NOTE: vCards and vCalenders are only available in Mailing Designer 1.
In this article, you'll learn how to create and manage vCalendars and vCards, and insert them into a Mailing Designer 1 message.
vCalendars
vCalendars are electronic calendar entries you can insert into a message. When a recipient clicks a vCalendar link, the event is added to their calendar, making them a great way to get a placeholder on your contact's calendars.
Create a vCalendar
- Access the Admin interface.
- Navigate to Messages > Options > vCards & vCalendars > vCalendars tab.
- Click CREATE VCAL.
- In the resulting dialog:
- Give the event a name.
- Configure the event's details.
- Select the appropriate categories.
- Choose whether to set a reminder. Generally speaking, you should set a reminder to help your contacts remember your event; if you don't want a reminder, set the menu options to 0.
- Click Save to add the vCalendar to the list. It can now be added to a message in Mailing Designer 1.
vCards
vCards are essentially virtual business cards that are stored in a contact file, and they are easy to create.
You can link to a vCard contact file in one of your messages. When recipients click this link, the vCard creates a new contact in the address book of their default email client.
NOTE: vCards are supported by most major email clients.
Create a vCard
- Access the Admin interface.
- Navigate to Messages > Options > vCards & vCalendars > vCards.
- Click CREATE VCARD.
- In the dialog:
- Complete all fields marked with a red asterisk (*) and any other fields as desired. Note that Card Name is an "internal" field, used only by the system.
- Click Save to add the vCard to the list. It can now be added to a message in Mailing Designer 1.
Insert a vCard or vCalender in a message
While editing a message in Mailing Designer 1:
- Click the Design tab.
- Click Create Story.
- Highlight the text in your mailing that you wish to use for the vCard or vCalender link and click the Insert Hyperlink icon in the HTML editor toolbar.
- Click the Hyperlink Type menu and select vCard or vCalender. This expands the window with a new menu.
- Click the vCard or vCalender menu and select which one you want to use.
- Click Insert Hyperlink to finish.
- Click Save to create the story.
- Save the message.
- When contacts click a vCard link, they'll be prompted to save its associated information in their email client.
- When contacts click a vCalender link, they'll be prompted to save the calendar event to their email client calendar.
Management actions
For both vCards and Vcalenders, you can perform several management actions using the buttons above the list:
- Click Search to display a dialog where you can search for a vCard or vCalender. Click [+] to add a search criterion, and configure it with the available filters. You can click [+] to add multiple criterion, if needed. Click the Find button to initiate the search.
- If you've performed a search, click Reset to set the list back to the original view.
- Click Export to export the current list to an Excel file. This is a great way to share data with others in your organization. Keep in mind that exporting respects any search filters you have set, so if you want to only export specific vCards or Vcalenders, be sure to perform a search first.
- Click Show Deleted to display any items that have been deleted (they're shown in red). If you want to restore a deleted item, mouse over its menu and select Undelete.
- Select one or more items by checking the boxes to their left, and then click Delete, followed by OK in the confirmation pop-up, to remove it.
Manage a specific vCard or vCalender
To the left of each vCard and vCalender is a menu; mouse over this menu to access several options:
- Click View to download a vCard or vCalender to your local computer for viewing.
- Click Edit to change details for a vCard or vCalender.
- Click Copy to make an exact copy of an existing item with a new name.
- Click Delete, followed by OK in the confirmation pop-up, to remove the item.
NOTE: Click the Show Deleted button above the list to display any vCards or vCalenders that have been deleted (they're shown in red). If you want to restore a deleted item, mouse over its menu and select Undelete.