REQUEST A DEMO

Introducing New Log Email Templates for Cases and Subcases


Traditionally, when sending an email out from within Dovetail Agent, (using the Log Email) function, the send_email_about_obj com_tmplte is used. The same email template is used for both cases and subcases.

I’ve discussed this template in past posts:

Example send_email_about_obj template

Here’s an example of the template:

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: About Case <ADDITIONAL_INFO> : [Case Title] [Subcase Title]
<FOCUS.message>

Log Email API

This template name is coded within the LogEmail API within the Dovetail SDK.

We’ve recently made some enhancements to the LogEmail API to allow for different templates to be used between cases and subcases.

We now support two new templates:

  • send_email_about_case
  • send_email_about_subcase

 

send_email_about_case

When performing a log email for a case, if the send_email_about_case template is present in the system, it will be used. Else, the send_email_about_obj template is used.

Here’s an example of a new case template:

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: About Case <ADDITIONAL_INFO> : [Case Title]

<FOCUS.message>

 

send_email_about_subcase

When performing a log email for a subcase, if the send_email_about_subcase template is present in the system, it will be used. Else, the send_email_about_obj template is used.

Here’s an example of a new subcase template:

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: About Subcase <ADDITIONAL_INFO> : [Subcase Title]

<FOCUS.message>

 

Flexibility

These new templates allow for greater flexibility in configuring outgoing emails.

One common way that this is used is to allow different subject lines in outgoing emails for cases and subcases. Notice the subject lines in the case and subcase example templates above.

Dovetail Agent ships with example templates, which can be customized for your specific business needs.

Use of these templates is entirely optional. If they are not imported into the database, then the existing send_email_about_obj template is used.

Enhanced Templates

We can also easily enhance our templates, such as:

  • Customize the subject line
  • Include a company logo in the email
  • Include a link back to the case in selfservice
  • Include a legal footer
  • etc.

Here’s an example of an enhanced case template:

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: Regarding MyCompany Support Case [Case ID] : [Case Title]
![Company Logo](https://mycompany.com/logo.png)
<FOCUS.message>

---
[Check the status and update your case (Case [Case ID]) online at our SelfService site](https://company.com/selfservice/cases/[Case ID])

---
This e-mail and any attachments are intended only for the individual or company to which it is addressed and may contain information which is privileged, confidential and prohibited from disclosure or unauthorized use under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, or copying of this e-mail or the information contained in this e-mail is strictly prohibited by the sender. If you have received this transmission in error, please return the material received to the sender and delete all copies from your system.

And here’s an example of what the recipient would see:

Outgoing Email

 

Versions

This functionality is available in Dovetail SDK version 3.6, and this version of the SDK is part of Dovetail Agent version 20.

Compatibility with Dovetail Carrier

Recall that Dovetail Carrier is used to process incoming emails, including logging an incoming email to the proper case or subcase.

The way it determines which case or subcase to log to is determined by application settings.

EmailAgentExtensionSettings.CaseIdentifierFormat – defines what string to look for to identify a case ID number

EmailAgentExtensionSettings.SubcaseIdentifierFormat – defines what string to look for to identify a subcase ID number

So if you edit the email templates, be sure to edit the corresponding settings in Carrier.

For example, if my send_email_about_case template uses this for a subject:

Regarding Dovetail Support Case [Case ID] : [Case Title]

Then I’d want to edit the EmailAgentExtensionSettings.CaseIdentifierFormat in Carrier to match: (note that this is a regex (regular expression))

Regarding\s+Dovetail\s+Support\s+Case\s+(?!\w+-\w+)(?&lt;caseId&gt;\w+)

 

What about Rulemanager?

Rulemanager does not need to change here at all, so an updated version of Rulemanager is not needed.

When the LogEmail API does its thing, it picks the correct email template and relates the template to the time_bomb that tells Rulemanager to send the email.

So the template to use is already defined in the database – Rulemanager simply uses the template that’s been related to the time_bomb.

So Rulemanager does not need to change to support this new functionality.

What about Action Items?

Action Items already have their own email template – send_email_about_action_item

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: About Action Item [Action Item ID] : [Action Item Title]
<FOCUS.message>

 

What about Change Requests?

Change Requests already have their own email template – send_email_about_bug

TO: <FOCUS.recipient>
CC: <FOCUS.cc_list>
FR: <FOCUS.sender>
RE: About Change Request <ADDITIONAL_INFO> : [CR Title]

<FOCUS.message>

 

Wrap Up

As I said earlier – this functionality is entirely optional. If you’re perfectly happy with how outgoing emails work – then there’s nothing more to do.
But, if you’d like some additional distinctions between case emails and subcase emails, you now have that power.

Rock on.