Creating a Grid Object Symbol

Creating a grid object symbol automatically creates the other symbols needed by the grid: grid symbols to use in the cell content and a key value symbol (if you choose to use one). See Using Existing Symbols in a Grid if any of the symbols needed by the grid already exist in the cell.

To configure a grid:

1. Start Campaign Builder.

   Note: To use a grid in a cell, you must use Campaign Builder 7.0.

2. Create or edit the cell that you want to contain the grid.
3. Go to the Symbols tab.
4. Create a new symbol of type Grid Object.

   

   The Grid Object symbol is not intended to be used in the cell content (although it can be if you have a specific need to do so). It can be safely deleted after the grid is working.

5. Save the symbols tab.
6. Click in the Default column of the grid object symbol

   

   Note: Although the column name is Default, a grid object symbol does not use it to set a default value in the usual sense. The purpose is to bind the cell to a specific grid object. There is no non-default case.

7. Click the name of the grid object that you want to associate with the cell.

   

   When you have selected a grid object, the panel changes as shown below:

   

8. Choose the source of the grid key value used at mailing time for each e-mail recipient. There are two options:
   • Enter a New Key Symbol on which to base the key value. Campaign Builder creates the symbol for you unless it already exists.

     Do not use one of the column names listed at the bottom of the panel. To do so causes a namespace conflict.

   • Select a Static Key Value for all recipients of this cell from the dropdown list. This method is intended for targeted audience lists. Using the states grid example, you could create a special cell with an audience list consisting only of recipients in a specific state. In that case, you would select a static key value representing the targeted state.
9. Click Submit. There may be a delay as Campaign Builder automatically creates symbols for you. When the process is complete, the symbol tab looks something like the one shown below.

   

    

   • Each column in the grid object now has a corresponding symbol of type Grid Symbol. In this example, the columns are G1BONUSBUCKS ... G1WKLYSPECIAL. You can delete grid symbols that are not used in the cell.
   • Each grid symbol displays the name of the grid followed by a period and the name of the grid data column in the Default column. This mapping of symbol name to grid column allows you to change the symbol name without changing the associated data column. For example, the grid symbol G1HOURS displays "states.G1HOURS" in the Default column. If you rename the grid symbol G1HOURS to some other name such as STORE_HOURS, the value in the Default column does not change.
   • The Grid Object Symbol displays the name of the grid object in the Default column.
   • If you specified a symbol name as the source of the grid key value, Campaign Builder automatically creates a key value symbol of that name (KEYVALUE in the example). The default symbol data type is Data Column and the symbol is based on AUDIENCE. You can change the data type to any other symbol data type except possibly a custom symbol.
10. If you are using a key value symbol, the default data type is Data Column:
    1. Select the Based On data column.
    2. Enter a Default value for the new key value symbol.

    If you use another symbol data type to provide the grid key value, set the symbol column values as you normally would.

11. Click Save.

    Note: This step is very important. The grid and grid value symbols are not written to the database until you save the Symbols tab.

12. Once you have saved the symbol tab, you can use the grid symbols in your cell content as shown in About Grid Publisher.