Recipients for this type of target group are derived from recipient datasets in LISTSERV Maestro. This type of target group gives you the ability to send an email to an entire dataset.
To create a target group based on a dataset, click on the Recipient Warehouse menu, select
New Recipient Target Group, and then select
Based on Dataset. The Target Group Definition wizard opens. See the following sections for details on using this wizard.
Both the Name and
Description fields are mandatory. Enter a meaningful name and a good description so the end users who are selecting target groups in the recipients wizard will have all the information they need to decide which target group to use.
Target groups can be clustered in categories, making it easier for the end user to select a target group. A category is meant to contain target groups that are related to each other. The intent of categories is to minimize the time users need to locate a specific target group. By selecting a category first, users do not need to browse through all the available target groups, but only those in the relevant category.
To add a target group to a category, simply choose the category for the target group from the
Category drop-down menu. To create a new category, click the
New Category link and define a new category by entering its name into the field. Target group categories are optional. If no category is selected or created, then your target groups will be placed into
<No Category>.
The Source screen defines the recipient dataset that the target group will be based on. To define, click on the
Send to this Dataset drop-down menu and then select the desired recipient dataset.
The Source Details screen allows you to define a filtering condition that can be used to select a subset of the subscribers from the dataset on which the target group is based.
The only requirement is the “ActivelySubscribedToAnyList” condition, which simply means that the member/subscriber must belong to at least one list in the dataset. For details on defining a filtering condition, please see the online help.
The parameters will be presented to the end user one below the other, in the order defined here. The selection box shows all parameters. Each parameter is listed with its name and label. Select a parameter and click
Up or
Down to change its position in the list.
In addition to the parameters themselves, special "headings" may also be defined, which are similar to title rows or section headings. Use headings to add additional explanatory text to the layout and to group parameters together in a way that underlines their semantics. Click on
New Heading to create a new heading. Each heading consists of the heading text, rendered in an emphasized manner, and an optional text, rendered in a smaller font. Fill out at least the heading text, then click
[Save Entry]. This will create a new entry in the selection box to the left, which now stands for the heading just defined.
To edit an existing heading, select it in the selection box, then edit its texts in the edit fields to the right. Click
[Save Entry] again. If
[Save Entry] is not clicked after editing or creating a heading, the changes will be lost as soon as any other link or button is clicked.
Headings can be inserted between the existing parameters at any location. A new heading will always be created just before the selection box entry that is currently selected. If no entry is selected it will be created as the first entry. To add a heading just before a given parameter, first select that parameter and then click on
New Heading. The headings and parameters can be re-ordered at any time with the
Up and
Down links.
The Input Preview screen displays the parameters in exactly the same way as they will be displayed to the end user when this target group is used in the recipients wizard. It allows you to verify that the labels, descriptions, parameter types, and values, as well as the parameter ordering and any optional headings that you may have added appear as expected. You can also check that the input validation for integer or floating point numbers is enabled for the input fields where this is required.
This screen also contains another important feature - enabling the target group for use in the recipients wizard. A target group that has been created is not automatically enabled for use in the recipients wizard. The data administrator must explicitly enable the use of each target group. To do so, check the
Yes, allow the definition of recipients based on this target group option.
Target groups need to be enabled individually, giving the data administrator control over the use of each target group. This way, groups can be created in advance, and only enabled when needed. Similarly, target groups can be disabled, preventing users from accessing them, without permanently deleting them.
