As the variations in required message definitions may be only minimal, it is possible to clone existing definitions, retaining all the common attributes, configuration settings, entity criteria, etc. and then simply apply the desired changes to the new copy, thus saving time and effort.
The procedure to clone a message definition is as follows:
- Navigate to Quick Menu > System > Portal Configuration > Message Definition. The Message Definition window is displayed.
- Select a message definition from the alphabetical list or type its name into the Search Message Name field. By default the list is filtered to show Current message definitions. An alternative filter can be applied using the Filter by drop-down field: Expired, Future or All combinations
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- Click on Clone Message. The Message Details window is populated with all the transferable attributes of the source message definition.
- Enter the Message name for the cloned record into the field provided 2.
- Amend the Description field to ensure the contextual information is pertinent to the scope and purpose of the cloned message definition
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- Using the Importance drop-down field, revise the cloned message categorisation level, as appropriate, to determine how it will be presented to customers within Tenant Portal i.e. High or Normal 3.
- Using the Companies drop-down field, ensure that the selected companies are still valid for this cloned message definition 2.
- Amend the Effective from date for this cloned message definition, as required i.e. the date on which it came into effect 4.
- Amend the Effective to date if the cloned message definition is to be reviewed on a specific date or to capture a change of circumstances; a blank field means the bulletin will be continually valid.
- Click on Save. The cloned message definition is displayed in the alphabetical list.
Tip
1 Entering sufficient detail about the message definition will ensure that it can be uniquely identified.
2 Where only a small number of parameter values are not required, activate the All tick box first and then deselect individual items from the full list, as appropriate; the All tick box will be automatically removed once an item is deselected.
Note
1 The Search Message Name field will match against any element of the message definition name.
2 System validation rules ensure that the name entered for each new message is unique for the selected company within the effective period.
3 A message definition marked as High indicates that it will appear in the Important Messages pane; Normal messages will simply be accessible through the My Messages repository.
4 The Effective from date defaults to the current system date and cannot be left blank.
See related topics...
Message board control centre overview
To create a new message definition
