Dynamic Blocks

This section describes how to create a new Dynamic Block through the Dynamic Block screen. In addition, Dynamic Blocks can be created through the New Item screen (see Create a New Item: Dynamic Block), or defined though an API request (see Dynamic Block API for more details).  

The steps below explain how to enter Rule / Block Pairs through the user interface. Optionally, you can upload a spreadsheet containing all of the Rule / Block Pairs . See the "Dynamic Content Loader" section below for more details on this feature.

To create a new Dynamic Block through the Dynamic Block screen:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click + New Dynamic Block.

2. A "New Item" pop-up window is displayed. To select the folder where you want to save this new Dynamic Block, click the folder name in the Navigation Tree on the left side of this pop-up. The "Where?" field is updated with the selected folder name.

3. In the "Name" field, enter a name for your new Dynamic Block. This name must be unique within the selected folder.

4. Using the toggle buttons, select the data source for this Dynamic Block: either "Messaging" or "EDP."

5. If you selected "Messaging" in step 4, from the "Data Source" drop-down menu, select the Messaging source table for this Dynamic Block.

Note: You can never modify this source table after the Dynamic Block is created.

6. Click Create. The Workspace is refreshed to show a blank Dynamic Block details screen.

7. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Dynamic Block. To assign a tag, click on the "Add tag" field in the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

You can also create multiple dynamic blocks though a single upload of Manifest file. For detailed information, refer New Item - Create New Items with a Manifest File. 

In most situations, a Dynamic Block should have Default content defined for it. The Default content will be sent to all of the Campaign recipients who otherwise don't meet any of the defined Dynamic Block criteria.

Default content is optional. However, please note that you can't actually delete the "Default" row from the screen. If you don't want Default content in your Dynamic Block, then simply leave it blank, and don't define or select a Content Block (or External Content Block) for it.

To define the Default content:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, place check marks next to the version formats that you want to include in the Default content.

2. Click the edit button (pen icon) within the "Default" row. The Rule / Block screen is displayed.

3. Select the desired content option:

Content BlockContent Block

External Content BlockExternal Content Block

4. Click Edit Rule > Save Rule / Block in the Tool Ribbon to save the Default content, and return to the Dynamic Block details screen.

5. If you need to delete the Default content, click the clear button ("X" icon) to the right of the "Default" row. The system deletes the Content Block (or External Content Block) from the Default content (as noted above, you can't actually delete the "Default" row from the screen).

A Dynamic Block consists of one or more Rule / Block Pairs which drive specific, dynamic content to the correct audience.

Messaging provides two different methods (called "query types") for establishing how you want to identify the audience for the Rule / Block Pairs -- either by inclusion in a Filter, or by values in a specific field. You must choose one of these two query types for your Dynamic Block; you can't use both types within the same Dynamic Block.

This section describes the Filter query type. 

Note: The Filter query type is not supported if you selected "EDP" as the Dynamic Block's data source.

The Filter query type is used in instances where you've created multiple Filters that will break the Campaign audience into smaller unique groups, each of whom should receive unique content.

To use Filters as the query type in a Dynamic Block:

1. Select the "Match Filter" toggle button.

2. In the Tool Ribbon, place check marks next to the version formats that you want to include in this Rule / Block Pair.

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Add New Rule / Block. The Rule / Block screen is displayed.

4. The "Rule Filter" field is used to define or select the Filter used for this Rule / Block Pair. To use an existing Filter, either begin typing in the Filter name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. You can also create a new Filter by clicking the new button (plus-sign icon).

5. Select the desired content option:

Content BlockContent Block

External Content BlockExternal Content Block

6. Click Edit Rule > Save Rule / Block in the Tool Ribbon to save your new Rule / Block Pair, and return to the Dynamic Block details screen. A new row is displayed on the screen, showing the "Rule" (i.e., the selected Filter) and the "Block" (i.e., the selected Content Block or External Content Block).

7. Repeat the above steps as needed to define additional Rule / Block Pairs.

8. By default, the Dynamic Block will use an IF > ELSE IF structure. Optionally, click the IF > ELSE IF button to toggle to an IF > IF structure.

9. If you need to rearrange the sequence of Rule / Block Pairs, click on the grey section to the left of the row, and drag the entire row to its new location. Please note that you can't move the "Default" row.

10. If you need to remove a Rule / Block Pair, click the remove button ("X" icon). The Rule / Block Pair is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

11. To save your Dynamic Block, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

12. If your user account has been configured to use an Approval Workflow, you can submit a request to the approver to review and approve this Dynamic Block. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Request Approval. You won't be able to use this Dynamic Block in a Campaign until the Dynamic Block has been approved.

A Dynamic Block consists of one or more Rule / Block Pairs which drive specific, dynamic content to the correct audience.

Engage+ provides two different methods (called "query types") for establishing how you want to identify the audience for the Rule / Block Pairs -- either by inclusion in a Filter, or by values in a specific field. You must choose one of these two query types for your Dynamic Block; you can't use both types within the same Dynamic Block.

This section describes the Field / Value query type. 

The Field / Value query type is used when you want to look for a specific value in a database field in order to determine your Rule / Block Pair. A Dynamic Block is limited to using only one field, and that field must be contained on the Dynamic Block's source table (you can't join to another table).

To use a Field / Value as the query type for your Dynamic Block:

1. Select the "Match Rule" toggle button.

2. From the Match Rule drop-down menu, select the field that you want to use to define your Rule / Block Pairs:

• Messaging: If you selected a Messaging table as the data source for the Dynamic Block, this drop-down menu is populated with all of the fields in that table.

• EDP: If you selected EDP as the data source for the Dynamic Block, this drop-down menu is populated with all the EDP Attributes and Dynamic Attributes that have been enabled for "use in Messaging." Please see the EDP and Loyalty Data Manager Help topic for more details on this process. The drop-down menu is organized with Attributes at the top, and Dynamic Attributes at the bottom in their own section.

3. In the Edit > Add New section of the Tool Ribbon, place check marks next to the version formats that you want to include in this Rule / Block Pair.

4. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Add New Rule / Block. The Rule / Block screen is displayed.

5. If the field you selected above was set up as a "restricted" field, then the drop-down menu on the Rule / Block is populated with all of the valid values for this field; select the desired value from this menu. If this field is not "restricted," then the system displays a text field instead of a drop-down menu; enter the desired value in this text field.  

6. Select the desired content option:

Content BlockContent Block

External Content BlockExternal Content Block

7. Click Edit Rule > Save Rule / Block in the Tool Ribbon to save your new Rule / Block Pair, and return to the Dynamic Block details screen. A new row is displayed on the screen, showing the "Rule" (i.e., the selected value) and the "Block" (i.e., the selected Content Block or External Content Block).

8. Repeat the above steps as needed to define additional Rule / Block Pairs.

9. By default, the Dynamic Block will use an IF > ELSE IF structure. Optionally, click the IF > ELSE IF button to toggle to an IF > IF structure.

10. If you need to rearrange the sequence of Rule / Block Pairs, click on the grey section to the left of the row, and drag the entire row to its new location. Please note that you can't move the "Default" row.

11. If you need to remove a Rule / Block Pair, click the remove button ("X" icon). The Rule / Block Pair is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

12. To save your Dynamic Block, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

13. If your user account has been configured to use an Approval Workflow, you can submit a request to the approver to review and approve this Dynamic Block. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Request Approval. You won't be able to use this Dynamic Block in a Campaign until the Dynamic Block has been approved.

This section describes how to upload a spreadsheet containing the Rule / Block Pairs for a Dynamic Block.  If you have a large, complex set of rules, it can be easier to upload the logic via a spreadsheet, rather than entering all of the rules into the user interface.

When uploading a spreadsheet, the following restrictions apply:

• The Dynamic Content Upload feature is available only when you've selected "Match Filter" as the query type. The feature is not available for the "Match Rule" query type.

• When you upload a file, any existing Rule / Block Pairs in the Dynamic Block are overwritten, and are replaced by the Rule / Block Pairs contained in the import file.

• The import file must be a text file (.txt), a comma-separated values file (.csv), or a Microsoft Excel file (.xls / .xlsx).

• Each row in the spreadsheet represents a single Rule / Block Pair.

• The Rule / Block Pairs are created in the sequence they appear in the spreadsheet, with the first row of the spreadsheet being the first rule, the second row of the spreadsheet being the second rule, and so on.

• The default condition (if used) should be the last row in the spreadsheet.  

The spreadsheet should contain the following information:

 To upload Dynamic Content Rule / Block Pairs:

1. Create the Dynamic Block as described in the above section "Create a New Dynamic Block."

2. Select the "Match Filter" toggle.

3. By default, the Dynamic Block will use an IF > ELSE IF structure. Optionally, click the IF > ELSE IF button to toggle to an IF > IF structure.

Note: The rules provided in the upload file will use the structure you select in step 3. You don't define this structure within the contents of the import file.

4. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Add New > Upload File. The "Import from Spreadsheet" pop-up window is displayed.

Rather than setting up your import spreadsheet from scratch, the system offers a sample spreadsheet that you can download and use as a starting point for creating your own spreadsheet. This sample file contains all the proper column headings, and some sample data . To download this sample spreadsheet, click "Download a sample spreadsheet" within the pop-up window.

5. Click choose file. Browse to and select your upload file.

6. The platform parses the upload file, and populates the Dynamic Block with the Rule / Block Pairs contained within the file.

To view or edit an existing Dynamic Block:

Note: While editing a Dynamic Block, if another user has this same Dynamic Block open at the same time, and he or she modifies and saves the Dynamic Block, the system will alert you with a "Changes Detected" pop-up window. This window tells you that changes have been made, and by whom. If you want to discard your local changes and reload the screen to show the other user's version of the Dynamic Block, click reload dynamic block. Or, if you want to overwrite the other person's changes, click ignore changes.

1. Search for the desired Dynamic Block (see Search for an Item for more details on the available search methods).

2. Click on the Dynamic Block name. The Dynamic Block screen is displayed and populated with the details of the selected Dynamic Block.

3. Optionally, to view detailed information about the Dynamic Block, click the Dynamic Block tab in the Tool Ribbon. The Item Details screen is displayed, showing who created the item, who modified it last, and what the last actions taken on the item were. The direct link URL to the Dynamic Block is available here, which can be copied to the clipboard using the "Copy Link" icon. This can be used to easily share and also open the Dynamic Block in a browser. On this screen, click "Related Items" in the Function Menu to see other items in the system that reference or utilize this Dynamic Block. When finished, click the Edit tab in the Tool Ribbon to return to the main edit screen.

4. Optionally, you can assign one or more tags to your Dynamic Block. To assign a tag, click on the "Add tag" field in the Edit > Tags section of the Tool Ribbon. The system displays a pop-up menu of all the existing tags. You can select one of these tags, or type in a new one and press Enter. You can repeat this process to add more tags. To remove a tag, click the "X" icon next to the tag label.  

5. Optionally, to rename the Dynamic Block, click Edit > Rename in the Tool Ribbon. A "Rename Item" dialog box is displayed. Enter a new name for the Dynamic Block, then click save new name.

6. Make any necessary changes to the Rule / Block Pairs:

• • Add a new Rule / Block Pair (see "Create a New Dynamic Block" above for details on how to create a new Rule / Block Pair).  

  • If you need to rearrange the sequence of Rule / Block Pairs, click on the section to the left of the row, and drag the entire row to its new location. Please note that you can't move the "Default" row.

  • If you need to remove a Rule / Block Pair, click the remove button ("X" icon). The Rule / Block Pair is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Edit > Actions > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

  • If you need to delete the Default content, click the clear button ("X" icon) to the right of the "Default" row. The system deletes the Content Block (or External Content Block) from the Default content.

  • If you need to edit a Rule / Block Pair, click the edit button (pen icon). The Rule / Block screen is displayed. Make any necessary changes to the Rule / Block definition.

  • If you need to toggle to the other query type, click the corresponding button ("Match Filter" or "Match Rule"). Please note that when you toggle between query types, the system displays a confirmation dialog box, warning you that all of the "rules" defined for your existing Rule / Block Pairs will be cleared, and you'll need to redefine them using the new query type method.

  • If you need to toggle to the other logical structure, click the corresponding button ("F> IF" or "IF > IF ELSE").

7. To save your changes, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

Once you create your Dynamic Block, you can use it within one or more Campaigns. Messaging has two methods for assigning a Dynamic Block to a Campaign: either 1) define the Dynamic Block as the primary Content Source for the Campaign, or 2) insert the Dynamic Block into the Campaign message.

Note: Not all channels in Messaging support the use of Dynamic Blocks.  

Content Source

To change the Campaign's primary Content Source to use a Dynamic Block:

1. Navigate to the desired Campaign (see Campaigns for more details).

2. Scroll down to the "Message" section, and click change. The "Choose Content Source" pop-up window is displayed.

3. Click dynamic block. The "Browse Dynamic Blocks" pop-up window is displayed.

4. From the "Browse Dynamic Blocks" pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Dynamic Blocks stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Dynamic Block in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Dynamic Block name. When you find the desired Dynamic Block, click on the Dynamic Block name.

Note: Dynamic Blocks have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection.

5. The Content section is refreshed to show the name of the selected Dynamic Block.

Advanced Editor

To insert a Dynamic Block into the Campaign message:

1. Navigate to the desired Campaign (see Campaigns for more details).

2. Scroll down to the "Message" section, and click edit. The Advanced Editor is displayed.

3. Place your cursor in the main content field. The Personalization Pane appears on the right-hand side of the screen.

4. In the Personalization Pane, click on the "Content Blocks" group to expand it.

5. Within the "Content Blocks" group, double-click on "Dynamic Block" (or, optionally, you can drag "Dynamic Block" from the Personalization Pane, and drop it into the content field). A "Browse Dynamic Blocks" dialog box is displayed.

6. From the "Browse Dynamic Blocks" pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Dynamic Blocks stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Dynamic Block in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Dynamic Block name. When you find the desired Dynamic Block, click on the Dynamic Block name.

Note: Dynamic Blocks have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection.

7. In the Clipboard section of the Personalization Pane, the system creates a new Merge Symbol for this Dynamic Block. A Merge Symbol is a textual representation of the Dynamic Block, consisting of the Block's name and Object Reference ID enclosed in double-brackets. For example: {[Membership_offer|8687]}.

8. Place your cursor where you want to insert the Dynamic Block, then click the Merge Symbol for that Block in the Clipboard. The system inserts the corresponding Merge Symbol at the indicated position.

If your Dynamic Block isn't rendering as expected, trying the following steps:  

• Delete your browser cookies and cache, then retest the Dynamic Block. 

• Copy the Campaign, then send proofs to a different ESP, such as Gmail or Yahoo etc., to see if the content renders correctly. 

• Copy / paste the Dynamic Block into an external HTML editor to see if the content renders correctly outside of the platform. If not, the issue may lie with your HTML code.

• If the content renders correctly in an external HTML editor, but not within the platform, you will need to identify the problematic code by removing parts from the Dynamic Block until it works correctly.

If the Dynamic Block isn't displaying in the Campaign:

• Verify that the Dynamic Block's Merge Symbol is placed correctly in the Campaign message. 

• Send proofs to yourself to see if you can replicate the issue. 

 If the problem persists, please contact Global Support for further assistance.