Newsletter | tixxt Service & Support (english)

Requirements:
On request: tixxt Business, tixxt Enterprise, tixxtCloud Business
Included: IndividualCloud Enterprise, IndividualCloud Maxx

The newsletter can be used by the network admins to send selected content to all network users at regular intervals.

Note: A dedicated mail server is required for the newsletter function. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your contact person at tixxt customer support.

Settings #

To configure the newsletter, go to network administration in the context bar on the left. After opening this option, you are taken to the first tab ‘Settings’, where you can configure basic settings for the newsletter.

The first step is to activate the newsletter for the network using the corresponding checkbox.
As soon as the newsletter has been activated for the network, the admin decides in the next step whether the newsletter should also be sent to guest users. The standard setting prevents guest users from being sent the newsletter.

The title of the newsletter is entered here. This is used as the subject of the email and is also displayed at the top of the email.

Here you can select the interval at which the newsletter is sent. The following options are available:

Every week #

If this option is selected, the newsletter is sent every week. The specific weekday and the time to send (7:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m.) must also be selected.

2 x per month #

If this option is selected, the newsletter is sent on any two days of the month. You must also specify on which two days of the month and at what time (7 a.m. or 4 p.m.) the newsletter should be sent. In months without a 30th or 31st, the newsletter is sent on the last day of the month if these days are selected.

1 x per month #

If this option is selected, the newsletter is sent on any one day of the month. You must also specify on which day of the month and at what time (7 a.m. or 4 p.m.) the newsletter should be sent. In months without a 30th or 31st, the newsletter is sent on the last day of the month if these days are selected.

By clicking on ‘Save’ , the newsletter configuration is saved. Saving also activates the newsletter function and enables network admins to bookmark posts for the newsletter from this point onwards.

Please note: As soon as at least one post has been bookmarked, it is sent to all network users at the time configured.

Templates #

Requirements:

Standard design for newsletters: tixxt Business, tixxt Enterprise, tixxtCloud Business
Create your own design: IndividualCloud Enterprise, IndividualCloud Maxx

The second tab ‘Templates’ can be used to configure a customised design for the newsletter, if desired.

The active template can be seen at the top. The ‘tixxt standard design’ is initially stored and active here by default. For tixxt packages that only include the standard design, you can define the ‘Newsletter headline’ and the ‘Newsletter intro’ at this point by clicking on ‘Edit’.

For the other packages, the template archive also contains all templates that have been created by admins in the past but are not currently in use.

The following actions are available for all existing templates:

Activate: All templates in the archive can be activated using this button. The template then appears under ‘Active template’ and is used for sending the upcoming newsletter.
Edit: Click on this to edit the template.
Delete: Click on this to delete the template – you will be asked to confirm this action. The template can only be permanently deleted once this has been confirmed. The standard template is the only template that cannot be deleted.

Create new template #

To create a new customised template, the admin has two options:

New based on standard template #

The admin can use the ‘+ New based on standard template’ button to edit an existing standard template as desired. A design for the layout is already available. Here, for example, only the colours and the logo need to be changed to quickly create your own design.

New from scratch #

The admin can create more custom templates for the newsletter using the ‘+ New from scratch’ button.

An editing page then opens where various components on the right can be moved via drag & drop into the newsletter editor on the left. The following options are possible:

Content #

tixxt content #

The most important content is found in the last line on the far right. The ‘tixxt content’ option sets a place holder in the newsletter template in which posts that have been selected for the upcoming newsletter appear.

This option is mandatory. The menu on the right can be used to make a number of different settings, including the following:

Link colour ‘Published in’
Text colour ‘Published in’

If a colour is defined here, a corresponding preview is displayed directly in the window on the left.

Columns #

Use this option to define the number of columns. By clicking on the blue button on the left, the menu on the right displays the available options, such as one column, two columns, three columns, etc. The menu on the right also offers more design options such as the background colour of the column(s). Once the number of columns has been defined, they can be filled by clicking on ‘Add content’ on the left.

Headline #

If you drag & drop this option into one of the columns on the left, detailed settings can be made on the right. Examples of the available settings are:

Font, font weight, font size
Colour
Text alignment

The text for the headline can be entered on the left and edited using the editor, e.g. Bold, Italic or Underlined.

Text #

This option inserts a text field to the left in which the text can be changed. More options are on the right such as:

Font, font weight, font size
Colour
Text alignment

The text on the left can also be edited using the editor, e.g. Bold, Italic or Underlined. Using the ‘Merge tags’ option there, you can also add a place holder for a customised salutation for each recipient.

Image #

Use this option to insert an image. You can upload the image using the menu on the right. You can also use an existing image from the archive photos via ‘More images’ on the far right.

Tool bar #

If this option is added, you can click on it in the right-hand menu to access the following configuration options:

Specify action type: URL and target, e.g. new tab
Tool bar options such as specify text and background colour
Set spacing

Dividing line #

This option inserts a horizontal dividing line in the template. This allows you to give the template more visual structure. In the menu on the right, you can edit the width, colour and alignment of the dividing line.

HTML #

This option inserts an HTML block. You can enter the relevant HTML code in the menu on the right.

If this block is added, the menu on the right offers a wide range of configuration options which allow various menu elements to be added. The design can also be customised, e.g. in terms of font, text colour and link colour.

Blocks #

This tab can be used to add more structure to the newsletter.

Footer #

The footer contains the imprint as well as a place holder for unsubscribing, editing settings and disclaimers. This is mandatory for data protection reasons. If this option is not included, a message appears when you try to save the template.

Important: Updating the email imprint via the network administration does not automatically lead to an update of the imprint in the newsletter. To do this, the footer must be added to the template again after editing the imprint.

Body #

This tab allows you to make settings for the basic design of the template. This includes the following options:

Text colour
Background colour
Width of content
Content customisation
Font
Font weight
Link colour
Underline link

You can also define a pre-headline text for the template.

Images #

Use this tab to search through various image data bases. All images are licensed under Creative Commons Zero.

Uploads #

You can upload your own images here, which are then available under the tab Content > Image, for example.

Save template #

To save the created template, you must enter a title for the template in the upper horizontal bar. Click on ‘Save’ to update the template. Click on ‘Save as new’ to create a copy.

Hint: tixxt uses the features of Unlayer and its embed plug-in to create newsletter templates.

Upcoming #

The ‘Upcoming’ tab displays the posts that have been bookmarked for the upcoming newsletter. The time to send for the upcoming newsletter is displayed at the top:

Bookmarked posts are shown below. The order corresponds to the order in which the posts appear in the email. You can use drag & drop to customise the order of the posts before they are dispatched. There are additional options for the network admin on the right:

Open post #

Click on this button to view the corresponding post. Alert: This is only possible if the respective network admin has a membership in the group in which this post is located.

Remove post #

Click on this button to remove the post from the upcoming newsletter.

Info about feed #

On the right is a button with the groups icon. If you hover the mouse over this, the associated info text shows the feed in which the post is located. This can be either a network-wide or group-specific feed.

Clicking on this button sends a test newsletter with the bookmarked content to the email address configured in your profile. This allows you to check that everything is correct before the newsletter is dispatched. This does not constitute a dispatch to the total network.

Past newsletters #

The last tab provides an overview of past newsletters and their content. Click on the ‘Post’ button on the right to show the relevant post in a new window. Each page displays all the posts from a past newsletter. Past newsletters can be scrolled through using the page navigation below the content.

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