Email Fields Settings¶
The Email field appears on six different types of records in Volgistics. You can find Email fields on:
- The Core tab of the volunteer records
- The Contacts tab of the volunteer records
- The Coordinator tab of Coordinator records
- The Site tab of Site records
- The Place tab of Place records
- The Assignment tab of Assignment records
The Email field on most of the records is only used for communicating the email address recorded on the record. For example, the email address on Assignment records can appear in Assignment Profile Reports as well as in your Opportunity Directory.
The Email field on the Core tab of volunteer records, and the Coordinators tab of Coordinator records, has added functionality because the system can send email messages to the address recorded in the field. In addition, the email address recorded for volunteers and Coordinators is the username for logging-in to the VicNet portal.
This help topic explains how to set the field properties for the email fields. The List of All Fields has information about all the fields in Volgistics, along with the tab where each field is used.
Follow these steps to get to the page to set field properties:
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Expand Field options.
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Select the location where the field is used. For example, to change the properties of the Email field for contacts such as the volunteer's emergency contact, select Contacts tab because this is the tab of the volunteer records where contact records are stored.
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Select the Email field you'd like to work with.
Email Feild Details¶
Field location¶
This lists where the field you are viewing is used.
Location Note
The field property setup pages for the email fields all look similar, but each field's setup is independent of the others. For example, if you change the name of the Email field for Coordinators from Email to VicNet Login, the field will still be called Email in other locations such as the Core and Contacts tab of volunteer records. You need to update the field name on each record that has an Email field if you want all email fields to be re-named.
Type of field¶
The email fields are text fields. The system does not perform a check to make sure a valid email address is entered because there may be times someone who does not have an email address would still like access to the VicNet portal. While this is acceptable, a volunteer without a valid email address recorded cannot receive email messages sent from the system or reset their VicNet password if they forget it.
Tip!
While the system does not check if an email address is valid when it is entered, Volgistics keeps track of each message sent to the address and whether or not it was received successfully. If too many messages fail, the address is marked as invalid.
Field name¶
To update the name of an email field, delete the text currently saved for the field and enter the new name you want to give the field.
Hidden¶
Select No if you want the field to show on the tab, or Yes if you do not want the field to show. When a field is hidden, System Operators will not see the field or any information entered in it before the field was hidden. However, any information that was in the field before it was hidden will still be there if you later unhide the field.
Data in Hidden Fields
Please remember that when a field is hidden the information stored in the field is still there and will still be functional. For example, if the Email field on the Core tab is hidden, volunteers could still receive email messages as long as there was a valid email address recorded in the field before the field was hidden.
Require an entry¶
Select Yes for Require an entry if you want System Operators to always enter information in the Email field when a record is created or modified. This is usually only done if you are sure the email information is known. If you're not sure operators will always know the email address, it's best to leave Require an entry set to No.
Default entry¶
Enter an email address in the Default entry field if you always want that email address to appear when new records are created. Whether or not you want to do this depends on what type of record the email field you're working with appears on. For example, most volunteers will have different email addresses so it would not make sense to enter a default email address on volunteer records. However, the email address for Sites, Places, or Assignments may always be the same. In this case, it would make sense to put in a default email address on those types of records.
Even if a default email address appears when a new record is created, the address can be erased or replaced by the System Operator who is making the record if the default address is incorrect.
System operator rights¶
When a Volgistics Administrator adds new operator records, they can assign the record one of three user levels:
- Administrator
- Power user
- Basic user
The user levels can be used to customize access to the system. For example, Administrators can select View only from the dropdown by Power users if they want the email address to be seen, but not changed, by operators with that user level.
Related Help¶
- Search Based on Email Address or Preferences
- Search Based on Email Validity
- List of All Fields
- Messages Ground Rules
- Get Started With Coordinators
- Track Volunteer Contacts
- Field Customization and Configuration
- Add a New System Operator
- Limit Operator Rights or Access
- Recommended Email Settings
- Find Volunteers Without an Email Address
- Track Message History
- Email Address Validity
- Find Volunteers With an Invalid Email Address
- Getting Started With Application Forms
- Send an Email Message Overview
- Methods to Add New Records
- Message Control Fields Settings
- VicNet Overview