Manage User Subscriptions

After your taxonomies have been created and configured for email publications or notifications, users need to be able to subscribe to emails. After users are subscribed, they need to be able to modify their subscriptions and unsubscribe.

If you are allowing guest users to subscribe to email publications, you also need to be able to verify those users’ email addresses.

Create a subscribe link for email publications and notifications

The Taxonomy Subscription content template works in conjunction with the Taxonomy Menu content template to insert a subscription link when a user clicks on an item in a taxonomy menu.

By including three instances of your publications or notifications taxonomy (Taxonomy Menu, Taxonomy Loader, and Taxonomy Subscriptions) on the page that your taxonomy menu links to, users can navigate through categories of content, view content, and subscribe to publications or notifications from a single page.

At minimum, two instances of your publications or notifications taxonomy content item must be placed on a page for users to be able to subscribe. These are:

• an instance that uses the Taxonomy Menu content template and
• an instance that uses the Taxonomy Subscriptions content template.

To insert a subscription link for publications or notifications

1. Open the page that will contain the subscription link in the page editor This could be a new or existing page. Often it is the page associated with Link field in the Taxonomy Menu content editor.
2. Click in the droppable area that you want the subscription link to appear. Select Add Existing Content.
3. In the Add Content to Page dialog, locate your publications or notifications taxonomy. Under the Content Template column, select Taxonomy Subscription as the content template.
   
4. Under the Action column, click the plus symbol to add the content.
5. If it does not already exist, add another instance of the taxonomy content item to the page using the Taxonomy Menu content template.
6. Add other content to the page as necessary.
7. In the Actions panel, click Save.

The subscription link does not render on the page (on the live site or in preview mode) until a taxonomy menu item is clicked.

The Taxonomy Subscriptions content template renders text that informs users:

• whether they can subscribe
• are already subscribed, or
• need to verify their email before they can subscribe (guest user publication subscriptions only).

Attach an email preferences link to an email publication or notification

We recommend that every email publication and notification include a link for users to manage their subscriptions.

There are two steps to including an email preferences link:

• Create an email preferences page that users are directed to when they click the link.
• Include the email preferences link as content in the email publication or notification.

The email preferences page uses a content item with the Email Preferences content template, which allows users to manage their subscriptions without signing into the site.

To create an email preferences page

1. In OrchestraCMS, create a page as you normally would and open it in the page editor.
2. Click in the droppable area where you want email preferences to appear. Select Add New Content.
3. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Portal.
   • from the Select Content Template list, select Email Preferences
   • In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Email preferences”).
   • Click Finish.
4. In the page editor, add other content that you want to include on the page.
5. When the page is completed, on the Actions menu, click Publish.
6. In the Publish Page dialog, make sure that the Email Preferences content item is also selected for publication. Click Yes.

After an email preferences page is created, you can add an email preferences link to email publication and notification pages.

To add an email preferences link to an email publication or notification page

1. Open an email publication or notification page in the page editor.
2. In the Actions panel, click Email Editor.
3. Click in the droppable area where you want the unsubscribe link to appear. Click Add New Content.
4. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Portal.
   • from the Select Content Template list, select Email Preferences
   • In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Email preferences”).
5. Click Finish.
6. In the content editor, click in the Email Preferences Page box.
7. In the Select Link dialog, do the following:
   • From the Link To list, select A page in this CMS.
   • In the Page box, enter or select the email preferences page that was created in the previous procedure.
8. Click Select.
9. In the Actions panel, click Save.
10. Return to the page editor, and on the Actions menu, click Publish.
11. In the Publish Page dialog, make sure that the Email Preferences Link content item is also selected for publication. Click Yes.

The “email preference center” link directs to the designated email preferences page. The Email Preferences content template renders a list of the publications and notifications to which the specific user is subscribed, and the following actions are available:

• Unsubscribe. When users unsubscribe from a publication or notification, they stop receiving those emails; and the publication or notification is removed from their subscriptions list.
• Suspend. When users suspend a publication or notification, they stop receiving those emails; but the publication or notification remains on their subscriptions list so they can resume the subscription at a later date.
• Unsuspend. The unsuspend option allows them to resume the subscription and start receiving emails again.
• Change notification frequency. If you have created multiple automatic email schedules, users can change their schedule preference (e.g., from daily to weekly notifications).

The text that is rendered by the Email Preferences Link and Email Preferences content templates can’t be modified through OrchestraCMS.

Create a profile page for authenticated users to manage subscriptions

Authenticated users can manage their subscriptions from their personalized profile page. This page contains the following elements:

• User details, including the user’s name, title, organization, email address, and phone number.
• Lists of the email publications and notifications that the user is subscribed to, with the ability to modify subscription preferences using the following actions:
  • Unsubscribe. When users unsubscribe from a publication or notification, they stop receiving those emails and the publication or notification is removed from their subscriptions list.
  • Suspend. When users suspend a publication or notification, they stop receiving those emails; but the publication or notification remains on their subscriptions list so they can resume the subscription at a later date.
  • Unsuspend. The unsuspend option allows them to resume the subscription and start receiving emails again.
  • Change notification frequency. If you have created multiple automatic email schedules, users can change their schedule preference (e.g., from daily to weekly notifications).
    • A link to a page where the user can change their password (optional).
    • A link to a page where the user can change their user details (optional).
    • A link to a page that lists all of the available subscriptions (optional).

The text that is rendered by the My Profile content template can’t be modified through OrchestraCMS.

To create a profile page for authenticated users to manage subscriptions

1. In OrchestraCMS, create a page as you normally would and open it in the page editor. This should be a secured page that has the Force Login page property enabled.
2. Click in the droppable area where you want the profile information to appear. Select Add New Content.
3. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Portal.
   • from the Select Content Template list, select My Profile.
4. In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “User Profile”).
5. Click Finish and Edit.
6. In the content editor, you can optionally add the following pages:
   • Change Password Page. This is a page that includes the Change Password content template.
   • Change User Details Page. This is a page where a users can change their details. (There is no content template that does this by default in OrchestraCMS.)
   • Available Subscriptions List Page. This is a page that includes the Available Subscriptions content template.
7. Return to the page editor, add other content that you want to include on the page.
8. On the Actions menu, click Publish when the page is complete.
9. In the Publish Page dialog, make sure that the My Profile content item is also selected for publication. Click Publish.

Create a complete list of available subscriptions

The Available Subscriptions content template displays a list of all of the publications that are available with the ability for users to subscribe to them. It dynamically renders the list when the user clicks on the link in the My Profile page to view the full list of email publications available for subscription. The list can’t be accessed any other way.

To create an available subscriptions page

1. Create a page as you normally would and open it in the page editor.
2. Click in the droppable area where you want the list of available subscriptions to appear, and select Add New Content.
3. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type, select Portal.
   • from Select Content Template, select Available Subscriptions.
4. In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Available Subscriptions”).
5. Click Finish.
6. In the page editor, add other content that you want to include on the page.
7. In the Actions panel, click Publish when the page is complete.
8. In the Publish Page dialog, make sure the Available Subscriptions content item is also selected for publication. Click Yes.
9. Open the My Profile content item in the content editor and select this page for the Available Subscriptions List Page field.

Verify subscriber email addresses

In the taxonomy properties for email publications, you can choose to allow guest user subscriptions.

Guest users must have their email addresses validated before they can subscribe to an email publication. When the option to allow guest subscriptions is selected in the taxonomy properties, an email address verification page must be associated with the taxonomy.

There are four pages that need to be created for use with email verification:

• Email verification link page. This page is created in the email editor, rather than the page editor. It contains a content item that uses the Email Verification Link content template. Here you can insert a link to the email verification page.  
• Email verification page. This page is where users are directed when they click the email verification link. It contains a content item that uses the Email Verification content template. It determines if the user should be immediately directed to the email verification form page or the email verification confirmation page. It will depend on whether the email address is already included in a Lead record in Salesforce.
• Email verification form page. This page is where new guest users are directed to complete a form that will create a Lead record in Salesforce. This step only needs to be completed once per new email address.
• Email verification confirmation page. This page is where guest users are directed if their email address is already included in a Lead record in Salesforce. It can contain any content that provides a confirmation message that the user’s email address has been verified.

The process of creating these pages is simplified if they are created in the reverse order than they are listed above, because

• the email verification page must be associated with the email verification form page and the email verification confirmation page; and
• the email verification link page must be associated with the email verification page.

Guest users can only subscribe to email publications, not email notifications.

Create an email verification confirmation page

The email verification confirmation page should contain a message that confirms that the user’s email address has been verified. You can use any appropriate content type and content template to create this message.

To create an email verification confirmation page

1. Create a page as you normally would. Open it in the page editor.
2. Click in a droppable area. Add content to display a confirmation message (e.g., “Your email address has been verified.”)
3. Add other content to the page as necessary.
4. When the page is complete, on the Actions menu, click Publish. Make sure you also publish the content on the page.

Create an email verification form page

The email verification form page contains a form that creates a Lead record in Salesforce when a user submits it.

Any guest user whose email address is not currently added as a Lead record in Salesforce must complete and submit this form in order to receive email publications.

After guest users have submitted this form once, they don't have to complete the form again (unless they subscribe using a different email address).

Each time guest users subscribe to a subsequent publication, they receive an email with an email verification link. If their email address is already entered as a Lead record in Salesforce, they are immediately directed to the email verification confirmation page.

To create an email verification form page

1. Create a page as you normally would, and open it in the page editor.
2. Click in the droppable area where you want the form to appear. Click Add New Content.
3. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Form.
   • from the Select Content Template list, select Form.
4. In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Email verification form”).
5. Click Finish & Edit.
6. In the content editor, click in the Confirmation Page box.
7. In the Select Link dialog, do the following:
   • From the Link To list, select A page in this CMS.
   • In the Page box, enter or select the page that contains a content item with the Email Verification content template.
8. Click Select.
9. From the Salesforce Object list, select Lead. Click Add.
10. Click to expand Lead Fields.
11. Drag the Lead ID field to the Drop Hidden Fields Here area. In the Add Field dialog, click to select the Output Parameter Field check box. Click Save.
12. Drag the following fields into the form table:
    • Email. In the Add Field dialog, select the Required, Auto DeDuplicate Field, and Query Parameter Field check boxes. In the Parameter Name box, enter email.
    • Last name. This field is required by default.
    • First name. This field is required by default.
    • Company. This field is required by default.
      • Optionally, drag other fields into the form to capture additional information.
13. Click to expand Form Elements and do the following:
    • Drag the Text element into the form table as many times as required to create labels for the form fields. In the Add Field dialog, enter the label for the field. Click Save.
    • Drag the Submit Button element into the form table. In the Add Field dialog, enter the button text. Click Save.
      • Optionally, add other form elements to the form.
14. In the Actions panel, select Save, and return to the page editor.
15. In the page editor, add other content to the page as necessary.
16. When the page is complete, in the Actions panel, select Publish. Make sure you publish the content on the page.

Unless otherwise specified as a hidden field in the form, the default Lead owner of new leads created by this form is the site’s guest user.

Create an email verification page

After users click on the verification link received by email, the email verification page determines whether they should be directed to

• the email verification form page; or
• the email verification confirmation page.

If the email address that the user submitted is already included in the Lead record in Salesforce, the user is directed to the email verification confirmation page. Otherwise, the user is directed to the email verification form page where he or she can enter details in a form that will create a Lead record in Salesforce.

The email verification page must contain a content item that uses the Email Verification content template.

To create an email verification page

1. Create a page as you normally would, and open it in the page editor.  
2. Click in a droppable area, and click Add New Content.
3. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Portal.
   • from the Select Content Template, select Email Verification.
4. In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Email verification”).
5. Click Finish and Edit.
6. In the content editor, click in the Email Verification Confirmation Page box.
7. In the Select Link dialog, do the following:
   • From the Link To list, select A page in this CMS.

In the Page box, enter or select the email verification confirmation page.

8. Click Select.
9. Click in the Email Verification Form Page box.
10. In the Select Link dialog, do the following:
    • From the Link To list, select A page in this CMS.
    • In the Page box, enter or select the page that contains the email verification form.
11. Click Select.
    
12. In the Actions panel, click Save.
13. In the page editor, in the Actions panel, click Publish. Make sure you publish the content on the page.
14. In the Publish dialog, click Yes.

Create an email verification link page

The email verification link page is an email that is sent to guest users who need to verify their email address in order to receive email publications.

It must contain a content item that uses the Email Verification Link content template. Here users can insert a link to the email verification page.  

To create an email verification link page

1. Create a page using a page template that is associated with an email template.
2. Open the page in the page editor.
3. In the Actions panel, select Email Editor.
4. Click in the droppable area that you want the email verification link to appear. Click Add New Content.
5. In the Create New Content dialog:
   • from the Select Content Type list, select Portal.
   • from the Select Content Template list, select Email Verification Link.
6. In the Name box, enter a name for the content item (e.g., “Email verification link”).
7. Click Finish and Edit.
8. In the content editor, click in the Email Verification Page box.
9. In the Select Link dialog, do the following:
   • From the Link To list, select A page in this CMS.
   • In the Page box, enter or select the page that contains a content item that uses the Email Verification content template. Click Select.
10. In the Actions panel, click Save.
11. In the page editor, add other content that you want to include in the verification email.
12. In the Actions panel, click Publish. Make sure you publish the content on the page.