Content Tokens

Content Tokens allow a marketer to personalize messages. For example, an admin can put a token firstname into an email to display the member’s first name.

Content Tokens also allow a marketer to define simple, reusable bits of content, such as the “from” email address when sending mailings. Tokens support localization, so these bits of content can vary based on the member’s language preference.

Content Tokens can usually just be called “Tokens.” One could also think of them as “Dynamic Content Tokens,” since they are dynamic.

Using Tokens

All tokens can be used in the content editor, either formatted as Token Elements or Merge Tokens. Tokens of type “merge” can contain the Merge Token syntax. The predefined system tokens are used implicitly in special places in the system, such as the Email From address.

The content editor will show a real-time preview of Test Members for all Token Elements.

Token Elements

Tokens can be inserted into content as Token Elements. These are valid DOM elements (such as a DIV, SPAN, or IMG tag) with a CSS class in the format “stl_token_”.

Examples:

Dear <div class=”stl_token_firstname”>Member</div>,
Member #:<span class=”stl_token_membernumber”>123456</span>
<a href=”…” class=”stl_token_webversion”>View in Browser</a>

Apply To…

Each token has an Apply To setting that defines how the value of a token will be applied to the Token Element.

Text:The token value will replace the inner HTML of the token element, so in the first example above, the text “Member” would be replaced by the member’s first name, such as “Joe”.
Link: The token value is applied to the “href” attribute of the Token Element.

Since the token variable will be used as part of a CSS class name, it is critical that the token variable be validated as a valid CSS class name when defined by the admin.

If the member attribute value is empty or null, then the token “Default Value” should be used instead, even if the default value is blank.

Token Types

The Loyalty Content Token supports six types:

Static. Contains only one value. Use this token to localise the information within the template, or to navigate the audience to a specific link. Examples include Email From, Email Reply To, etc.
Member Attribute.* Contains metadata from a specific member attribute. Use this token to include member-specific attribute information. Examples include First Name, Tier, Member Since, etc.
Merge. Contains variables from other Content Tokens. Use this token to combine two or more different content tokens. An example is Full Name, which combines the First Name and Last Name content tokens.
Metric. Contains metadata from a specific metric type’s value. Use this token to include member-specific metric values. Examples include Points MTD, Spend YTD, etc.
Activity Attribute. Contains metadata from a specific activity type’s attribute. Use this token when there is an activity being processed, and to include information about the activity specific to the member. Examples include Store Purchased, Total Amount Purchased, etc.
Activity Line Item. Contains all the line item from an activity, as well as the line item value. Use this token when there is an activity being processed, and details of the processed activity or transaction can be included. Basic syntax for the formatting of the line items are in handlebar-like syntax — to start the loop, use {{#sl_items}} and ends with {{/sl_items}}.
Resource Attribute. Contains metadata from a specific object’s attribute. Use this token to specify different objects on the platform unique to each instance. Examples include Challenge Metric Earned, Member Avatar URL, Punch Card Name, etc.

Merge Tokens

Merge Tokens can contain references to other Content Tokens, including conditional logic. The token value is built up as a merged string of several other tokens that are expanded inline in the outer string of the token definition, such as “Name: {{stl_token_firstname}} {{stl_token_lastname}}”.

Merge Token syntax surrounds each tokens variable in double curly braces, such as “{{stl_token_firstname}}”.

Basic Usage

Enclose variables in double curly braces {{ }}, e.g. “Dear {{ stl_token_first_name }},”

Do not surround your merge token with quotes “ “ or those will appear in the output.

Merge Tokens cannot contain other Merge Tokens, to prevent recursion.

Like all tokens, you can localize the format for various customer locales.

Advanced Usage: Handlebars

Merge Tokens use Handlebars syntax, which has conditional logic and can accommodate even complicated needs. For basic syntax, refer to: http://handlebarsjs.com/expressions.html. See below for various loyalty examples, some of which are quite advanced.

A handlebars expression is a {{, some contents, followed by a }}. These can include other Content Tokens or conditional logic.

Merge Tokens support two custom Handlebars operators, “iff” and “if_eq”. Both are case-sensitive. Both allow a and b as tokens or literal values. The supported operators for “iff” are ===, >, or <.

The tilde (“~”) character in the examples below is Handlebars “whitespace control”.

Example: Cascading Defaults

This example shows how to test multiple attribute values, using the first that is not empty.

{{~else}}#

Salutations

Salutations can be constructed as Merge Tokens. Even formal salutations with nuanced and complicated social rules are possible.

Example: USA Salutation

Dear {{stl_token_first_name}},

Example: Italian Salutation

cara {{stl_token_lastname}}

caro {{stl_token_lastname}}

caro

Example: German Salutation

Sehr geehrter Herr {{stl_token_academicdegree}} {{stl_token_lastname}}

Sehr geehrte Frau {{stl_token_academicdegree}} {{stl_token_lastname}}

Sehr geehrte(r) Herr/ Frau {{stl_token_academicdegree}} {{stl_token_lastname}}

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren

Example of Setting up a Content Token

The instructions for setting up the First Name content token are below:

Go to Admin > Content > Content Tokens.
Type “First Name” and select token type “Member Attribute”, then click “Create”.
Choose the Member Attribute “First Name”.
Set a Default Value like “Friend” in case any members do not have a first name set.
Leave API Visible=checked (true) so your web and mobile clients can use this token.
Click on “Save” and the dialog will close; your content token is now available for use.

Sample Content Tokens

The tokens listed below are commonly used by other programs. For your convenience, Loyalty automatically creates the tokens marked with an asterisk (*) but you can customize them as needed.

Token Name	Type	Setup
First Name *	Member Attribute	Member Attribute = First Name; Default Value = “Friend”
Last Name	Member Attribute	Member Attribute = First Name; Default Value = “”
Member ID *	Member Attribute	Member Attribute = Member ID
Email *	Member Attribute	Member Attribute = Email
Point Balance *	Metric	Metric = Point; Metric Value = Balance; Default Value = “0”
Full Name	Merge Token	Value = “ ”
Salutation	Merge Token	Value = “Dear , ”
Program Name	Static	Value = “Loyalty Program”
Support Email	Static	Value = “support@example.com”
Support Phone	Static	Value = “(650) 555-1212”
Program Home	Static	Value = “https://example.com”, Apply To = “Link”

Message Template Content Tokens

Loyalty has some content tokens with special behavior in Message Templates. These are not editable and do not appear in the list of content tokens.

Token Variable	Apply To	Behavior
stl_operational_hidden	element	Hides element if message setting Operational=true
stl_web_version	link	links to the “web version” of the email message
stl_unsubscribe	link	links to Communication Preferences content page.