Message Templates

Message templates in MsgGO allow you to customize the content and format of notifications sent to various delivery targets when an event is received. Using templates, you can create dynamic messages that include data from the received event, making your notifications more informative and contextually relevant.

Understanding Message Templates

Message templates define how your notifications appear when delivered to destinations like Slack, email, or SMS. With MsgGO's templating system, you can:

Create multiple templates for a single event definition
Define different templates for different delivery targets
Include dynamic content using event data variables
Create conditional content using Twig templating language

Each delivery definition must have a message template assigned to it to determine what content will be sent when an event is received.

Creating Message Templates

You can create message templates in two ways:

Method 1: From the Events List

Navigate to the Events section in the left sidebar
Find the event you want to create a template for
Click the Add delivery button next to the event
In the modal dialog, select a delivery target
Fill in all required fields for your selected delivery target (e.g., for Slack, select workspace and channel first)
After filling required fields, the Message template option will appear
Choose New message template from the dropdown
Enter a name for your template and create your message content
Click Save to create both the delivery target and the template

Method 2: From Event Editing

Navigate to the event definition you want to create templates for
Scroll down to the "Message templates" section
Click the New button to create a new template
Enter a name for your template
Select which delivery target this template applies to
Create your message content
Click Save to store your template

Using Twig in Templates

MsgGO now uses Twig as its templating language. Twig is a flexible, secure, and feature-rich template engine that provides powerful features for creating dynamic content.

Basic Twig Syntax

Variables: Access data with double curly braces:

{{ event.name }}

{% if data.status == 'success' %}
  Success!
{% else %}
  Failure!
{% endif %}

{% for item in data.items %}
  - {{ item.name }}
{% endfor %}

{% set greeting = 'Hello' %}
{% set name = data.user.firstname %}
{{ greeting }}, {{ name }}!

{{ data.message|upper }}

Available Variables

When creating message templates, you can use the following variables to insert dynamic content:

Variable	Description
`event.name`	Event name
`event.receivedAt`	Date of receiving the event (format: YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS)
`data`	Object containing all data delivered with the event. To see all data in serialized form, use the json_encode filter: `{{ data \| json_encode }}`
`data.keyName`	Access to a specific key in the data

To insert these variables into your template, place them between double curly braces as per Twig syntax. For example:

New event received: {{ event.name }}
Time: {{ event.receivedAt }}
Status: {{ data.status }}

Filters allow you to modify variables and expressions. They are separated from the variable by a pipe symbol (|). Multiple filters can be chained, with the output of one filter applied to the next.

Basic Filter Syntax:

{{ name|title }}

{{ list|json_ncode(', ') }}

{{ (1..5)|json_encode }}
{{ ('HELLO' ~ 'WORLD')|lower }}

MsgGO provides several useful filters that you can use to format your message content. Here's a complete list with examples:

{{ "hello world"|capitalize }}
{# Output: Hello World #}

Delivery Target-Specific Formatting

Each delivery target in MsgGO has its own formatting capabilities and limitations. The message editor will automatically adapt based on the delivery target you select.

Slack

Uses Slack Markdown for formatting
Supports bold, italic, code blocks, and other Slack-specific formatting
For more details on Slack formatting, see Slack's formatting documentation

Email

Uses standard Markdown for formatting
Supports headings, lists, links, and other common markdown features
Maximum message length: 40,000 characters
For more details on Email formatting, see Markdown Guide

SMS

Uses plain text only (no formatting)
Does not support diacritical marks, emoji, or UTF-8 special characters
Any special characters will be automatically converted to ASCII equivalents or removed
Maximum message length varies by region, generally limited to 160 characters

URL (Webhook)

Sends JSON data to the specified URL
No specific formatting limitations
For more details, see URL Delivery documentation

Delivery Target Limitations

Different delivery targets have specific limitations that you should be aware of:

SMS: Cannot contain diacritical marks, emoji, or UTF-8 characters. These will be automatically converted to ASCII equivalents or removed. Limited to 160 characters per message.
Email: Maximum content length of 40,000 characters. HTML elements may be stripped depending on the receiving email client.
Slack: Maximum of 4,000 characters per message. Some advanced formatting may not display correctly in all Slack clients.

Best Practices for Message Templates

Keep templates concise: Focus on the most important information, especially for SMS and chat platforms
Use variables effectively: You don't need to worry about missing data - if a variable doesn't exist, it simply won't be rendered
Test your templates: Send test events to verify your templates work as expected
Consider the context: Design templates with the delivery channel in mind
Use descriptive names: Give your templates clear names that indicate their purpose

By effectively using message templates in MsgGO, you can ensure that the right information reaches the right people in the most appropriate format for each communication channel.

Docs / MsgGO