The Absorb LMS issues automatic emails and system notifications based on action triggers. These communications are referred to as Messages. For example, enrolling in a Course often triggers an automatic enrollment message to be sent to Learners. Message Templates can be customized; allowing you to configure text, images, and linked assets.
Message Templates Report
Message Templates can be found in the Message Templates Report. In this report, you can select the Message Template that you would like to edit.
Navigate to the Message Templates Report from the Setup tab on the left. From this page Admins can:
- Edit a Message Template
- Reset a Message Template
- Add filters and columns in order to customize the report layout
Message Templates and Languages
Message Templates are all labelled in the Message Templates Report using their English name in the Type column. This is for consistency, so each Message has the same Type value in the report for all of the Languages in which it is available.
The Language a Learner receives a Message in is determined by a number of factors, and is based on a hierarchy. That hierarchy is defined below (1 being the highest priority, with 3 being the lowest):
- If a Template is configured on the item itself (ex. Course -> Send Enrollment email -> Use Custom Template), enabled Messages on the course will be sent in the language that Custom Template is configured with.
- If there is no Template configured on the Course level, the LMS will look for the following, in descending order by priority:
- English (if customized)
- Matches Course Language
- Matches User Profile Language
- Matches Portal Default Language
- If no Custom Message Templates exist matching the above parameters, a Default Message Template provided by Absorb will be sent, in descending order by priority:
- Matches Course Language
- Matches User Profile Language
- Matches Portal Default Language
- English
When a default English Message Template is customized, it will take priority over other languages if those Message Templates are not customized, regardless of Course or Learner language. For this reason, ensure Message Templates are customized for additionally supported languages as needed.
Report Data Fields
You can customize this report to provide information on any of the data points listed below, with default columns marked by an asterisk (*). Be mindful that opening a report may also bring up a favorite Saved Layout, or a shared default organizational report layout.
| Data Column | Description |
| Custom* | This column displays the binary answer of whether the default version of the Message Template has been edited and saved by an Admin. |
| ID |
This column displays the unique identifier automatically generated by the LMS for the Message Template. This value distinguishes Message Templates from one another. |
| Language* | This column displays the Language that the Message Template has been composed in. |
| Send to Administrators |
This column displays the binary answer of whether the Message Template is configured to be sent to portal Administrators (Admins). In this context, Administrators means all Users who have an Admin role, with permissions to view the designated User's Department or Group. If ON = The value will display as Yes. Administrators will receive this Message Template. If OFF = The value will display as No. Administrators will not receive this Message Template. |
| Send to Supervisor |
This column displays the binary answer of whether or not the Message Template has been configured to be sent to a User's Supervisor. A Supervisor is a User who is populated in the designated User's Supervisor field in their User Profile. If ON = The value will display as Yes. Supervisors will receive this Message Template. If OFF = The value will display as No. Supervisors will not receive this Message Template. |
| Type* | This column displays the name of the Message Template. |
When the Send to Administrators toggle is enabled, messaging will not be sent to Administrators with User Management permissions set to All.
Report Actions
When you have selected a single Message Template from the Message Templates Report, you can perform the following actions:
| Action | Description |
| Edit Template | This button will launch a workspace to view and edit the selected Message Template. |
| Reset to Default |
This button will erase any previously saved changes made to the Message Template and restore it back to Absorb's default configuration. Any customization made to the Message Template will be removed. The Admin will be prompted to confirm that they would like to perform this action. This action cannot be reversed. |
| Deselect | This button will clear any Message Template selection made by the Admin in the Message Templates Report. |
The Custom data column is useful to identify which Message Templates have been edited. We recommend creating a Saved Layout with the filter Custom = Yes in order to quickly administrate the Message Templates which your organization has customized.
Basic Message Template Customization
Each Message Template has its own default message which can be customized to match your organization's nomenclature and branding preferences. The Reset Template button provides a quick and easy way to return a Message Template to its default state.
Follow these steps to edit a Message Template:
- Select Message Templates from the Setup tab on the left of the Admin Interface.
- Filter the report as needed and select the Template that you would like to edit.
- Select Edit Template from the Actions menu on the right. This will open the Edit Message Template menu.
- Every Message Template has a default Subject and Body. You are able to edit the Message Template Subject and Body to customize them to your organization's preferences. Please see the example screenshot below of a customized New User Message Template:
When uploading an image, be sure to select Public visibility. Private visibility restricts the images to be viewable only to logged in Users, so they won't be viewable when a User is reading the Message from their external email inbox.
Message Template Elements Breakdown
| Element | Description |
| Heading | Located at the top of the page, this portion of the Admin Interface lists both the name of the Message Template being edited, as well as the selected language. |
| Subject | This field populates the Subject line of the email. |
| Body |
This section is Absorb's built-in text editor that the Admin can use to update the content of the Message Template. The text editor provides the ability to format the text, add images, add links and add tables. Tables can be useful when trying to organize the Message with both images and texts. The Admin can also use HTML by selecting the Source Code option, <>, in the section on the right of the text editor. When the 3 vertical dots are selected, the Source Code will be presented. In this section, there are options to undo what was last added to the message content, redo what was last removed from the Message content, and a list of all available shortcuts in the ? icon. |
| Fields |
Fields are the expandable list of available data variables at the bottom of the text editor. The Admin can use these values to customize the message for the User. The fields will populate values that apply to the specific User receiving the email (refer to Message fields below). The field can be added to the Subject line or within the Body of the Message. Click and drag the field to where it should be placed within the Message. These fields can be easily deleted if the values are not relevant to your organization. |
| Send to Learner |
This toggle determines whether or not emails created using the Message Template will be sent to a Learner or not. All Message Templates will be defaulted to On, but the Admin can choose to turn it to Off. This option is a great way to ensure Users never receive this Message Template type or a way to focus communication to just Supervisors and/or Administrators.
|
| Send to Administrators |
This toggle determines whether or not emails created using the Message Template will be sent to an Administrator or not. All Message Templates will be defaulted to Off, but the Admin can choose to turn it to On. Administrators are all Admins who have the ability to see the designated User's Department and/or Group.
|
| Send to Supervisor |
This toggle determines whether or not emails created using the Message Template will be sent to a Supervisor or not. All Message Templates will be defaulted to Off, but the Admin can choose to turn it to On. The Supervisor is the User who is populated in the designated User's Supervisor field of their User Profile.
|
| Reset Template |
This button will erase any previously saved changes made to the Message Template and restore it back to Absorb's default configuration (which the Admin will be prompted to confirm). Any changes made when creating the custom Message Template will permanently be removed from the Message Template (and the LMS). Once this is performed it cannot be recovered. |
Advanced Message Template Customization
Several text fields in Absorb LMS allow for advanced text formatting by editing their HTML source directly. This includes things like Message Templates, Course descriptions, etc. Using inline styles you are able to change the color, font, size, and alignment of your text among other things.
It is important to note that while admins have access to the majority of the HTML in each Message Template, more advanced editing such as adding external CSS stylesheets, JavaScript, and other customization which require access to the full body are not available here.
How to Use the HTML Editor
Not all email coding is compatible with Absorb's Message Template editor. If an HTML error is received within an email, it could be that the content within the Message was created using bad HTML coding. Creating it within incorrect HTML code could cause the email to fail entirely. Absorb does validate HTML code on emails. We recommend using the WYSIWYG editor or someone that has experience with using HTML code.
- Using the New User Message Template as an example, when editing your Message Template you will see the tool bar at the top of the Body text editor. First select the
icon on the top right:
- This will expand the text editor, select the first icon on the right,
. This will allow you to edit the Message's HTML source. When you select this icon you will see the following:
-
In the HTML editor you have the ability to input inline HTML styles to format things like font type, color, size, etc. As you can see from the template shown above, a number of inline styles have been applied in order to utilize different fonts, colors, formatting, and images.
For more information about inline styles, we have found w3schools.com to be a fantastic resource.
HTML Best Practices
If you are customizing your Message Template with custom HTML, there is an additional set of considerations that may interact with email deliverability. The following article discusses best practices for editing the HTML of a Message Template, as well as approved attributes or tags:
Message Template Fields
It is possible to use Message Template Fields to modify a Message Template. More information about this process is available in this dedicated article on the topic:
Message Template Types
Message Templates can be customized in order to include information and branding which is important to your organization. Below please find a list of the most common Messages, a description of what information they provide, and which fields are available to be used in that Message.
To view all of the Message Template types, refer to the following article:
Customizing Templates Per Department
All Message Templates include fields which will automatically populate with data from your LMS. The Company Name, Email Address, and Phone Number fields can be configured to be populated based on a Department, rather than your Portal Settings information.
While it is not currently possible in Absorb LMS to have the wording in individual message templates custom tailored for specific Departments, it is possible in this way to tailor your Messages based on Department information.
Follow these instructions to add specific field data to your Departments:
- Navigate to Departments from the Users tab on the left, select the Department that you would like to edit, then select edit from Edit Department menu. The following steps are the same when creating a new Department.
- Expanding the Department tab and toggle ON Use Department Contact Details. This will expand options below the toggle.
-
Enter the Department specific details for Company Name, Email Address, Phone Number.
The details entered here will be populated into the following three variables in a Message Template for any Users in this Department.
- {{CompanyName}}
- {{CompanyEmail}}
- {{CompanyPhone}}
Learner Facing Templates
Some Message Templates can be customized to send to Learners, Admins or Supervisors. The ability to select what User type messaging is sent to varies from Message Template to Message Template, and clients should check individual templates in question via the Message Templates Report to verify what options are available for it. It may be valuable when setting up your Portal, or implementing a new brand design that you update the Message Templates a Learner will be interacting with most often.
The following list contains Message Templates that are Learner facing:
- Approval Denied
- Approval Pending
- Certificate Expiry
- Course Bundle Enrollment
- Course Comment Reply
- Course Due Date
- Course Nudge
- Course Upload Approved/Declined
- Curriculum Completed
- Curriculum Enrollment
- Enrollment Key
- External Training Approved/Declined
- Instructor Led Course Completed
- Instructor Led Course Enrollment
- Instructor Led Course Failed
- New Learner Conversation Message
- New User
- New User Activation
- Online Course Completed
- Online Course Enrollment
- Online Course Failed
- Password Reset
- Payment Approved
- Receipt
- Session Approval Pending
- Session Approval Request
- Session Enrollment
- Session Full
- Session Reminder
- Session Updated
- Waitlist
Related Admin Roles & Permissions
Below are the required role permissions Admins will need to view and/or modify Message Templates within the LMS and the suggested role permissions Admins may want to have in combination of what is required.
Please note that your environment may use customized roles, permissions, or a combination of both to perform these activities. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your local System Admin to review your current permissions.
Required Role Permissions
| Role: Section Access | Permission(s) Needed |
| Manage > Message Templates | View or Modify permission |
Suggested Role Permissions
| Role: Section Access | Permission(s) Needed |
| Courses > Instructor Led Courses | View or Modify permission |
| Courses > Online Courses | View or Modify permission |
| Courses > Course Bundles | View or Modify permission |
| Courses > Curricula | View or Modify permission |
| Courses > Messages | View or Modify permission |
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