Inserting on-the-fly text into Scenario Actions using {{custom_message}}

In some cases, it may be beneficial to alter some part of your Scenario's messages "on-the-fly". This is done using a special variable in your scenario's actions: {{custom_message}}

Simply insert that special variable into your message content for an action and Omnilert will allow you insert some custom text into the outgoing message.

Using an example, let's demonstrate how to use this powerful variable in a scenario.

Note: this walkthrough assumes you're familiar with Scenarios and their basic configuration process. If you're new to creating and using Scenarios in Omnilert, I recommend checking out this video first.

Step 1. Create a Scenario*

Create a new Scenario (or edit an existing Scenario) to use with our custom, on-the-fly text. In this example, I've made a new Scenario called "Incident at location." 

You'll see that I included an instruction in the description. That's important as it tells the sender what to type in before sending the message.  You'll see how this helps when our scenario is completed.

Step 2: Create an Action**

Create a new Action (or edit an existing one) to use with our custom, on-the-fly text. The Action is where we're going to use our variable. 

In this example, I've named my action "Incident at location: SMS". As you can guess, this is going to send an SMS text message with the location of our incident.

Much like the Scenario itself, I've given this action a nice name that lets us know what it will actually do. This will make setup and reporting easier down the road. 

Step 3: Compose the Action's message content

This is the crucial step in our setup as we're going to decide what our Scenario will send and to whom.

Compose a message in your Action, just like you would for any other Action. (Watch Video)

Let's create the message that our Action will send and include the {{custom_message}} variable where ever we want that on-the-fly text to be inserted.

In this example, I've created a message that will allow the sender to insert a "location" into the message in the spot where you see {{custom_message}}. 

That's all there is to it. Save the message and configure the Scenario like any other you might have.  (Don't forget to link the new Action to your new Scenario!) Now, let's see how to use it!

Using a "Custom Message" Scenario

You'll notice that the new Scenario works much like other Scenarios, but adds a "Custom Message" section when launching. You'll need to type in that on-the-fly content before you send the message on its way.

For example, go to the Scenarios Manager >> Launch screen and, instead of clicking Launch, just click on the new "Incident at location." Scenario. Anywhere in the line will do.

You'll see a preview of the Scenario, a list of all of its Actions, and a space to type in that location portion of our message:

Notice how the descriptive text tells us to "Enter the LOCATION for this message". That will come in handy for your admins when it's time to send.

Without instructions, your senders would need to know what you want them to type, so be explicit in that description!

If you already know what you're supposed to type and just want to speed things up a bit, go ahead and click Launch.

All I need to do is type in my incident's location and it'll get inserted into my outgoing alerts. It doesn't get any easier than that!

Some Tips & Tricks

• Train your senders. You can use {{custom_message}} for all or part of your outgoing action. However, be sure your senders know what to do! If they type nonsense into the box (or nothing at all), the message might not make any sense when received!
  
  
• Does it work in the app? Yes. You'll see the same prompts when sending from the Scenarios app for iPhone/Android.
  
  
• Watch your character count. The custom text content does not get counted on the character counter for your messages. So, be sure to leave enough room to stay within the character limits of SMS or any other endpoints you're sending to. 
  
  
• Uses the same variable in multiple actions. If you have multiple actions with the {{custom_message}} field in them, they'll all use the same content typed by the sender. Keep this in mind when designing multiple actions for a scenario.
  
  
• Don't use empty content!  An outgoing message should never be completely empty (no text). If no other content is included in your action's message, totally blank message content may not send properly to some endpoints!

  If there is a chance of a blank email triggering this scenario, be sure to type in some text content along with the "{{custom_message}}" variable. (Any content will do!)

* Need to learn how to create a scenario? See Add a Scenario.

** Need to learn how to create an action? See Adding an Action.