Advanced Identity Cloud

Email Template node

The Email Template node generates and sends an email, such as a welcome email based on an email template. This node relies on an email provider to send the email.

This node doesn’t wait for a reply. If authentication should pause and wait for a reply to the email, use the Email Suspend node instead.

Compatibility

Product Compatible?

Advanced Identity Cloud

Yes

PingAM (self-managed)

Yes

Ping Identity Platform (self-managed)

Yes

Inputs

The Email Template node uses the identity in the shared state data to get the profile, meaning the journey must have successfully authenticated or at least identified the recipient. When the journey reaches this node, the shared state must hold the profile value to match the configured Identity Attribute. The value can be in the username property or in a property having the same name as the Identity Attribute.

The Email Template node uses its Identity Attribute to look up the profile, and its Email Attribute to get the recipient’s email address from the profile. In other words, the node finds the recipient’s address and other properties in the profile, not the shared state data.

For example, if the node uses default configuration settings and Babs Jensen authenticated to the journey, the shared state includes "username": "bjensen". The node looks for a profile with "userName": "bjensen". It gets the recipient address from the profile’s mail attribute, such as "mail": "bjensen@example.com". The node uses any applicable profile attributes to populate the email template, omitting missing values from the populated template.

Dependencies

Before you use the Email Template node:

Configuration

Property Usage

Email Template Name

The name of the email template prepared as a dependency.

Default: welcome

Email Attribute

The profile attribute for the recipient’s email address.

Default: mail

Identity Attribute

The attribute used to identify the managed object in the underlying identity service.

Default: userName

Outputs

This node doesn’t add to the shared state data.

If the outcome is Email Sent, this node has sent the templated message to the recipient through the email service.

Outcomes

Email Sent

The node completed a request to send the message to the recipient.

If the message doesn’t reach its destination, the problem is with the delivery, not with the node.

Email Not Sent

The node failed to complete a request to send the message.

This outcome arises, for example, when one of the following happens:

  • The node can’t get the user profile.

  • The template doesn’t match the user profile.

  • The specified Email Attribute doesn’t contain an address.

According to OWASP authentication recommendations, any messages displayed in the journey should be the same in both cases.

Errors

This node doesn’t log any error or warning messages of its own.

Examples

Use the Email Template node to send an email message when the journey doesn’t depend on a reply. For example, send a welcome message when a user completes registration.

This example augments the default Registration journey and sends a welcome email.

Before setting up the journey:

  • Configure the email service.

    Use the built-in SMTP server.

  • Create an email template for the Email Template node.

    Use the platform email template editor to duplicate the Welcome template and customize your copy:

    A modified welcome email template in the editor

The journey is as follows:

Registration journey with an [.label]#Email Template# node

  1. The Page node prompts for the same information as the default Registration journey.

  2. The Email Suspend node sends a message to the registered email address with a link for the user to click.

    The journey proceeds when the user clicks the link, confirming their email address.

    It has default settings and uses the default Registration email template:

    The default registration email template

  3. The Create Object node stores the newly registered user’s profile.

  4. The Email Template node reads the user profile and populates the template from profile attribute values. It makes a request to the email service to send the message.

    Its settings are:

    Email Template Name

    The name of your welcome email template

    Email Attribute

    mail (default)

    Identity Attribute

    userName (default)

  5. The Increment Login Count node updates the count on successful authentication.

Use the journey to register an account for Babs Jensen with your email as the address. You receive two messages:

Emails from the registration journey

  • The Register new account message has a link to click to continue the journey, confirming you can access the registered email account.

  • The Your account has been created welcomes you on successful registration.

This demonstrates you have successfully used the Email Template node in a journey.