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.
If your action item steps have existing email templates, your first step is to review and approve the updated versions Vantaca has already prepared. Your current templates continue sending unchanged until you approve the new version.
You can also browse the Template Portfolio to start from a pre-built design, or build a new template from scratch using drag-and-drop components.
Important: If you have existing email templates configured in your action item rules, Vantaca has already prepared an updated version of each one. Approving an updated template activates the new version and retires the old one.
Contents
- Set Up Your Email Brand Colors
- Set Permissions for Email Branding
- Navigate to the Email Templates Screen
- Review the Updated Email Templates
- Browse the Template Portfolio
- Create an Email Template
- Build Your Template
- Adjust Styling
- Insert Merge Tags
- Insert a Pay Now Button (coming soon)
- Add a Do Not Reply Panel
- Send a Test Email
- Save Your Template
- About the Previous Email Editor
- FAQ
Set Up Your Email Brand Colors
Before you review your updated templates 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:
- Navigate to Settings > Roles, and select the role you want to update.
- Locate Settings > Logo Management in the role's permissions list, and click Edit to open the Edit Role Security screen.
- 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:
- Navigate to Settings > Logo Management, and then click Email Branding.
- (Optional) Add a description.
- 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. - Review the suggested colors. To adjust, click any color swatch and pick a new value. Click the × next to a color to clear it.
- Click Save to apply the color scheme.
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. 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.
Navigate to the Email Templates Screen
- Navigate to Settings > Action Types/Steps.
- Locate the action type and click the caret to expand it.
- Click Rules next to the step, and then Email Template in the Rules screen.
The Email Templates view opens, showing your available templates as cards you can browse, search, and assign.
Review the Updated Email Templates
If your action item steps have existing email templates, Vantaca has already prepared an updated version of each one.
Vantaca has taken the email content you already had configured, your subject line, body text, and formatting, and placed it into the new Email Designer format. You do not need to copy, paste, or recreate anything.
The updated version will include your brand colors if you set them up. Your current templates continue sending until you approve the new version.
To review the updated version, open the Email Templates view for the step. The template you previously had configured will appear as the Assigned Template at the top of the screen, marked with a Pending Approval chip on its card. Click Edit Template to open it in the Email Designer, then:
- Click New to review the updated version in the design canvas.
- (Optional) You can click back and forth between Current (Old) and New to compare.
- Make any edits using the drag-and-drop components, click into the template content to make changes, or click the Preview icon (
) to view the email. You can toggle between desktop and mobile views to confirm the layout works on both.
Note: You can link websites, phone numbers, and email addresses to buttons in the email. - (Optional) Click the Audit button on the right to scan the template before sending. 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 or template name
- When ready, click Approve New Template.
The updated template is activated, and the old template is no longer available for use.
Note: Bulk approval is not currently available. Templates must be approved individually. Bulk approval will be added in a future update.
Note: Make sure each migrated template has a Template Name before approving. See Build Your Template for details.
Browse the Template Portfolio
The Email Templates view is your Template Portfolio. It shows every email template available to your organization as preview cards. From here you can browse pre-built designs, search and filter by category, assign a template to the current action item step, or create a new one from scratch.
What the Portfolio is for:
- Save designs and reuse them: Build a template once, save it to the Portfolio, and assign it to as many action item steps as you want.
- Create seasonal or campaign variations: Keep multiple versions of a template (for example, a standard dues reminder and a holiday-themed version) and swap which one is assigned to a step.
- Move content between action items: Assign a polished template to a different step without rebuilding it.
Browse, search, and filter:
- Category tabs: Switch between General, Alerts, Board, Collections, Invoices, Meetings, Requests, Violations, and Welcome. New templates are categorized automatically based on the action item type.
- Search templates: Filter the current category by template name.
- Create Template: Open the Email Designer with a blank canvas to design a new template from scratch.
Each template card shows a thumbnail preview, the template name, and the date it was last modified. Hover over a card to see the available actions.
Note: A template's thumbnail is generated when the template is saved. Until you open a template and save a version, the card displays without a preview image.
Assign a template to the current step:
- Find the template you want to use. Use the category tabs or search to narrow the list.
- Hover over the template card and click Assign Template.
The template becomes the one that sends when the action item rule triggers. A banner at the top of the view shows Assigned Template: [name] with an Edit Template link, and the assigned template's card is marked with an Assigned Template chip.
Edit, duplicate, or delete a template:
- Edit Template: Hover over a card and click Edit Template to open it in the Email Designer.
- Duplicate: Click the ellipses menu on a card and select Duplicate. The copy is added to the Portfolio with " - Copy" appended to the name. Open it in the Email Designer to rename and edit it.
- Delete: Click the ellipses menu and select Delete. This option is not available for Vantaca-provided templates or for the template currently assigned to this step.
Note: Vantaca-provided templates cannot be deleted, but you can duplicate one to make a customized copy. Editing a Vantaca-provided template creates an editable copy in your Portfolio automatically; the original remains available.
Create an Email Template
To create a new template, click Create Template at the top right of the Email Templates view. The Email Designer opens with a blank canvas. Build your template using the drag-and-drop components, then save it to your Portfolio so you can assign it to this step (or to other action item steps later).
Build Your Template
Important: A Template Name is required on every template, including Vantaca-provided defaults and migrated templates. If a template does not have a name, the action item step displays a warning that reads, "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." Adding a Template Name and saving the template clears the warning.
The builder displays a design canvas, an editor toolbar, and a Content panel on the right.
- Enter a Template Name and Subject Line for the email.
- 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 a Pay Now button that takes homeowners to their payment page (coming soon).
- 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.
- Click any component within the design canvas to select it and edit its content.
- When complete, click Audit on the right to scan the template before sending. 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 or template name
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.
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:
- In the right-hand panel under Blocks, click Body.
- Under General, locate Content Width.
- Set the value to 900 (the maximum width in pixels).
The template now displays at full width without the default side padding.
Insert Merge Tags
Merge tags automatically populate with homeowner, association, or action item data when the email sends.
To add a merge tag:
- Click in the text of a component and place your cursor where you want the tag.
- 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.
Insert a Pay Now Button (coming soon)
Important: The Pay Now button is coming soon and is not yet available in the email editor. This section describes how it will work once released.
The Pay Now button is a clickable component that takes homeowners directly to their payment page in the Vantaca Home Portal. Use it on dues reminders, late notices, and any email where you want the homeowner to take immediate payment action.
To insert a Pay Now button:
- Drag the Pay Now component from the Content panel into the design canvas.
- Click the button to edit its label, color, and alignment in the editor toolbar.
The button automatically generates a personalized payment link for each homeowner when the email sends. You do not need to add a merge tag or configure the URL.
Add a Do Not Reply Panel
Vantaca has always had two separate "do not reply" settings, and they continue to work independently:
- Visual reminder in the email body: Previously, a template-level setting automatically added "do not reply" verbiage to the email. That setting has been replaced by a Do Not Reply component you can drag into the template in the Email Designer. The result is the same, a visible reminder in the email, but you now control where it appears and what it says.
- Functional ignoring of replies at the email account level: To make the sending email account actually ignore any replies it receives, configure this on the email account itself. This setting is unchanged. See the "No Reply Email" article for setup instructions.
The two settings are independent. Adding the Do Not Reply panel to a template does not block replies, and configuring the email account to ignore replies 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:
- Drag the Do Not Reply component from the Content panel into the design canvas.
- The panel is added to the end of your email with the default text, "Please do not reply to this message."
- 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 save a template 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.
- 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 Your Template
Click Save to save your template to the Portfolio. From there, you can assign it to the current action item step or reuse it on any other step.
To save and assign in a single action, click Assign & Close instead. The template is saved to the Portfolio and assigned to the current step.
Duplicate and rename a template:
To make a copy of any template in the Portfolio, hover over the template card, click the ellipses menu, and select Duplicate. The copy is added to the Portfolio with " - Copy" appended to the name. To rename it, open the duplicated template in the Email Designer, edit the Template Name field at the top, and click Save.
Note: Duplicating a Vantaca-provided template creates an editable copy in your Portfolio. The original remains untouched and continues to be available to everyone in your organization.
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. Existing templates remain active and continue sending until you approve the updated version for each action item step. After you approve, the old version is no longer available.
Vantaca will communicate a deadline for completing the updates before the previous editor is retired. Until then, any templates you have not yet updated continue to send as currently configured.
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 and paste it into the HTML tab of the Email Designer.
Q: Do I need to recreate my email templates from scratch?
A: No. Vantaca has already updated your existing templates into the new format. Open the Email Template tab for any action item step to review the updated (New) version and approve it when you are ready.
Q: What colors will my templates use?
A: Vantaca applies your brand's primary, secondary, and accent colors to your templates based on the logo you upload via Logo Management > Email Branding. Set up your color scheme before opening your templates. See Set Up Your Email Brand Colors for instructions.
Q: Will setting my brand colors affect templates I have already edited or created?
A: No. Brand colors apply to Vantaca-provided templates only. If you have manually created or customized a template before setting up your brand colors, that template is not affected.
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 template on more than one action item step?
A: Yes. After a template is in your Portfolio, you can assign it to any action item step. Open the Email Templates view for the step where you want to use it, find the template (you can search or filter by category), hover over the card, and click Assign Template.
Q: What does "Assigned Template" mean?
A: The Assigned Template is the template that will be sent when the action item rule triggers for the current step. Only one template can be assigned to a step at a time. You can change the assignment any time by hovering over a different card and clicking Assign Template.
Q: Can I edit a Vantaca-provided template?
A: Yes. When you edit a Vantaca-provided template, Vantaca automatically creates an editable copy in your Portfolio so the original is preserved and remains available to everyone. You can also click Duplicate in the ellipses menu to make a copy without opening the editor.
Q: Why can't I delete some templates?
A: Vantaca-provided templates cannot be deleted. They remain in your Portfolio for anyone in your organization to use. If you don't want to use a Vantaca-provided template, you can simply leave it unassigned. The template currently assigned to a step also can't be deleted; assign a different template first, then delete the one you no longer need.
Q: What happens to my current templates while I review the new versions?
A: Your current templates continue sending unchanged until you approve the updated version for each step. Approving a new version means the old template is no longer available.
Q: Can I edit the updated version before approving it?
A: Yes. Make any changes, and click Approve New Template when you are satisfied.
Q: What if I am not ready to approve yet?
A: Your current templates continue sending. Vantaca will communicate an update deadline before the previous editor is retired. We recommend reviewing and approving your templates before that date.
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.
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