date token display customization

[Eric_Salamon1]

I would like to see that we can customize the format that is visable when seeing the date token. for example right now it is all numbers year - month - day ( 2014 - 08 -28). It would be more professional to use month day year but in the following way August 28, 2014.

Can that simple feature be implemented?

[Anonymous]

We would love that to be customizable. We currently have to use multiple text tokens to get what we want instead of just one. We would like to be able to just have month and day and perhaps to abrieviate the month.

[Anonymous]

Just so folks know, if you want to do this in email, it is possible, if a bit complicated, today via email scripting (http://developers.marketo.com/documentation/email-scripting/)

[Eric_Salamon1]

It is great that we can sccript it but the idea is that normal people can do it using the "intuitive Marketo interface". If that is an unreasonable request please let me know.

[Anonymous]

No, it isn't  unreasonable, and we'll look at this as an idea to pursue. I wanted to comment here though, should someone who really needed it come upon this idea.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to see it even a little more customizable, by giving the option of adding the day of the week as well (select the date from calendar) and then you can format like excel does with various standardized date formats including and not including the day of week as options. 

 

[Anonymous]

Scripting isn't possible for dates stored as my.tokens at the program or marketing activities folder level...

[SanfordWhiteman]

It is if you store them as Velocity tokens (not Text tokens).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply, Sanford Whiteman - I have a folder Date token in marketing activities called OpenDate and I want to reference it inside the Email Script token... That doesn't appear possible.

The OpenDate token has different values at different places in the tree. Are you suggesting just having the Email Script token store the Date Value? I suppose we could do that and not try to bring in the {{my.OpenDate}} value into the Email Script token. It's just we use that Date value in other areas, so that would mean we'd have to edit the OpenDate token and the OpenDateEmailScript token values, for every open date in the tree.

I think that's what you're suggesting, unless I'm missing something. It is accurate that the {{my.OpenDate}} token value won't be set inside of the script, correct?

[SanfordWhiteman]

Right, a Text or Date {{my.token}} won't be accessible in Velocity. But another Velocity {{my.token}} can be included and referenced in further VTL. All Velocity tokens share the same global context, so separating your "data" and "code" tokens is a good practice anyway.

I frequently have Text/Date tokens and Velocity tokens representing the same data so I can hit it from either part of Marketo. It's not wonderful, but once it becomes the norm you don't think about the extra step after cloning, etc.

[Anonymous]

That's helpful. Thanks!

I think since I'm not the only one maintaining these, the simpler route (since all we want want now is the ability to format the Date for display in email), is to include additional text tokens to achieve what we're looking for... good to know this is possible and appreciate the guidance, should we revisit this at some point.