require you to rebuild your existing emails. If a step still uses your original email, it opens as editable content in the Email Designer, with your subject line, body text, and formatting in place. Your original email keeps sending until you publish.

To edit your current email:

  1. Click into the email and make your changes using the drag-and-drop components, or click into the content to edit text.
  2. (Optional) Click the Preview icon to see how the email renders. You can toggle between desktop and mobile views to confirm the layout works on both.
  3. (Optional) Click the Audit button on the right to scan the email before you publish. The Audit catches:
    • Missing or empty content blocks
    • Broken merge tags or unresolved variables
    • Orphaned components left over from earlier edits
    • Broken or missing links
    • Missing required fields such as subject line
    Resolve any issues the Audit flags before you publish.
  4. Click Publish, review the message, and then click Publish again.

The status at the top shows Live while you are viewing the email that is sending, and Editing draft after you make a change. Only the published version sends. For drafts, Version History, association overrides, the Template Library, and Apply Branding, see the "Email Templates: Drafts, Publishing, Version History, and Association Overrides" article.

Start from a Template

If a step does not have an email yet, the Email Templates view shows the template library. You can also open the library from inside the Email Designer at any time by clicking Template Library.

What the library is for:

  • Start from a polished design: Pick a Vantaca template and adjust it to fit your step.
  • Reuse your own work: Company Templates are your company's own templates, so you can start from a design you already use.
  • Try a different look: Replace the email you are editing with another template, and discard the change if you don't like it.

To start from a template:

  1. Click the Vantaca Templates or Company Templates tab. The library opens on Company Templates if your company has its own templates, and on Vantaca Templates if not.
  2. (Optional) Search for a template by name.
  3. Hover over the template card and click Use This Template.

Each template card shows a thumbnail preview and the template name. The template opens in the Email Designer as your draft, and the email that sends does not change until you click Publish.

Note: A template's thumbnail is generated when the template is saved. Until a template has a saved version, its card displays without a preview image.

Note: Vantaca templates cannot be changed or deleted. Using one copies it into your draft, so the original stays available to everyone in your organization.

Create an Email Template

To build a new email from scratch, click Create Template at the top right of the Email Templates view. The Email Designer opens with a blank canvas. Build your email using the drag-and-drop components, and then click Publish to send it from the step.

Build Your Template

Important: A step needs a published email to send. If the Rule Configuration tab shows, "This step is missing required templates. Due to the notification setting, templates must be added to the rule or the parties involved will not be notified," the step does not have a published email yet. A draft does not clear the warning. Publish an email for the step to clear it.

The builder displays a design canvas, an editor toolbar, and a Content panel on the right.

  1. Review the Template Name (up to 255 characters) and enter a Subject Line (up to 500 characters) for the email. Vantaca adds the action item's XN number to the subject when the email sends. To change where it appears, see the "Vantaca Emails 101" article.
  2. Drag a component from the Content panel into the canvas. You can:
    • Set up buttons with a clickable call-to-action link (add websites, phone numbers, and email addresses to the button).
    • Add social media icon links.
    • Link a video from an external URL (the video file is not embedded, so your email size is not affected).
    • Include a dynamic countdown timer to a specified date and time.
    • Add your Signature and Logo from the Content panel.
    • Add a Do Not Reply panel to remind recipients not to respond to the email.
  3. Click any component within the design canvas to select it and edit its content.
  4. When complete, click Audit on the right to scan the email before you publish. See Edit Your Current Email for what the Audit catches.

Click the Preview icon at the top of the builder to see how your email will render. You can toggle between desktop and mobile views to confirm the layout works on both.

Work in the Design, HTML, and Plain Text Tabs

The tabs above the canvas show your email in different ways:

  • Design: The drag-and-drop canvas, where you build and edit the email.
  • HTML: The email's HTML. To use your own HTML, paste it into this tab and click Apply HTML to Design. Pasted HTML does not change the email until you apply it, and it is converted into the design canvas so you can keep editing visually.
  • Plain Text: A read-only text version of the email.

Note: Some accounts also see a JSON tab for advanced users. Most users do not need it.

Note: While you are viewing the email that is sending with a draft open, the email is read-only. Click Continue draft to return to your draft and make changes.

Adjust Styling

Click any component to access formatting options in the editor toolbar, including font, font size, text color, and background color. Changes apply to the selected component only. Right-click to access more options.

While editing a text block, you can reposition the formatting toolbar so it does not cover your content. Drag the grip handle on the right edge of the toolbar to move it anywhere on screen. The toolbar returns to its default position the next time you open the designer.

By default, the email content displays centered with padding on each side. To expand the content to span the full width of the email:

  1. In the right-hand panel under Blocks, click Body.
  2. Under General, locate Content Width.
  3. Set the value to 900 (the maximum width in pixels).

The template now displays at full width without the default side padding.

Edit or Remove Components

Every email is fully editable, including Vantaca templates and your original email. You can change any component's content or styling, and you can remove anything you don't want in the version that sends.

To edit a component, click it in the design canvas and use the editor toolbar or the Content panel to make your changes.

To remove a component, hover over it in the design canvas and click the Trashcan icon. The component is deleted from your draft, so it will not appear in the email once you publish.

Note: Changes save automatically as a draft. The email that is sending does not change until you click Publish.

Insert Merge Tags

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

To add a merge tag:

  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.

Note: Merge tags that return more than one line, such as Mailing Address With Name and Property Address Full Formatted, keep their line breaks in the email that sends.

To include a payment link, add the Pay Now Link merge tag the same way you add any other merge tag. The Pay Now Link merge tag generates only the route portion of the link, so place it directly after the Web Portal merge tag with no space in between. For details, see the "Pay Now Link Management" article.

Add a Do Not Reply Panel

Vantaca has two separate "do not reply" settings, and they work independently:

  • Visual reminder in the email body: The Do Not Reply component in the Email Designer's Content panel. Drag it into the template to add a visible reminder, and edit the text to say whatever you want. This is text only, it does not change which address the email sends from or how replies are handled.
  • Sending from a No-Reply address: The Use Do Not Reply toggle on the action item step's Rule Configuration tab. Turn it on to send that step's emails from the No-Reply address configured under Mailroom > Email Accounts, instead of from a monitored mailbox. See the "How does the Use Do Not Reply toggle work on action item steps?" article for setup instructions.

The two settings are independent. Adding the Do Not Reply panel to a template does not change which address the email sends from, and turning on Use Do Not Reply does not add any visible text to the email. Use both together for automated notifications sent from an unmonitored address.

To add a Do Not Reply panel to a template:

  1. Drag the Do Not Reply component from the Content panel into the design canvas.
  2. The panel is added to the end of your email with the default text, "Replies to this email aren't monitored. Please visit Vantaca Home for questions or assistance."
  3. Click the panel to edit the text.

 

Send a Test Email

You can send a real test email directly from the Email Designer. You no longer need to publish an email and trigger an action item to see how it looks.

To send a test email, click Send Test in the editor. A preview email arrives in your inbox within moments. The email renders exactly as it would when sent to a homeowner, so what you see is what they get.

Notes:

  • The test email goes to the email address on your user account. You cannot send it to a different recipient.
  • If the email is larger than 240 KB, Vantaca displays an error that shows the size of your email and the limit, and does not send the test. Reduce the size of images or content and send the test again.
  • Merge tags appear as their raw token text in the test email, not as populated data.
  • The Email Designer must be enabled for your account to use this feature.

Save an Email Template as a Message Template

To reuse an email template when you send messages, click Save as Message Template in the Email Designer. The Save as Message Template window shows a preview of the email and fills in the template name and subject from your email template. Edit either one if you want, and then click Create Message Template. The new message template is added to the New Message Templates page, and you can use it in new messages right away.

Anyone who can edit email templates can save an email as a message template. To open the New Message Templates page (Mailroom > New Message Templates) and manage message templates, a role also needs the Mailroom > New Message Template permission under Settings > Roles.

Note: Save as Message Template copies the email exactly as it appears, including merge tags.

Publish Your Changes

Your changes save automatically as a draft, and the status shows Saving, Saved, or Unsaved. When you are ready to send your changes:

  1. Click Publish.
  2. Review the message, and then click Publish again.

The published version is the email that sends when the action item rule triggers. The version that was sending is archived and stays in Version History, where you can preview it or restore it.

Note: Email scheduling is not available in this release and will be added in a future update.

About the Previous Email Editor

The previous text and HTML email editor is replaced by the Email Designer. Your existing emails keep sending as they are until you publish a new version, and your original email stays in Version History so you can restore it at any time.

Vantaca will communicate a deadline before the previous editor is retired.

FAQ

Q: Can I embed a PDF into an email?

A: No. PDFs cannot be embedded directly, but you can share the content in several other ways:

  • Include the PDF cover or a key page as an image inside the email body.
  • Add a button that links homeowners to the PDF, hosted on your website or a shared portal.
  • Attach the PDF to the email as a file attachment.
  • Convert the PDF content to HTML, paste it into the HTML tab of the Email Designer, and click Apply HTML to Design.

Q: Do I need to recreate my email templates from scratch?

A: No. Open the Email Template tab for any action item step and the Email Designer opens the email that is sending now. Edit it in place, and click Publish when you are ready.

Q: What colors will my templates use?

A: Vantaca applies your brand's primary, secondary, and accent colors to Vantaca-provided templates based on the logo you upload via Logo Management > Email Branding. Set up your color scheme before you start from a template. See Set Up Your Email Brand Colors for instructions. To restyle any other email with your logo and brand colors, use Apply Branding in the Email Designer.

Q: Will setting my brand colors affect templates I have already edited or created?

A: No. Brand colors from the Email Branding screen apply to Vantaca-provided templates only. If you want to restyle an email you have edited, click Apply Branding in the Email Designer. The result is saved to your draft, so you can adjust it or discard it before you publish.

Q: Can I update my brand color palette after I have already applied it?

A: Yes. Return to Settings > Logo Management and click Email Branding to make changes. You will be asked to confirm before the new colors are applied to your Vantaca-provided templates.

Q: Can I change the colors on all my templates at once?

A: Yes, for Vantaca-provided templates. Using Logo Management > Email Branding applies your brand colors to all Vantaca-provided templates at once. Templates you have manually created or customized are not affected.

Q: Can I use the same email on more than one action item step?

A: Yes. Open the Email Designer for the step where you want to use it, click Template Library, open the Company Templates tab, and click Use This Template on the template you want. It becomes your draft for that step, and you can edit it before you publish.

Q: Can I edit a Vantaca template?

A: Yes. Using a Vantaca template copies it into your draft, so you can change anything without affecting the original, which stays available to everyone in your organization.

Q: Can I remove parts of a template I don't want to send?

A: Yes. Every email is fully editable. Hover over any component in the design canvas and click the Trashcan icon to delete it. The component will not appear in the email once you publish.

Q: What happens to my current email while I edit?

A: It keeps sending. Only the published version sends, so your edits stay in a draft until you click Publish. If you want to drop your edits, click Discard Changes.

Q: Can I go back to an earlier version of an email?

A: Yes. Click Version History, preview the version you want, and click Restore. Your original email also appears in Version History. See the "Email Templates: Drafts, Publishing, Version History, and Association Overrides" article.

Q: Can I schedule an email to send at a specific time?

A: Email scheduling is not available in this release and will be added in a future update.

Q: Where is the Preheader Text setting?

A: The Preheader Text field is not available in the Email Designer, so templates don't include preheader text.

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