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<a href> with scripting not working

Question asked by Phillip Wild on May 21, 2017
Latest reply on Jun 16, 2017 by Phillip Wild

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I'm having some trouble with an email script passing through a URL.

#set($dossierURL = "www.gadventures.com/trips/${trips_cList.get($listlength).dossier}" )

#set($imageLink = ${trips_cList.get($listlength).dossierImageURL} )

The image passes through just fine, but the link goes to something like this:

https://%24%7Bmy.vdossier_url_1987005%7D/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkRkalpXUmxNREJpTjJJMiIsInQiOiJPaE43MCtleHU5c0ZpV05WRHZkbTlcL1o2Y2ZMZkdrMnRKczFoTWdpUWdCc01QUDdMXC95RGczMTRcL3FqcGFuc1Nvb1draU05M0h3V2pDOWVhRFdkYlNWUT09In0%3D

Clearly the token is not translating properly, but what's even more confusing is that there are extra parameters on the URL that are on the end of the URL (?utm_source etc). Is this possibly because I have other email script tokens using the same variables in my email program? That's the only explanation I can think of.

Thanks, Phil

Sanford Whiteman May 21, 2017 12:45 PM

Correct Answer

Use formal notation when outputting: ${dossierURL} and ${imageLink}.

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Sanford Whiteman May 21, 2017 12:45 PM

Use formal notation when outputting: ${dossierURL} and ${imageLink}.

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Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on May 22, 2017 6:24 AM

Thanks again Sanford!

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Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on May 22, 2017 1:39 PM

Hi Sanford

I might have to revise this slightly...So here's the code I used:

#set ($listlength = ${List.size()})

#set ($listlength = $listlength - 1 )

Note I removed the line which sets the variables before I pass them through to the URL. I found using your solution above that using the notation ${List.get($listlength).dossier}/ works, but annoyingly that seems to destroy my URL parameters, and it also removes the Marketo tracking. Why? Based on the docs I've read around scripting in the Developers site, the notation <a href="https://www.example.com/${dossier}" should work just fine.

On a different note, I've found that when I add a new custom object to a lead profile, it's not changing the output of this script - it remains the same. Any tricks I need to know around this? Shouldn't the creation of a new custom object on the List object I'm referencing above mean that my code is using the latest entry? I feel like I've used this before in the past without issue.

Thanks again.

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Sanford Whiteman @ Phillip Wild on May 23, 2017 12:50 AM

#set ($listlength = $listlength - 1 )

That's really fragile. I'd do

#set( $lastIndex = $math.sub(listlength,1) )

The Velocity parser doesn't support the minus sign as much as you think it does.

Note I removed the line which sets the variables before I pass them through to the URL. I found using your solution above that using the notation ${List.get($listlength).dossier}/ works, but annoyingly that seems to destroy my URL parameters, and it also removes the Marketo tracking. Why? Based on the docs I've read around scripting in the Developers site, the notation <a href="https://www.example.com/${dossier}" should work just fine.

With links, I'd put as much as possible (except for the http:// or https://) in a single Velocity $reference.

Dunno offhand about the URL parameters disappearing, but put them inside the dynamic string and see what happens.

On a different note, I've found that when I add a new custom object to a lead profile, it's not changing the output of this script - it remains the same. Any tricks I need to know around this? Shouldn't the creation of a new custom object on the List object I'm referencing above mean that my code is using the latest entry? I feel like I've used this before in the past without issue.

It means you're using the last index in the array: that's as far as I'd go because the docs don't match up to reality on this one. I always sort the COs by date if I want to be sure to get the last one.

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Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on Jun 5, 2017 6:05 PM

Thanks again Sanford.

I've solved the URL parameters issue - it was because of a strange redirect on our website. I've removed the need for the redirect and it works just fine.

However, the size of the array is still giving me trouble. This line:

#set ($listlength = ${abandonedCart_cList.size()})

Always evaluates to 1, no matter how many are in the array. Even stranger, when I hardcode the number into a line like this, trying to get the second element:

#set( $hyperlink = "${array.get(1).variable}")

The email doesn't send. I'm guessing that it's because Marketo can't find the second element in that array. So it seems that listlength is always 1 because the size of the array is always 1.

I've checked this with a few different leads in Marketo (both with multiple elements in the custom object) and I keep getting 1. When I tried a different array (from a Salesforce custom object) with multiple values, that same line of code to check the size of the array outputs correctly - giving me 27 in one instance.

So what would be different about that array that is causing it to behave like this? I can see all Marketo Custom Object entries when I look in the Marketo lead records. Since the offending array is a Marketo Custom Object, and the one that works correctly is a Salesforce Custom Object, I'm guessing it's related to that. But why?

On your first point around the fragility of $listlength - 1, is this because Velocity imports everything as strings? Just for my knowledge.

Thanks in advance, again!

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Phillip Wild @ Phillip Wild on Jun 16, 2017 8:10 AM

Just to round this off, the above error around arrays is because I was using "Send Sample Email" instead of using a single flow action to test the scripting. Oops!

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6 Replies

Sanford Whiteman May 21, 2017 12:45 PM
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Correct Answer
Use formal notation when outputting: ${dossierURL} and ${imageLink}.
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- Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on May 22, 2017 6:24 AM
  Mark Correct
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  Thanks again Sanford!
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- Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on May 22, 2017 1:39 PM
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  Correct Answer
  Hi Sanford
  
  I might have to revise this slightly...So here's the code I used:
  
  #set ($listlength = ${List.size()})
  
  #set ($listlength = $listlength - 1 )
  
  <a href="https://www.gadventures.com/trips/${List.get($listlength).dossier}/?utm_source=Consumer_Transactional&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sweepstakes" style="color: #47268d; font-weight: bold; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <img src="http://${List.get($listlength).dossierImageURL}" width="600" border="0" class="deviceWidth" style="display:block;border-width:0;-ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic;" alt="G Adventures"> </a>
  
  Note I removed the line which sets the variables before I pass them through to the URL. I found using your solution above that using the notation ${List.get($listlength).dossier}/ works, but annoyingly that seems to destroy my URL parameters, and it also removes the Marketo tracking. Why? Based on the docs I've read around scripting in the Developers site, the notation <a href="https://www.example.com/${dossier}" should work just fine.
  
  On a different note, I've found that when I add a new custom object to a lead profile, it's not changing the output of this script - it remains the same. Any tricks I need to know around this? Shouldn't the creation of a new custom object on the List object I'm referencing above mean that my code is using the latest entry? I feel like I've used this before in the past without issue.
  
  Thanks again.
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  - Sanford Whiteman @ Phillip Wild on May 23, 2017 12:50 AM
    Mark Correct
    Correct Answer
    #set ($listlength = $listlength - 1 )
    That's really fragile. I'd do
    
    #set( $lastIndex = $math.sub(listlength,1) )
    
    The Velocity parser doesn't support the minus sign as much as you think it does.
    
    Note I removed the line which sets the variables before I pass them through to the URL. I found using your solution above that using the notation ${List.get($listlength).dossier}/ works, but annoyingly that seems to destroy my URL parameters, and it also removes the Marketo tracking. Why? Based on the docs I've read around scripting in the Developers site, the notation <a href="https://www.example.com/${dossier}" should work just fine.
    With links, I'd put as much as possible (except for the http:// or https://) in a single Velocity $reference.
    
    Dunno offhand about the URL parameters disappearing, but put them inside the dynamic string and see what happens.
    
    On a different note, I've found that when I add a new custom object to a lead profile, it's not changing the output of this script - it remains the same. Any tricks I need to know around this? Shouldn't the creation of a new custom object on the List object I'm referencing above mean that my code is using the latest entry? I feel like I've used this before in the past without issue.
    It means you're using the last index in the array: that's as far as I'd go because the docs don't match up to reality on this one. I always sort the COs by date if I want to be sure to get the last one.
    1 person found this helpful
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    - Phillip Wild @ Sanford Whiteman on Jun 5, 2017 6:05 PM
      Mark Correct
      Correct Answer
      Thanks again Sanford.
      
      I've solved the URL parameters issue - it was because of a strange redirect on our website. I've removed the need for the redirect and it works just fine.
      
      However, the size of the array is still giving me trouble. This line:
      
      #set ($listlength = ${abandonedCart_cList.size()})
      
      Always evaluates to 1, no matter how many are in the array. Even stranger, when I hardcode the number into a line like this, trying to get the second element:
      
      #set( $hyperlink = "${array.get(1).variable}")
      
      The email doesn't send. I'm guessing that it's because Marketo can't find the second element in that array. So it seems that listlength is always 1 because the size of the array is always 1.
      
      I've checked this with a few different leads in Marketo (both with multiple elements in the custom object) and I keep getting 1. When I tried a different array (from a Salesforce custom object) with multiple values, that same line of code to check the size of the array outputs correctly - giving me 27 in one instance.
      
      So what would be different about that array that is causing it to behave like this? I can see all Marketo Custom Object entries when I look in the Marketo lead records. Since the offending array is a Marketo Custom Object, and the one that works correctly is a Salesforce Custom Object, I'm guessing it's related to that. But why?
      
      On your first point around the fragility of $listlength - 1, is this because Velocity imports everything as strings? Just for my knowledge.
      
      Thanks in advance, again!
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      - Phillip Wild @ Phillip Wild on Jun 16, 2017 8:10 AM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Just to round this off, the above error around arrays is because I was using "Send Sample Email" instead of using a single flow action to test the scripting. Oops!
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
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