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Send Message

Add the Send Message action to send a message to a person when the service is requested. For example, if a service has been delivered, you can send a message to his manager. You can send a message to the Web Portal and by e-mail.

E-mail notification for this action differs from E-mail Integration, which you can configure at Setup > Behavior:

  • If you configure e-mail integration, Identity Director always sends notifications by e-mail for each action that requires user interaction. These e-mails contain a link that opens the Web Portal.
  • If you configure e-mail notification, Identity Director only sends a notification by e-mail for this particular Send Message action. This e-mail contains the actual text of the message, not a link to the Web Portal.

Configuration of Properties tab

Field

Explanation and Tips

Action Name

Optionally specify a friendly name for the action. This name must be unique in the workflow.

Actor

Specify to whom the message is sent. Specify actors manually or use the drop down field to specify them indirectly.

Dynamic actors

You can use placeholders and/or functions to dynamically determine the actor(s) to which it applies. When the action is executed, these resolve into a specific value. For example, this allows you to determine the actor by a previous action or by user input.

  • In the Determine actor based on field, specify the placeholder and/or function that resolve in one or more actor(s). Specify a separator for multiple actors.
  • In the Look up actor with person identifier field, specify the person identifier that identifies the actor based on input from the previous field.
  • In the Action behavior field, specify what should happen to the action.
    • Select Send to one person on the list to assign someone on the list.
      • If there isn't a preceding action with the same dynamic actor rule, a random actor is assigned.
      • If there is a preceding action with the same dynamic actor rule and one actor was assigned, this actor is assigned.
      • If there is a preceding action with the same dynamic actor rule and multiple actors were assigned, the action is assigned to the actor who completed the action most recently.

Smart rules

If you select a smart rule of type List of people or People related to subscriber, also specify its behavior.

  • Select Send to one person on the list to assign someone on the list.
    • If there isn't a preceding action with the same smart rule, a random actor is assigned.
    • If there is a preceding action with the same smart rule and one actor was assigned, this actor is assigned.
    • If there is a preceding action with the same smart rule and multiple actors were assigned, the action is assigned to the actor who completed the action most recently.

Message

Specify a message.

  • You can format your text using the styling-buttons at the top of the Message field.
    To remove formatting, select the text and click Remove Font Style button (Ctrl+\).
    Please note, that pasting formatted text from other sources (e.g. web pages or excel workbooks) may cause HTML tags to be displayed to the end user, while the text is displayed correctly in the Management Portal.
    To remove these tags:
    1. In the Management Portal, select the text in the Message field.
    2. Click Remove Font Style button (Ctrl+\) to remove the styling.
    3. Use the buttons to reformat your text.

    HTML tags that are displayed in the Message field in the Management Portal will be displayed as text in the Web Portal and cannot be removed using Remove Font Style button (Ctrl+\).

  • If you insert the service placeholder, #Service[<File Attribute Name>.Downloadlink], the file reference becomes available as a download link during a service transaction. When the user (e.g. someone at the HR department or Corporate IT) clicks this download link, a page opens that provides information about the file, after which the user can download it.

Send e-mail notification

Enable e-mail notification for this specific action. This sends an e-mail to the user that a message has been delivered in the Web Portal, if you have enabled E-mail Integration (at Setup > E-mail Integration).

  • This option is selected by default. It is also selected in upgraded environments.
  • Clear the option to disable e-mail notification. This is useful if notifications are sent to multiple actors as the result of a smart rule: it prevents unnecessary e-mail notifications.
  • You can only enable or disable e-mail notification if you select the delivery option Identity Director.

Email reminder

Starting with Identity Director 2021.2, you can optionally notify the person that needs to approve or confirm the action, according to the time interval you input.

  • You can set the time interval to a number of hours, days, weeks, or months.

  • The system keeps sending notifications until the action is approved, canceled, or when it expires.

Expiration

Specify when the action expires. This shows the message in the Web Portal until the subscriber reads it or until the action expires.

  • You can use placeholders to make the expiration time for the action dynamic.
    • When the action is executed, the placeholder needs to resolve into an integer (e.g. "9"). Invalid input (e.g. "Nine") causes the action to ignore the expiration time. The transaction continues immediately.

Mailbox

Send the message by e-mail. If you select this option, the E-mail settings tab becomes available.

Identity Director

Send messages to the Web Portal. If you select this option, the option Send e-mail notification becomes available.

Configuration of E-mail settings tab

Item

Explanation and Tips

Use global e-mail integration settings

Apply the settings at Setup > E-mail Integration. This makes it easier to configure the e-mail settings of this action, because you no longer need to configure them manually. And if you change anything to the global E-mail Integration settings, they immediately apply to all actions that use them.

  • If you select the option, the fields used for manual configuration (Server, SMTP Port, User Name and Password), is grayed out, as well as the option Enable TLS Encryption.
  • For new actions, the option Use global e-mail integration settings is selected by default. In upgraded environments, existing configurations stay as they are.

From

Specify the e-mail address from which the message originates.

  • You can specify e-mail addresses manually or via placeholders.

To

Specify the primary recipient of the e-mail notification.

CC

Include Carbon Copy (CC) functionality. For example, use CC to notify a business relation of the subscriber without violating his privacy via e-mail (CC) of a specific event in the transaction.

  • You can specify e-mail addresses manually or via placeholders.
  • You cannot select this option if the actor in the Send Message action is based on a smart rule.

Include BCC

Include Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) functionality. For example, use BCC to notify the manager of the subscriber via e-mail (BCC) of a specific event in the transaction.

  • You can specify e-mail addresses manually or via placeholders.
  • You cannot select this option if the actor in the Send Message action is based on a smart rule.

Server / Port

Specify the SMTP server that sends the message.

  • By default, port 25 is used. Use e.g. port 587 for SSL/TLS.
  • If the Transaction Engine fails to connect to the specified mail server, the Send Message action now gets the status Failed, also if the message is still sent to the Web Portal. The service transaction of which it is part is not affected and may still succeed.

User name / Password

Specify the credentials for the e-mail address specified in the From field.

  • If you duplicate a service that contains this action, the password is not duplicated.

Enable TLS Encryption

Enable TLS encryption. This enhances the security of SMTP communication in your Identity Director environment with the TLS protocol.

Test Connection

Validate the configured server settings.

  • Placeholders are not resolved during testing. This means that the test fails.
See also