Dynamic Blocks

A Dynamic Block is a special type of asset in Cheetah Digital that allows you to customize the content of a Campaign based on some logical rule, or condition. Instead of having to create separate Campaigns for each content variation, you can create a single Campaign, and use a Dynamic Block to determine the appropriate Content Block (or External Content Block) to send to each recipient. Dynamic Blocks can be used to control many different components of a Campaign, such as text, images, HTML code, an email subject line, or an email friendly-from name.

Like Content Blocks, a Dynamic Block is created independently of a Campaign, and is reusable across Campaigns and across channels.

The platform supports two different data sources for building Dynamic Blocks -- the Cheetah Digital database, and the Engagement Data Platform (EDP). The Engagement Data Platform is the data layer that powers and unifies Marigold's Cheetah Digital, Loyalty, Experience, and Personalization applications. The EDP empowers marketers to load and transform data from any source, at high volumes, and then to leverage that data to create lasting customer relationships across all engagement channels.

Building dynamic content

A Dynamic Block consists of one or more logical criteria. These criteria are referred to as Rule / Block Pairs because they consist of both a condition to be met (the Rule) and a resulting action (the Block to be used when the condition is met). A Dynamic Block can consist of one to many different Rule / Block Pairs which drive specific, personalized content to the correct audience. Dynamic Blocks also support the use of default content, which will be sent to Campaign recipients who don't meet any of the defined rules.

Query types

Cheetah Digital provides two different methods (called query types) for establishing how you want to identify which recipients get which content variant:

  • By Filter: Use if you want to define multiple Filters that will break the Campaign audience into smaller unique groups, each of whom should receive unique content. Please note that this query type is not supported for Dynamic Blocks that use EDP as their data source. 

  • By a Value in a Field: Use if you want to look for a specific value in a database field. 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).

You must choose only one of these two query types for your Dynamic Block; you can't use both types within the same Dynamic Block.

Note: For the match by Filter query type, you have the option of entering the Rule / Block Pairs into the user interface, or of uploading a spreadsheet containing the Rule / Block Pairs. Please see the Dynamic Content Upload section below for details on how to upload Rule / Block Pairs. This feature is not available for the match value in a field query type.

Conditional statements

The platform supports two conditional statements that define the business logic for the Rule / Block Pairs: IF > ELSE IF and IF > IF.

The IF > ELSE IF conditional statement is useful if you know you want a recipient to fall into only one rule, and to receive only one Content Block. The system works from the top down, evaluating candidates against the first rule. Only the non-matching recipients drop down to the second rule. Once a recipient matches a rule, they are removed from any further evaluations. Therefore, the sequence of the rules is important, because even if a recipient qualifies for more than one rule, they would receive only the Content Block from the FIRST rule to which they matched.

As an example, let's say that your company has three different tiers of premium customers based on their purchase history -- Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You want to send an email Campaign with unique offers to each tier. Instead of creating three different Campaigns, you could create a single Campaign, and use a Dynamic Block to control which Campaign recipient gets which offer. Your Dynamic Block would consist of three different rules, followed by a default catch-all rule for all recipients who aren't a member of any tier. This logical statement would look like this:

  1. IF Recipient is a Platinum Member, then send Platinum offer,

  2. ELSE IF Recipient is a Gold Member, then send Gold offer,

  3. ELSE IF Recipient is a Silver Member, then send Silver offer,

  4. ELSE send Default offer.

Each of the different offers listed above must reside within a different Content Block (or External Content Block). The determination of a recipient's membership in a particular tier could be defined either through a Filter, or through a value in a database field.

The IF > IF conditional statement allows a recipient to potentially match to multiple rules, and therefore to receive multiple Content Blocks. For example, let's say you want to send coupon offers to customers based on their purchase history. If a customer made multiple purchases, they should receive coupons for each purchase. This logical statement would look like this:

  1. IF Recipient purchased shoes, then send shoes coupon,

  2. IF Recipient purchased a shirt, then send shirt coupon,

  3. IF Recipient purchased socks, then send sock coupon,

  4. ELSE send Default coupon.

In this example, a customer who made multiple qualifying purchases would receive multiple Content Blocks. The sequence of the rules doesn't matter, as the system evaluates every customer against every rule. So, even if a customer met the first rule (purchased shoes), they would still get evaluated against the second and third rules as well.

Access

The Dynamic Blocks screen is accessible via the Main menu; select Assets > Blocks > Dynamic Blocks

Create a new Dynamic Block

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 or EDP.

  5. If you selected Cheetah Digital in step 4, from the Data Source drop-down menu, select the Cheetah Digital 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. 

Define default content

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 block

  1. Select the Content Block radio button (this option is selected by default). The Content Editor is displayed. The Content Editor includes tabs for each of the version formats that you checked above.

  2. The Content Block field is used to define or select the Content Block used for this Rule / Block Pair:

  • To create a new Content Block, enter a name for the new Content Block. Then enter the desired content into the Content Editor (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

  • To select an existing Content Block, either begin typing in the Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. The Content Editor screen is populated with this Content Block. You can optionally make changes to this Content Block from this screen (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

External content block

  1. Select the External Content Block radio button. Please note this option is available only if the Dynamic Block uses a Cheetah Digital table as its data source; this option is not available for Dynamic Blocks that use EDP as their data source. 

  2. In the External Content Block field, either begin typing in the External Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. 

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

  4. 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).

Define a rule/block pair - by filter

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

Cheetah Digital 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 Block

  1. Select the Content Block radio button (this option is selected by default). The Content Editor is displayed. The Content Editor includes tabs for each of the version formats that you checked above.

  2. The Content Block field is used to define or select the Content Block used for this Rule / Block Pair:

  • To create a new Content Block, enter a name for the new Content Block. Then enter the desired content into the Content Editor (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

  • To select an existing Content Block, either begin typing in the Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. The Content Editor screen is populated with this Content Block. You can optionally make changes to this Content Block from this screen (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

External Content Block

  1. Select the External Content Block radio button. Please note this option is available only if the Dynamic Block uses a Cheetah Digital table as its data source; this option is not available for Dynamic Blocks that use EDP as their data source. 

  2. In the External Content Block field, either begin typing in the External Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. 

  1. 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).

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

  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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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

  7. 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.

Define a rule / block pair -- by value in a field

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

Cheetah Digital 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:

  • Cheetah Digital: If you selected a Cheetah Digital 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 Cheetah Digital. 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.

  1. 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.

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

  3. 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.  

  4. Select the desired content option:

Content Block

  1. Select the Content Block radio button (this option is selected by default). The Content Editor is displayed. The Content Editor includes tabs for each of the version formats that you checked above.

  2. The Content Block field is used to define or select the Content Block used for this Rule / Block Pair:

  • To create a new Content Block, enter a name for the new Content Block. Then enter the desired content into the Content Editor (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

  • To select an existing Content Block, either begin typing in the Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. The Content Editor screen is populated with this Content Block. You can optionally make changes to this Content Block from this screen (see the Content Editor Help topic for more information on using the Content Editor).

External Content Block

  1. Select the External Content Block radio button. Please note this option is available only if the Dynamic Block uses a Cheetah Digital table as its data source; this option is not available for Dynamic Blocks that use EDP as their data source. 

  2. In the External Content Block field, either begin typing in the External Content Block name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. 

  1. 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).

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

  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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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

  7. 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.

 Dynamic content uploader

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:

Column Name Description Notes

Content Option

The options in this column are:

  • default -- Indicates that this row is the default condition for the Dynamic Block; this row should be the last row in the spreadsheet.

  • content block -- Indicates that this Rule / Block Pair uses an existing Content Block.

  • new -- Indicates that this Rule / Block Pair uses a new Content Block; upon upload, the platform will create a Content Block using the same source table as this Dynamic Block.

  • external block -- indicates that the Rule / Block Pair uses an existing External Content Block

Filter Name

Provide the name of the Filter to be assigned to this Rule / Block Pair

If the Filter name is invalid or unknown, the platform displays an error message.

If you attempt to assign a Filter to the default Rule / Block Pair, the system ignores the provided Filter (with no error warning).

Content Name

The options in this column are:

  • If the Content Option column is default, content block, or external block, provide the name of the Content Block (or External Content Block) to be assigned to this Rule / Block Pair.

  • If the Content Option column is new, provide the name of the new Content Block.

For existing assets, if the Content Block (or External Content Block) name is invalid or unknown, the platform displays an error message.

For new assets, if the provided name already exists, the platform displays an error message

HTML

The options in this column are:

  • If the Content Option column is default or content block, the HTML provided in this row will overwrite the HTML in the specified Content Block.

  • If the Content Option column is external block, the HTML provided in this row is ignored (with no error warning).

  • If the Content Option column is new, the HTML provided in this row is used to populate the new Content Block.

 

Text

The options in this column are:

  • If the Content Option column is default or content block, the Plain Text provided in this row will overwrite the Plain Text in the specified Content Block.

  • If the Content Option column is external block, the Plain Text provided in this row is ignored (with no error warning).

  • If the Content Option column is new, the Plain Text provided in this row is used to populate the new Content Block.

 

 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.

  1. 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.

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

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

Copy a Dynamic Block

To copy an existing item to use as the basis for a new item:

1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

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

3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Actions > Save As. A Save as dialog box is displayed.

4. Enter a name for the new item.

5. By default, the new item will be saved in the same folder location as the base item. Optionally, click the magnifying glass icon to browse to and select a different folder location.

6. Click Save a copy. The system creates a copy of the selected item.

View or edit a 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.

To view or edit an existing Dynamic Block:

  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 X. 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 X 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").

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

Delete a Dynamic Block

To delete an item:

  1. Search for the desired item (see Search for an Item for more details).

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

  3. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Actions > Delete. A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

  4. Click delete item to confirm the deletion.

  5. Foldered items are moved to the Recycle Bin. Non-foldered items are permanently deleted.

Assign a Dynamic Block to a campaign

Once you create your Dynamic Block, you can use it within one or more Campaigns. Cheetah Digital 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 Cheetah Digital 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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]}.

  2. 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.

Troubleshooting

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.