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With this release of BizTalk360(v8.5), the user can customize email template. The earlier version of BizTalk360 only has a capability to change the color of the email body, font, logo, background, footer background etc. Most of our customer had requested to customize the email alert with more comprehensive improvements, so we have revamped the email template module with more additional functionalities to simplify and customize the email notification. This allows to create and manage custom templates for notifications.

The user can able to create a template with an in-built XSLT validator with preview options. Email template can be used in different alarms with light or dark theme, which helps to

• grab the support team’s attention to take on the relevant actions.
• choose different theme templates to indicate different business cases.
• easily identify which template belongs to which environment.

So, let’s us look how to create a template in the newer version of BizTalk360.

Creating Template

In BizTalk360, Manage Email Template can be found in the monitoring and notification section of setting side. While installing the newer version, the default template “BizTalk360 Email Template” will be used for all the existing or newly created alarm.

BizTalk360 Email Template Grid

For creating a new template, click on “NEW” icons as shown in above picture, a blade opens for providing the basic details like template name, description of the template, toggle button for making it as default template as shown in the picture below.

Custom Template Creation

In the following section, the user can edit and provide their own data like display name, email address, logo text, footer text etc.same as previous versions for a better manageability.

Email settings

Theme

Initially, BizTalk360 provides a default template “BizTalk360 Email Template” with a light elegant theme. Themes are also available in two variants light and dark. A user can able to choose light or dark theme while creating a template.

However, the earlier version of BizTalk360 email colors are chosen by selecting colors from color picker and here we came up with the idea of providing “themes” instead of simply selecting the color code for the email template.

We categorized themes into two
• Light Theme
• Dark Theme

Light Theme

Light Theme

Dark Theme

Dark Theme

We are not restricting the user to simply selecting light or dark theme, we have also provisioned to edit the themes.

Theme Settings

Under the edit theme color settings, a user can choose 6 Body BG color which represents different themes for light and dark. Once the theme is selected, “PREVIEW TEMPLATE” option is being provided to cross check the desired changes on a new blade.

Once the template is created, it will be displayed in the main grid of Manage Email Templates page.

Email Template Grid

XSLT

BizTalk360 uses XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) as a styling language for customizing the email template. The XSLT file editing option is being provided to a user for changing font family and font size. “Please do not change any logic in XSLT file, as this might corrupt the mailing functionality”. This facility is available in the edit section of each template by clicking the edit gear icon.

XSLT Edit

Once the changes are made in the XSLT file, the inbuilt XSLT validator verifies the XSLT file and allows the user to save the file after successful verification.

The “Preview Template” option is provided in edit section to make sure the desired changes have been made in XSLT file.

Alarm Configuration

In the alarm configuration section, we have customized for a user-friendliness to choose the template that has been created at the manage email module. Also, we made the notification channel to be available in the Alarm configuration page itself. We have made the email configuration optional if the notification channel is being enabled so that either one of the choices can serve the purpose.

Alarm

Conclusion

BizTalk360 already had a feature to format email template, with its latest release v8.5 it fills the gap by adding the ability to customize, create and manage template for different alarms based on user preference. Keep your mailing color codes intact with your thoughts using our customized email template feature. If you have any feedback or suggestion, please feel free to write to us at [email protected].