Button with URL combined with merge field of email address

Max Classic
#1

We have designed an email broadcast that aims to drive clients to our own (external) landing page of a trial site for our amazing visual management tool, Visual Ops.

To make it easier for clients, we need to ‘pass through’ their email address to our trial site, which then allows them access. To make it even easier and to look nicer, I’ve created a button and embedded this URL https://trial-visualops.commit.works/?userID=~Contact.Email~

In my original broadcast (which were to internal staff as a test), the merge field worked perfectly. This was saved as a Template for future broadcasts.

HOWEVER, future broadcasts, rather than merging the contact’s email it does this:
https://trial-visualops.commit.works/?userID=~contact.email~&inf_contact_key=94081d56b226ffbf7562c3f9ca7563de026bf89280f9a70e7be39bfb2fb9e140

We seem to have found what I would call a workaround, in that we have to ‘reinsert’ the URL and merge field every time…which of course means we can’t automate, as we have to manually undertake this task for each broadcast batch.

And, I’ve tried it with a straight up link (not behind a button) which, on first broadcast works fine, but doesn’t after being saved as a template.

AND, I’ve tried it with HTML ‘button’ - same result.

Any ideas?

And, what’s all the random stuff that appears after ~contact.email~ ?

Cheers
Michelle

#2

userId would be a number where as the contact.email merge field is a text for the email address. Also, it must be capitalized as in ~Contact.Email~ or ~Contact.Id~

#3

Hi John and thanks so much for getting on board to solve this little puzzle.

userID in this scenario is part of the link what we setup for our site, as opposed to something from InfusionSoft. So, my question is, does userID exists somewhere as a field in Infusionsoft (which might mean it is causing a feedback loop or some other error?)

With regard to caps, we will try this again, although we did identify this yesterday when troubleshooting and thought that might be the issue…it wasn’t.

Keep the ideas coming everyone! Please.

#4

So the merge field after userID= would need to be capitalized as in ~Contact.Email~ as apposed to ~contact.email~. The inf_contact_key is a temporary value and more often than not is not that helpful. So if you receive either the contacts email or id, then information can be pulled from the app specific to that. That information can definitely be sent. As to the question of userID existing in IS, no, on the tables it does not though UserId does.

#5

When I’ve tried this previously I found it doesn’t seem to like working behind buttons or text links, but seems to work correctly if typed ‘in clear’, so NOT made into a url inside Infusionsoft, however most browsers then automatically convert it to a URL link for you on viewing.

Not perfect, but might be worth looking at.

#6

Thanks John. None of that resolves the issue.

#7

Thanks Andy. That’s a work-around. I also have a couple of work-arounds. I’m wondering if this is a bug, as it looks like a bug, it acts like a bug, so it probably is a bug.

#8

It’s be super awesome if Infusionsoft Developers could review this thread too. I totally appreciate the contributions from the community, yet we’re not finding a resolution. Dear developers, please help :slight_smile:

#9

@James_Mefford?

#10

Did you ever have a solution to this as I am about to try the same thing with a custom field.

http://websiteXYZ.com/?id=~Contact._AccountNumber0~"

1 Like
#11

One idea was to use the set field option to use merge fields and the url to set the custom field that would then work for the button url. This should work because the merge field data wouldn’t be limited by the button widget and the custom field would have the information in it already so it would be formatted before the button is created.

1 Like
#12

Hello, did anyone ever solve this problem? I appreciate John Borelli contributing with ideas but they did not work. It simply auto-populates with the name of the custom field, such as ~Contact._AccountNumber0~.

The only way to make it work is to put in plain text, such as http://websiteXYZ.com/?id=~Contact._AccountNumber0~ - in which infusionsoft will insert the value of ~Contact._AccountNumber0~ into the plain text - and THEN 95% of email programs will interpret the plain text into a link, making it auto-populate when clicked on with the value into the form.

The problem is that this is ugly. How can we make this priettier via a button or some type of link shortening process that would still allow the custom value merge field to be autopoulated by infusionsoft?

Thank you guys