Overview
With macros, you can personalize bulk emails so they include specific, individualized information, such as a recipient's first name or organization name.
Macros are essentially placeholders in your message content that automatically get filled with information from your database. These placeholders enable personalized messages for each recipient. For example, the {Contact_First_Name} macro will be replaced with each email recipient's first name.
Macros can be inserted into manual emails that you compose as well as email templates that you create for reuse. Inserting macros into bulk emails ensures that all recipients will receive a standard yet individualized message.
Each email or email template can contain any number of macros, both within the subject line and within the body of the message.
Note: You cannot edit or otherwise modify system macros. You can only insert or remove them. To create your own macros using custom database fields you have created, see Custom macros, below.
Inserting a macro into an email
To insert a macro into an email, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to Communication > Email and click Compose email.
2. Select the template you want to use for the email and make your Layout selection.
3. Click on the main body of the email message. This will open the text editor toolbar.
4. Place your cursor where you want the macro to appear within the message, then click the Macro dropdown to open the Macro menu.
5. Select the macro(s) you want inserted into the message content and click Insert macro(s). Only the macros specific to the type of email you are composing (for example, an invoice email) will be available for selection in the dropdown menu.
Pro Tip: Remember to include appropriate punctuation and spacing around the macro(s) as if the replacement text were there.
6. Finish designing the content of your message, then click Preview. When you preview an email you are composing, any macros within the message will be replaced by data drawn from your own contact record. This is merely sample information that is used in the Preview to demonstrate how the email will appear to your recipients.
Note: All WildApricot emails have an {Unsubscribe_Url} macro appended to the message at the bottom of the page. This macro provides a link to the Unsubscribe from emails system page on your website. This macro and link will not appear in test emails but will appear in email previews.
To learn more, view Unsubscribing from emails.
7. After previewing, click Recipients. Create the recipient list for the email.
8. In the Subject field, you can insert macros by typing { or by clicking the blue {} symbol at the right end of the subject field. Remember to include appropriate spacing and punctuation if you insert macros into the Subject field.
9. Click Review and Send. Select Delivery setup options. Below the delivery options, the system provides a final preview. In the final preview, sample data from your recipient list is used to populate the macros where appropriate.
10. Click Save & Exit in the far right corner of the screen.
Inserting a macro into an email template
To insert a macro into an email template, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to Communication > Email templates.
2. Click Create new template, or select an existing Custom template to open it, then click Edit template. System templates cannot be edited.
3. Enter a Template name and continue to the Design step.
4. If you are creating a new template, select the Layout and Gadgets that you want to include. If you are editing an existing Custom template, you can skip this step.
5. Click on the main body of the email message. This will open the text editor toolbar.
6. Place your cursor where you want the macro to appear within the message, then click the Macro dropdown to open the Macro menu.
7. Select the macro(s) you want to be inserted into the message content and click Insert macro(s).
Pro Tip: Remember to include appropriate punctuation and spacing around the macro(s) as if the replacement text were already there.
8. Click Preview. Make any desired changes using the menu buttons located at the top of the screen to go back and edit. When you are happy with the template, click Save in the top right corner of the screen.
Behavior of macros in Preview and in test emails
When you Preview an email you are composing, any macros within the message will be replaced by data drawn from your own contact record. Macros that are links may not appear in test emails. When you review the email in the Review and Send step, data drawn from your recipient list will be used to provide a final sample of the the email.
Macros that are not contact-specific will be replaced in test emails with random or sample data. For example, invoice or receipt test emails will use random or sample data for the invoice number, item description, and amount.
Macros by email type
Different kinds of macros are available to be inserted depending on the kind of email or email template you are modifying. For example, event macros are only available when modifying event emails, and cannot be inserted into manual emails. If you manually enter a macro that is not supported for the type of email or email template you are modifying, it will be ignored.
System macros
The following are system macros. All system macros are case-sensitive.
Organization macros
Organization_Name
Your organization name
Organization_Contact_Email
Contact email for your organization
Organization_URL
URL of your organization
Payment_Instructions
Payment instructions for membership applications and manual invoices
Organization_Payment_Instructions
Payment instructions for membership renewals
Contact macros
User_ID
Unique identifier assigned to contact
Contact_First_Name
First name from contact record
Contact_Last_Name
Last name from contact record
Contact_FullName
First and last name from contact record
Contact_Organization
Organization from contact record
Contact_Email
Email from contact record
Contact_BalanceAmount
Current balance for contact
Contact_Password_Reset_URL
Link to reset password page
Unsubscribe_Url
Link to unsubscribe page
Member macros
Member_Level_Fee
Level fee
Member_Level
Name of membership level
Member_Subsequent_Renewal_Date
Member's next renewal due after the upcoming renewal
Member_Profile_URL
Link to member profile page
Member_Public_Profile_Url
Link to public member profile
Member_Upcoming_Renewal_Date
Member's next renewal date (using the account date format)
Member_Since
Member since date
Member_Status
Status of member
MemberField_Group_participation
Member groups that member belongs to
Member_Level_Full
Combines the following macros: Member_Level ( Member_Level_Fee )
Bundle macros
Bundle_Coordinator_Name
Name of the bundle coordinator
Bundle_Coordinator _Email
The bundle coordinator's email address
Bundle_Coordinator_CountOfMembers
Number of active bundle members (does not include bundle coordinator, or archived members)
List_of_Bundle_members
Names of the bundle members, including archived members
Event information macros
Event_Title
The event name
Event_Date
The event's start date
Event_EndDate
The event's end date
Event_TimeZone
The selected time zone
Event_Time
The start time of the event
Event_EndTime
The end time of the event
Event_UpcomingSessionDate
The start date of the next upcoming session
Event_UpcomingSessionTime
The start time of the next upcoming session
Event_UpcomingSessionEndDate
The end date of the next upcoming session
Event_UpcomingSessionEndTime
The end time of the next upcoming session
Event_SessionsList
A list of all sessions (including past ones)
Event_Location
The location of the event
Event_Details
Description field within event details
Note: Text styles and other theme-dependent formatting in the event details will be lost when inserted into an email using this macro.
Days_till_Event
The number of days until the event begins
Event_Url
The Internet address of the event details page for this event
Event_Payment_Instructions
The payment instructions entered on the Ticket types & settings tab. This macro can only be used for event registration-pending emails.
Registration_buttons
Inserts Register and Not attending buttons, allowing the invitees to register for the event or indicate that they do not plan on attending. This macro is only available for event announcements.
Event registration macros
Registration_First_Name
First name from event registration
Registration_Last_Name
Last name from event registration
Registration_Email
Email name from event registration
Registration_Price
Ticket type price + extra costs + Registration_Guest_Total_Price
Registration_Guest_Count
Number of guests
Registration_Guest_Names
Displays the first and last names of all registered guests
Registration_Guest_Total_Price
Guest registration price + extra costs
Ticket_Type
Name of ticket type
QR_Code
The QR code containing registration information to scan for check-in
Donation macros
Donation_Number
Number of donation
Donation_Date
Date
Donation_Amount
Amount
Donation_PaymentType
Payment type
Donation_Comments
Comments from donor
Donation_PublicMemo
Comments for payer field
Invoice macros
Invoice_Number
Invoice number
Invoice_Date
The date of the invoice
Charge_Amount
The total amount of the invoice
Amount_Owing
The amount owing on the invoice
Amount_Paid
The amount paid towards the invoice
Invoice_Status
The current status of the invoice
Invoice_Origin
The type of transaction
Invoice_PublicMemo
Comments for payer field
Invoice_Details_URL
Link to invoice details in public profile, which allows the recipient to view and pay the invoice online (does not require logging in)
Invoice_Details
Displays the invoice items
Payment receipt macros
Payment_Date
The date of the payment
Payment_Amount
The amount of the payment
Payment_SettledAmount
The portion of the payment that has been settled
Payment_Type
The method by which the payment was received
Payment_AvailableBalance
The unsettled portion of the payment
Payment_PublicMemo
Comments for payer field
Payment_SettlementsTable
Combines the following macros: Invoice_Date, Invoice_Number, Invoice_Origin
Online store macros
{Order Number}
The product order number
{Order PlacementDate}
The date the order was placed
{Order ShippingAddress}
The customer's shipping address
{Order DeliveryInfo}
If a shipping option is selected, displays:
Shipping to FULL_ADDRESS. SHIPPING_OPTION_TITLE, SHIPPING_OPTION_DESCRIPTION.
If a pickup option is selected, displays:
Pick up, PICKUP_TITLE, PICKUP_DESCRIPTION
If delivery options are not set up, displays:
"Delivery method not specified."
{Order Comments}
The instructions added to the order by the customer
{Order Contact Phone}
The customer's contact number
{Order Table}
A table displaying the product, price, quantity, and total cost for each item
{Product_Name}
The name of the digital product
{Product_Link}
The link to the digital product
{Product_Emailnote}
A note included in the email with the link to the digital product
{ProductLink_AccessCode}
The access code or password for the hosted file or meeting
{ProductLink_ExpirationNotice}
Text explaining that the link to an attached file will expire after 7 days
Custom macros
You can use macros to pull information that is stored in database fields you created and added to your WildApricot database.
Custom macros use the following format:
{fieldtypeField_fieldname}The fieldname is the name of the field, which is the Field label in your database, and the fieldtype is either Contact, Member, Event, or Donation.
Important Note: The field name (Field label) must not contain any special characters (@,#,$,*, etc). Using special characters in macros will cause errors when the system attempts to populate the macros, and the correct information will not be displayed.
Examples of custom macros
Contact
Example: {ContactField_Phone}
Member
Example: {MemberField_JobTitle}
Event
Example: {EventField_Preferred_Seating}
Donation
Example: {DonationField_Fund}
In addition to the individual custom macros, a macro that combines information from all the custom fields of a particular field type is also available. This macro uses the following format:
{fieldtypeField_All}Example:
{ContactField_All}Important Note: Do not insert a macro for a field that is set to For administrator access only. This results in improper formatting and causes the field name to be displayed instead of the data.
