Inserting countdown timers into messages

You can insert a countdown timer into a message by itself, or combine it with a product image/key visual to make a single graphic.

Inserting freestanding countdown timers

1. Select your message and click Edit…. The Edit Content window opens.
2. Click New: Content Paragraph to create a new content paragraph.

   

3. Click Text/Image.

   

4. Click Insert field function  in the Text area.

   

5. Select the field function of the countdown timer you want to insert into your message. Click OK.

   If you use an image URL field function, insert it into the source code as follows: <img src="{countdownImageUrl:0123456789}"/>.

6. Click Apply.

   The countdown timer does not show in real time in the preview. But, you can send a test message to yourself to preview the countdown timer before mailing the newsletter. To do so, click Test message in the upper right of the Template Kit.

Combining countdown timers with product images/key visuals

If you prepared graphics for the countdown timer (see Prepare graphics) and created the counter for the countdown timer (see Create a countdown timer), you can combine the product image/key visual and the countdown timer into a single graphic.

The basic procedure places the product image/key visual and the timer separately into two paragraphs positioned one above the other, with no spacing between. For the combining process, create a new grouping paragraph.

1. Select your message and click Edit…. The Edit Content window opens.
2. Click New: Paragraph to create a new grouping paragraph in your message.
3. Click Grouping Paragraph.

   

4. Enter 0 under Layout, in the Space between content paragraphs box.

   If you forget to enter 0 here, in some cases, your product image/key visual and the countdown timer will not be seamlessly combined.

   

5. Click Apply.
6. To insert a new content paragraph for your product image/key visual into the grouping paragraph, click New: Content Paragraph on the left side of the preview, under the new grouping paragraph.
7. Click Text/Image.

   

8. Open the Image tab, click Browse... and select an image in the file browser to upload your product image/key visual. If your visual is saved externally, enter the URL.

   

9. Center the product image/key visual by selecting one of the centering options from the list found under Position, for example Centered below the link.
10. Click Apply.
11. To insert another new content paragraph for the countdown timer into your grouping paragraph, click New: Content Paragraph on the left side of the preview. On the right, a window for selecting the paragraph type opens.
12. Click Text/Image.
13. Click Insert field function  in the Text area. A window with a list opens. The list contains field functions that were saved in your client.
14. In the list, select the field function for the countdown timer that you want to insert into the content paragraphs and click OK.

    If you use an image URL field function, insert it into the source code as follows: <img src="{countdownImageUrl:0123456789}"/>.

15. Click Center to center the inserted field function.

    

16. To save your changes, click Apply.

    The countdown timer does not show in real time in the preview, but you can send yourself a test message to check that the image merge is successful.