Template Builder
- Ben Clark
Alterian CX is powered by rules, often lots of rules. These rules are making millisecond decisions on which creatives to show, sending emails or simply tracking activity across channels. Rules are made up of strings of separate templates performing different actions linked togather creating a whole.
Templates are available to our customers in two ways.
Alterian provide a broad series of public templates solving common CX use cases in a standard and repeatable manner.
If your CX requirements are more bespoke or you need to integrate with solutions where public templates do not yet exist, you may need to create your own templates that you then load into Alterian CX for use in your own rules.
Alterian provides Template Builder to help you to create and adjust these templates. Some users may use it to create templates from scratch, some may simply edit and others triage templates and rules to identify issues.
Template Builder is a low code, always up to date, on demand template creation and editing solution.
Template Builder has been built to integrate closely with Alterian CX and the data you hold in your solution, allowing easy template creation and accurate contextual testing.
Template Builder itself is internally documented. Once you have access to Template Builder you will find help on how this solution works. We have limited the options in Template Builder to only those that will work in Alterian CX.
Creating new Templates
Each Alterian CX user with the assigned permission can initiate and then use their own instance of Template Builder.
The creation of a new template can be initiated from two main areas
At the top of the Template Screen.
From the “Create New” icon and dialogue in the main bar and at the top of the home page and the selection of “Template”.
When this has been selected a separate page will open highlighting progress in opening Template Builder. If Template builder has been opened before in the users session the process should be quick. If not we show a progress bar showing the stage and how many more stages are required.
Template Builder will open in the design screen when a new template is required.
Editing existing templates
You can freely open existing templates directly into Template builder allowing the template to be adjusted.
Template editing can be initiated from three main areas.
Templates screen, when selecting Open in Template Builder
In the Templates “About” screen in Templates screen and Rule Designer
Lastly you can edit a template directly from the Template tile in Rule Designer.
Remember once the template has been adjusted and uploaded back into Alterian CX you will need to refresh the templates by clicking on the “Check for updates” button. The chosen template can then be updated into the tile.
Template Builder Creation
The creation of your Template Builder instance can take some time, up to 90 seconds in some cases. We’ll provide progress on the load screen.Status
Status changes,
Stats Creating…
then
Status: PROVISIONING
This simply highlights that the instance has been requested and is being created.
We create Template Builder on request for each individual. It takes a few mins for your instance to be created. The UI will inform you on progress as the instance is built and made available.
Status: RUNNING/DOWN
Shows the instance has been created but has not yet been bought online.
Status: RUNNING/UP
Template Buidler will either open at the design screen if a new template was the request or open the template requested.
If any issues occur with the creation of the Template Builder instance it will retry so it;s possible you may see the same status more than once.
Terminating Template Builder and automatic termination
Once you have finished working in Template Builder you can terminate your session. This allows resources to be made available to other Template Builder users so this is highly encouraged.
The Shutdown opion shows under the process indicator and is available from the pending status forwards.
If you do not terminate your session we will automatically terminate the session after four hours of inactivity.
Template Builder is a transient solution fully connected to your selected CX solutions templates, rules and data. Please do not attempt to persist data or draft templates within Template Builder. Everything should be accessed from and stored within Alterian CX to allow us to effectively persist this information.
When we terminate Template Builder everything not saved correctly back to Alterian CX will be lost forever. Don't forget you can load draft templates to the Dev target to keep work in progress outside production.
Template Builder Updates
Alterian CX Template Builder improvements, bug fixes and product changes are applied to your Template Builder system automatically following your CX system upgrade.