Rex includes a number of default templates, but building your own means your correspondence sounds like your agency rather than like the software. The process is much the same for email, letter and SMS templates, with a few differences noted below.
This article covers creating a template, what each setting does, adding merge tags and links, and duplicating an existing template. For what merge templates are and how they get used, see Admin, Settings & Other Lists: Merge Templates: Introduction.
Before You Start 🔒
- You need a Merge Templates privilege to create or edit templates. With no privilege you can use existing templates but not manage them. See Admin, Settings & Other Lists: Merge Templates & Tracks: Sharing and Permissions.
- You cannot edit a default Rex template. Duplicate it first, then edit your copy.
- Decide which module the template belongs to before you start, since it determines the merge tags available and where the template can be used.
How Do I Create a Merge Template?
- From the left side menu, go to Settings > Tracks, Merge & Brochures.
- Click Email Merges, Letter Merges or SMS Merges on the left-hand side.
- Click the black + button at the top.
- Enter a name for the template.
- Click Save.
- The template editor opens. Select the module and enter a description.
- Write your content, inserting merge tags where information should be pulled from the record.
- Click Save Changes.
The three merge types differ slightly in the editor:
- Email - every option described here, plus an Email Subject field the other types do not have
- Letter - images cannot be added through the editor, but can be added through the source view. See Admin, Settings & Other Lists: Merge Templates: Adding Images to Templates
- SMS - no formatting tools at all. The only option is + Insert Merge Tag
What Do the Template Settings Mean?
Module decides which merge tags you can use and which records the template can be sent from:
- Contacts - merge tags for the contact. Use this when you do not need to merge anything from a property record.
- Properties - merge tags for the property, and for contacts related to it such as tenants and past owners. Use this when the correspondence is about a property.
- Listings - similar to Properties, with the addition of contract detail merge tags. Use this for all correspondence about listing and selling a property.
Description is free text explaining what the template is for. Other users see it in the template list, so it is worth filling in even though it is optional.
⚠️ Please Note: Depending on the module you select, the template may not appear as an option on certain records. If your template does not show when you try to send a merge, an incompatible module is almost always the reason. If you cannot resolve it, contact our support team.
How Do I Add Merge Tags to a Template?
Merge tags are the placeholders Rex replaces with real information when the merge is sent. Use + Insert Merge Tag in the editor and choose the field you want.
The tags available depend on the module you selected, which is why the module matters. A template built on the Contacts module has no access to property or contract tags.
For the full list of tags, see Reoccurring Rex Functionality: Merge Tags: The Complete List.
How Do I Add a Link to an Email Template?
You can link to any external page from an email template, for example "Click here to visit the About page of our website".
- Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.
- Click the link button in the editor toolbar.
- Enter the address in the URL field.
- Click OK.
To make an image clickable rather than text, see Admin, Settings & Other Lists: Merge Templates: Adding Images to Templates.
How Do I Duplicate an Existing Template?
Duplicating is how you start from a Rex default template, or reuse one of your own.
- Go to Settings > Tracks, Merge & Brochures.
- Select Email Merges, Letter Merges or SMS Merges from the left-hand pane.
- Open the template you want to copy.
- Click Duplicate.
- Enter a name for the new template.
- Click Done.
- Select the module from the drop-down.
- Enter a description.
- Edit the content as needed.
- Click Save Changes.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there strange or foreign symbols in my content?
This happens when content is copied in from another application. Programs like Microsoft Word use their own markup to format text, and that markup comes across as unwanted characters. To avoid it, either type the content directly into Rex, or clean the text before pasting it in by running it through a plain-text or smart-quote conversion tool and pasting the cleaned result.
My template does not appear as an option when I try to send a merge. Why?
The module on the template does not match the record you are sending from. Check the module first. It can also mean the template is not shared with you.
Why can't I edit this template?
Either it is a default Rex template, which must be duplicated before editing, or you do not have a Merge Templates privilege that covers it.
Can I change a template's module after creating it?
The module can be set when duplicating. If a template is already in use on the wrong module, duplicating it onto the correct module is the cleaner path.
Why can't I format my SMS template?
SMS templates are plain text by design. Only merge tags can be inserted.
Can I attach a file to a merge?
Yes, at the point of sending rather than on the template. See Contacts In Rex: Adding Attachments to an Email Merge.