Events (Email Alerts)

Events in ESM have two main uses. The first is for setting up scheduled alerts. The second is for initiating other actions when a data card is saved. This section will focus only on scheduled alerts, although the setup process is similar for both uses.

**Important**: Using the save data card action to start many processes could slow down the system. Make sure to test these actions for performance. You should follow the ESM documentation closely when setting up these actions. For instance, when sending a service notice from ESM to Efecte Self-Service, you can proceed without such tests.

Events are alerts linked to data cards that inform users about critical updates via email. These alerts can be set based on specific conditions and times. Common uses include reminders for important dates like contract renewals or updates to data.

Alert timing can be set to a specific date or based on a condition, such as two days after a card's creation. Conditions for alerts can be detailed, using operators like equal to, greater than, and less than, and set to repeat on a schedule, like every Tuesday from a start date.

An event is tied to a data card, either directly or via a template. Connecting an event through a template applies it to all related data cards, including those created before the event was added.

**Note**: Events linked to a template also apply to cards created before the event setup.

Events can be linked to individual data cards if the alert is only relevant to that card. The ability to create alerts is influenced by the template's permissions but does not impact other templates.

Creating Events for Templates

To create an event:

1. Go to the Template view from the main menu.
2. Choose the template you want to create an event for.
3. Select "Go to events" from the "Template" drop-down list to open the event setup.

In the event view, you'll see the template's name, action options, and fields for setting conditions and dates.

Choose "Send mail" to fill out the email details.

Add email addresses for the sender and receiver. Use commas to separate multiple addresses.

Attribute placeholders can be used in messages to include specific data from the template:

For setting conditions:

1. Click "Add" to choose an attribute and comparison operator.
2. Enter the comparison value.

Operators include:

• like/not like: Checks if the data includes or excludes a value.
• less or equal/greater or equal: For values less than or equal to, or greater than or equal to the comparison.
• equal to/not equal to: For exact matches or differences.
• less than/greater than: For values strictly less than or greater than the comparison.

Multiple conditions can be set for triggering an alert.

Event conditions are AND type conditions, meaning they trigger only when all conditions are met at the same time. Take this into account and consider using not equal or not like instead in situations, where OR type conditions are required.

Dynamic and static dates determine when an alert is triggered. Dynamic dates are based on date attributes in the template, while static dates are set manually. Dynamic date conditions use OR logic, meaning that if multiple dynamic dates are added, the alert will trigger when any one of them is met.

Setting Dynamic date:

Setting static date and recurrence:

Tip: Check if an event has run in the Executed checkbox. Uncheck it to rerun the event.

After setting conditions and dates, confirm to attach the event to the template.

Managing Events

Events for a template can be viewed and edited. Open the Template view, select the template, and click the Events icon.

The event list allows you to see all connected events. You can delete events from this view.

In the Events list, the magnifying glass icon at the left of each row opens the event in viewing mode. The notepad icon opens the selected event in edit mode.

The event is stored as an Efecte 6 style data card providing information on the triggering conditions. It also provides the possibility of editing the event and viewing the event history. 

Events are run by the EventTask task every five minutes by default. Any expired events since the last check will be processed. For more on scheduling, refer to the chapter on Schedulable Tasks.

This guide aims to streamline the process of setting up and managing events in ESM for ESL readers, focusing on essential information for practical application.

Event Scheduling

Events are scheduled as schedulable task EventTask, which is run every fifth minute by default. All the events that have been expired since the last task running time will be executed. Please see chapter 14 Schedulable Tasks for more information on event scheduling.