New knowledge base articles in Atlas

Email Template - FAQ

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:50:29 GMT

What happens if I don’t activate any templates in the designer?

Nothing breaks. All 35 system templates continue to send via the legacy email flow. The designer is for creating custom branded upgrades - it is not mandatory.

What is the difference between a system template and a custom template?

System templates come with the platform, are always active via the legacy flow, and cannot be edited directly. You can create custom branded versions of them in the designer. Please note- Custom templates in the Rules category only are triggered via the Orchestrator.

Will members receive duplicate emails if I create a Rules template on the same trigger?

Yes. System templates cannot be turned off. If you create a Rules email with the same trigger on Orchestrator(e.g., User Registers), the member receives both. Design your Rules email to complement the system template, not duplicate it.

How do I send emails to specific users only?

Use the Orchestrator’s Rules engine with conditions - e.g., “When Topic Posted AND board = ‘VIP Lounge’, send [VIP Template].”

Can I edit the system templates directly?

No. System templates are read-only. To customize, create a new version in the designer. Your branded version replaces the system template when save and published as Active.

Do transactional emails require an unsubscribe link?

No. Transactional emails (authentication, password reset, account notifications) are exempt from unsubscribe requirements in most jurisdictions. The system bypasses unsubscribe for these by design. Marketing/commercial emails do require {unsubscribeUrl}.

How do I test a template before publishing?

Click “Send Test” in the editor. This sends the template to the email of the admin account you are currently logged in on, with placeholder values for variables.

What is Orchestrator?

The platform’s rule-based automation engine. You create Rules with triggers (community events), conditions, and actions (including SEND_EMAIL). Custom templates with the Rules category can be triggered through Orchestrator.

Orchestrator rules: custom templates by trigger

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:49:08 GMT

The 35 system templates handle standard notifications. The Orchestrator lets you go above and beyond by using Rules to send custom emails tied to specific triggers. Custom emails must be created in the Rules category in the Email Template Designer.

How it works: Create a Rule in the Orchestrator with a trigger, optional conditions, and a SEND_EMAIL action referencing a Rules custom template built in the designer.

Available triggers

S. No.	Trigger
1	User Registers
2	User Email Verified
3	Role Granted
4	Group Join Request
5	Topic Posted
6	Topic Updated
7	Topic Moved
8	Topic Deleted
9	Solution Accepted
10	Expert Notification
11	Clarification Nudge

Note: Inactivity detection (e.g., “members who haven’t returned in 7 days”) and threshold-based triggers (e.g., streak milestones) are not yet available. The triggers above represent everything currently available.

Category	Sub-Categories	Count
Authentication	Email Change Confirmation, Email Verification, Registration Confirmation, Forgot Password	4
Subscription	Immediate Notification	1
Engagement	Private Message, Mentions, Content Mentions, Solution to Question, Answer Accepted, Accept as Solution Reminder, User Rank Change, Likes, Award User Badge	9
Moderation	Moderator Notification, Message Move, Message Edit, Message Deletion	4
Post Templates	Message Post Confirmation, Co-Author Notification, Content Workflow Notification	3
Membership	User Request, Invite Request, Invite Member, Deny Request, Approve Request, Invited User Registration	6
Events	Event Invitation PM, Calendar Invitation, Event Reminder, Event Invitation	4
Integration	Salesforce Integration Notification	1
Admin	Import Role, Community Upgraded, Community Restarted	3
Rules	Custom rule-based templates via Orchestrator	-

Email Template Best Practices

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:45:52 GMT

Template structure best practices

Section	Contents	Notes
Pre-header	Hidden preview text in inbox preview	50–100 characters. Supplements the subject line.
Header	Brand logo, community name	Keep consistent across all templates.
Body	Greeting, message, context	50–125 words. Lead with the key action.
CTA	Primary action button	One clear CTA per email. Contrasting color.
Footer	Unsubscribe, privacy, notification settings	Marketing emails require {unsubscribeUrl}. Transactional emails exempt.

Creative block combinations

Combination	Effect
Text + Divider + Text	Clearly sectioned emails (e.g., “What’s New” then “Upcoming Events”)
Photos + Button	Visual CTA area (event banner with “RSVP Now” below)
Button + Button	Primary and secondary actions
Spacer between sections	Consistent vertical breathing room across email clients
Footer block	Standardized compliance area across all templates

Recommended branding priority

All 35 system templates are already functioning via the legacy flow. This is a recommended order for creating branded versions - prioritized by engagement impact. Nothing is broken if you don’t brand them.

Phase	Templates to brand	Why these first
Phase 1: First Impressions	Registration Confirmation, Email Verification, Forgot Password, Email Change Confirmation	First emails new members see. Branding sets the tone from day one.
Phase 2: Engagement Drivers	Mentions, Likes, Private Message, Solution to Question, Answer Accepted	Emails that bring members back. Branded notifications drive higher click-through.
Phase 3: Growth & Recognition	Event Invitation, Event Reminder, Membership Invite, Award User Badge, User Rank Change	Expand reach and celebrate achievements.
Phase 4: Operational	Moderation, Post, Admin, Subscription templates	Functional notifications. Lower direct engagement impact.

Email design tips

Brand consistency - Same colors, logo, and voice across all templates.
Mobile-first - Single-column layouts, 44px+ touch targets, 14px+ body text.
One clear CTA - Large, high-contrast, above the fold.
Personalization - Use {userLogin} or {receiver} in greetings and subject lines.
Brevity - 50–125 words. Front-load the most important information.

Email Template - template variable

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:43:01 GMT

Template variables

Variables are dynamic placeholders replaced with real data at send time. Click the Variables tab in the left sidebar to see all available variables for the current template. Click a variable to insert it, or type the syntax directly (e.g., {communityTitle}). Variables are Case Sensitive.

Global variables (all templates)

Variable	Syntax	Description
User Name	{userLogin}	Login name of the recipient
Community Name	{communityTitle}	Community display name
Receiver	{receiver}	Display name of the email receiver
Recipient	{recipient}	Display name of the email recipient
Recipient Address	{recipientAddress}	Recipient email address
Policy Url	{policyUrl}	Community privacy policy link
Notifications Settings Url	{notificationsSettingsUrl}	User notification settings link
Unsubscribe Url	{unsubscribeUrl}	One-click unsubscribe link
Unsubscribe External Url	{unsubscribeExternalUrl}	External one-click unsubscribe link
Front Page Url	{frontPageUrl}	Community home page link

Note: The unsubscribe link is required for marketing/commercial emails (CAN-SPAM, CASL, GDPR). Transactional emails like password resets and verification are exempt - the system bypasses unsubscribe for these by design.

Template-specific variables

These are scoped by category - the Variables tab only shows what is available for the template you are editing.

Category	Variable	Syntax	Description
Authentication	Verification URL	{verificationUrl}	Email verification/change confirmation link
Subscription	Author	{author}	Author of the subscribed content
Subscription	Subject	{subject}	Subject or title of the content
Subscription	Message Url	{messageUrl}	Link to the content
Subscription	Board	{board}	Board where content was posted
Subscription	Body	{body}	Body or excerpt of the content
Subscription	Rank	{rank}	Rank of the content author
Subscription	Label Text	{labelText}	Labels applied to the content
Subscription	Last Edit Author	{lastEditAuthor}	User who last edited content
Subscription	Message Type	{messageType}	Type of message (post, reply, etc.)
Engagement	Author Login	{notification.message.author.login}	Content author username
Engagement	Message URL	{notification.message.url}	Link to content where mentioned
Engagement	Badge Title	{notification.badge.title}	Title of the awarded badge
Engagement	Badge Icon	{notification.badge.iconUrl}	URL of the badge icon image
Events	Event Subject	{invite.message.subject}	Title of the event
Events	Start Time	{occasionData.startTime}	Event start time
Events	RSVP Yes URL	{occasionData.rsvpYesUrl}	One-click RSVP link
Moderation	Reason for Change	{reasonForChange}	Reason provided by moderator
Moderation	Content URL	{notification.message.url}	Link to moderated content

Recommended branding priority

Section	Contents	Notes
Pre-header	Hidden preview text in inbox preview	50–100 characters. Supplements the subject line.
Header	Brand logo, community name	Keep consistent across all templates.
Body	Greeting, message, context	50–125 words. Lead with the key action.
CTA	Primary action button	One clear CTA per email. Contrasting color.
Footer	Unsubscribe, privacy, notification settings	Marketing emails require {unsubscribeUrl}. Transactional emails exempt.

Creative block combinations

Combination	Effect
Text + Divider + Text	Clearly sectioned emails (e.g., “What’s New” then “Upcoming Events”)
Photos + Button	Visual CTA area (event banner with “RSVP Now” below)
Button + Button	Primary and secondary actions
Spacer between sections	Consistent vertical breathing room across email clients
Footer block	Standardized compliance area across all templates

Email Template - Variables

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:41:13 GMT

Global variables (all templates)

Variable	Syntax	Description
User Name	{userLogin}	Login name of the recipient
Community Name	{communityTitle}	Community display name
Receiver	{receiver}	Display name of the email receiver
Recipient	{recipient}	Display name of the email recipient
Recipient Address	{recipientAddress}	Recipient email address
Policy Url	{policyUrl}	Community privacy policy link
Notifications Settings Url	{notificationsSettingsUrl}	User notification settings link
Unsubscribe Url	{unsubscribeUrl}	One-click unsubscribe link
Unsubscribe External Url	{unsubscribeExternalUrl}	External one-click unsubscribe link
Front Page Url	{frontPageUrl}	Community home page link

Template-specific variables

These are scoped by category - the Variables tab only shows what is available for the template you are editing.

Category	Variable	Syntax	Description
Authentication	Verification URL	{verificationUrl}	Email verification/change confirmation link
Subscription	Author	{author}	Author of the subscribed content
Subscription	Subject	{subject}	Subject or title of the content
Subscription	Message Url	{messageUrl}	Link to the content
Subscription	Board	{board}	Board where content was posted
Subscription	Body	{body}	Body or excerpt of the content
Subscription	Rank	{rank}	Rank of the content author
Subscription	Label Text	{labelText}	Labels applied to the content
Subscription	Last Edit Author	{lastEditAuthor}	User who last edited content
Subscription	Message Type	{messageType}	Type of message (post, reply, etc.)
Engagement	Author Login	{notification.message.author.login}	Content author username
Engagement	Message URL	{notification.message.url}	Link to content where mentioned
Engagement	Badge Title	{notification.badge.title}	Title of the awarded badge
Engagement	Badge Icon	{notification.badge.iconUrl}	URL of the badge icon image
Events	Event Subject	{invite.message.subject}	Title of the event
Events	Start Time	{occasionData.startTime}	Event start time
Events	RSVP Yes URL	{occasionData.rsvpYesUrl}	One-click RSVP link
Moderation	Reason for Change	{reasonForChange}	Reason provided by moderator
Moderation	Content URL	{notification.message.url}	Link to moderated content

Email Templates - Creating new templates

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:32:40 GMT

The 35 system templates are sent automatically via the legacy flow. The Email Template Designer lets you create new branded versions of these templates - customized with your brand’s theme, content, and messaging. When you publish a branded version as Active, it replaces the system default for that email.

Note: This section covers creating branded versions of existing system templates. For creating rule-based custom templates triggered via the Orchestrator, see Section 10.

When to create a branded version

You might want to create a new branded version of a system template when:

You want to add your brand’s logo, colors, and voice to a system email
You want to change the default copy or subject line to better fit your community’s tone
You want to add additional context (e.g., onboarding guidance in the Registration Confirmation email)
You want to include more relevant links or CTAs than the system default provides

Step-by-step: creating a template

Step	What to do	Notes
1	Click “+ New Template” on the dashboard	Top-right corner
2	Select a Category	Select the category matching the system template you want to customize (e.g., Authentication, Events, Engagement). For rule-based custom templates, use the Rules category - see Section 10.
3	Select a Sub-Category	Pick the specific system template to create a branded version of (e.g., Email Change Confirmation, Mentions)
4	Choose a creation method	Blank template (empty canvas) or From system template (pre-built base to customize)
5	Click “Continue to Builder”	Opens the template editor
6	Build your template	Use blocks, variables, and background settings (see Section 4)
7	Save Draft or Save & Publish	Draft = not sent, system template continues. Save & Publish = branded version goes live immediately.

Figure 5. Create New Email Template dialog with Category and Sub-Category selection.

Note: Start with “From system template” for your first branded versions. It gives you a working structure to modify, which is faster and less error-prone than starting blank.

Publishing, testing & managing templates

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:30:28 GMT

Save draft vs. save & publish

Action	What happens
Save Draft	Saves changes. Template stays in Draft status. Not sent to anyone.
Save & Publish	Saves changes AND makes this version the active live template. Takes effect immediately.

Note: Save & Publish takes effect immediately - there is no staging period. Always send a test email first.

Send test email

Click “Send Test” in the top-right corner of the editor. This sends the current template to your admin email so you can verify formatting, variable placeholders, links, and mobile rendering.

Managing template lifecycle

Step	What to do
1	Create a new version when you want to change a live template
2	Edit the draft while the current default continues serving
3	Send a test email to verify
4	Publish the draft to make it the new default
5	Optionally delete the old version

Email Template - Using the Template Editor

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:28:26 GMT

Click any template card to open the visual editor. The editor has three areas: the left sidebar (Blocks and Variables), the center canvas (email preview), and the right sidebar (properties panel).

Figure 3. Email Template Editor.

Content blocks

Click a block type in the left sidebar to add it to the canvas.

Block	Purpose	Examples
Text	Formatted text - headings, paragraphs, links	Body copy, greetings, instructions
Photos	Images - logos, banners, icons	Brand logo in header, badge images
Button	Clickable CTA with customizable text, color, URL	“Confirm Email”, “View Post”, “RSVP Now”
Divider	Horizontal line to separate sections	Between header and body
Spacer	Vertical whitespace between blocks	Breathing room above/below buttons
Footer	Standardized footer section	Unsubscribe, privacy, notification settings links

Editing text

Click any text block on the canvas to edit directly. Supports bold, italic, underline, links, and heading sizes.

Note: Keep email text to 50–125 words. Lead with the most important information.

Canvas background

Option	Description
Solid	Single background color via hex code or preset swatches. Default: white (#ffffff).
Gradient	Two-color gradient with configurable direction (Top to Bottom, Left to Right, etc.).

Figure 4. Preview of Canvas Background with gradient configuration.

Desktop vs. mobile preview

Use the Desktop/Mobile toggle at the top of the canvas to preview across devices.

Note: Over 60% of email opens happen on mobile - always check mobile view before publishing.

Subject line

The Subject field at the top of the canvas sets the email subject. Variables work in subject lines (e.g., {communityTitle} Email address change confirmation).

Best practice	Why
Under 50 characters	Full visibility on mobile
Include {communityTitle}	Brand recognition in inbox
Action-oriented phrasing	“Confirm your email” > “Email confirmation required”
Avoid spam triggers	FREE, URGENT, ACT NOW reduce deliverability

Email Template - Template Reference

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:25:09 GMT

Below is the full inventory of all 35 system templates organized by category. All templates are still being sent via the system template through the legacy flow.

Authentication (4 templates)

Template	Description
Email Change Confirmation	Sent when a user requests to change their email address. Contains a verification link.
Email Verification	Sent to verify a user’s email address during or after registration when the user clicks on “Resend verification email”.
Registration Confirmation	Confirms a new user’s registration and requests email verification. Contains a verification link.
Forgot Password	Password reset email sent when a user requests to reset their credentials.

Events (4 templates)

Template	Description
Event Invitation Private Message	Private message invitation to an event, sent directly to specific users.
Event Calendar Invitation	Calendar invitation allowing users to add the event to their calendar app.
Event Reminder	Reminder sent before an upcoming event.
Event Invitation	General invitation to an event sent to targeted community members.

Membership (6 templates)

Template	Description
Membership User Request	Notifies group owners when a user requests to join a group.
Membership Invite Request	Invitation to a specific user to join a group.
Membership Invite Member	Email when an admin directly adds a user to a group.
Membership Deny Request	Notification that a group membership request was denied.
Membership Approve Request	Notification that a group membership request was approved.
Invited User Registration	Registration invitation for users invited to join the community by an admin.

Admin (3 templates)

Template	Description
Import Role	Admin notification for role import operations (bulk user management).
Community Upgraded Notification	Admin notification when the community platform has been upgraded.
Community Restarted Notification	Admin notification when the community has been restarted.

Integration (1 template)

Template	Description
Salesforce Integration Notification	Notification for Salesforce integration events (e.g., sync status, errors).

Post Templates (3 templates)

Template	Description
Message Post Confirmation	Email after a user with an unverified email tries to publish or comment on content.
Co-Author Notification	Notification for when a user is added as a co-author for an article.
Content Workflow Notification	Notification for when a user submits a draft for review, as well as revision notes.

Moderation (4 templates)

Template	Description
Moderator Notification	Email sent to moderators about new abuse report.
Message Move Notification	Email informing a user a post they are following was moved.
Message Edit Notification	Email informing a user a post they are following was edited.
Message Deletion Notification	Email informing a user a post they are following was deleted.

Engagement (9 templates)

Template	Description
Private Message Notification	Notification of a new private message.
Mentions	Notification when a user is @mentioned.
Content Mentions	Notification when a user is mentioned within content.
Solution to Question	Notification that a solution was posted to a question that the user was following.
Answer Accepted as Solution	Notification that a user’s reply was accepted as the solution.
Accept as Solution Reminder	Reminder to mark a reply as a solution.
User Rank Change	Notification when a user’s rank changes.
Likes	Notification when a user’s content receives a like/kudos.
Award User Badge	Notification when a user earns a badge.

Subscription (1 template)

Template	Description
Immediate Notification	Immediate email notification for subscribed content (new replies, updates).

Email Template - Getting Started

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:23:26 GMT

Accessing the dashboard

In the admin panel, navigate to: Admin Panel → Designer → Email Templates.

The dashboard shows all 35 templates in a card grid. Each card displays the template name, description, category, status, version count, and last updated date.

Figure 2. Accessing Email Templates in the Designer panel.

Dashboard controls

Control	What it does
Search Bar	Find templates by name or keyword
Category Filter	Filter by category (Authentication, Events, Engagement, etc.)
Type Filter	Filter by template type (System or Custom)
Sort	Order by recently updated, name, or other criteria
Status Tabs	Toggle between All, Active, Draft, and Inactive
+ New Template	Create a new branded version or custom template

Template statuses

Status	Meaning	What happens to emails
Active	Version is live	Members receive this custom version instead of the system default
Draft	Version is being worked on	Not sent to anyone - version is saved and must be save and publish to set to active to replace current active version
Inactive	No custom version enabled	System template sends via legacy flow as usual

How statuses work in practice

Scenario	What happens
New community setup	All templates are Inactive. System templates handle all emails. You customize a template, test it, and save and publish to make it Active.
Updating a live branded template	Create V2 as Draft while V1 continues sending. Test V2, then save and publish it as the new Active.
Reverting to system template	Set the Default template to active.

Versioning

Concept	Description
Default Version	Marked with a blue “Default” badge. Sent to members as the default system template via legacy flow.
Draft Version	Marked with an orange “Draft” badge. Not sent to anyone.
Create Version	Click “+ Create Version” in the editor sidebar to copy the current version as a new draft.
Delete Version	Click the trash icon next to any non-default version to remove it.

Note: Always create a new version before making significant changes to your current version. This preserves your working template as a fallback.

Email Templates - User Guide Overview

LucyL — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:21:38 GMT

Figure 1. Email Templates dashboard in the Designer panel.

Overview

Every community action - a registration, a mention, a solved question - generates an email. These emails are the thread that keeps pulling members back. Email templates give you control over what those emails look like and say, so every touchpoint reflects your brand and drives the behavior you want.

Your platform comes with 35 system templates across 10 categories. These system templates are already active - they send automatically through the legacy flow and cannot be turned off. The Email Template Designer lets you create branded versions of these templates and create entirely new templates from scratch.

Capability	Description
35 System Templates	Pre-configured templates across Authentication, Events, Engagement, Moderation, Membership, Subscription, Post, Integration, Admin, and Rules
Visual Editor	Point-and-click builder with Text, Photos, Button, Divider, Spacer, and Footer blocks
Template Variables	Dynamic placeholders (e.g., {userLogin}, {communityTitle}) auto-populated at send time
Canvas Backgrounds	Solid color or gradient backgrounds with preset swatches and hex code input
Desktop & Mobile Preview	Toggle between desktop and mobile views before publishing
Versioning	Create multiple versions, test drafts, and promote when ready
Send Test	Send a test email to your admin inbox before publishing
Orchestrator Integration	Trigger custom templates via Rules with event-based triggers and conditions

Note: All 35 system templates are already sending emails via the legacy flow. The Email Template Designer is for creating branded versions - nothing is broken if you have not activated any templates yet.

Metrics Explorer - Common Workflows and FAQ

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 08:12:09 GMT

Common workflows

Investigating a sudden drop in traffic

Set the date range to cover the period of interest.
Click the "Decreasing" tab to surface metrics that have moved down.
Open the Page Views (or related Traffic) card.
Identify the day(s) where the chart drops noticeably.
Click that data point to open the drill-down panel.
Pivot between Topics, Boards, and Places to find the specific items that lost views.

Tracking a content quality initiative

Click Compare and select related Content metrics: Solutions Accepted, Avg Time to First Solution, and Solutions Views.
Set the date range to span before and after the initiative launch.
Use the Trend Comparison chart to see whether the metrics moved together.
Use the Statistical Summary to compare averages, peaks, and changes across the metrics.

Building a monthly community health report

Set the date range to the previous calendar month.
Use the search box to locate your stakeholder's preferred KPIs.
For each KPI, open the detail dialog and capture the chart, summary tiles, and any notable drill-downs.
Use Compare for related KPIs to show them on a single chart for the report.

Identifying engagement drivers by user segment

Open a high-level engagement metric (e.g., Engagement Trend or Conversations Participated).
In the Breakdown By sidebar, select Rank or Role.
Review the chart to see which segments contribute most to the metric.
Apply Filters to isolate a single segment for deeper investigation.

FAQ

How many metrics does Metrics Explorer cover?
86 metrics across ten categories: Traffic, Members & Registration, Content, Engagement, Private Messaging, Group Hubs, Knowledge Base, Ideas, Events, and Survey. The total appears as "Metrics (86)" in the page header.

What does the comparison badge on each card mean?
The comparison badge shows the percentage change versus the immediately preceding period of the same length. If you've selected the last 30 days, the badge compares those 30 days against the 30 days before that. Red indicates a decrease, blue indicates an increase, and grey indicates no change.

What's the difference between VS PREV PERIOD and VS LAST YEAR?
VS PREV PERIOD compares the selected range to the immediately preceding range of equal length. VS LAST YEAR compares the same dates one year ago. The first is useful for short-term operational tracking; the second helps you account for seasonality.

What dimensions can I break a metric down by?
The available breakdown dimensions vary by metric, but commonly include Conversation Style, User Type, Role, Rank, Node Type, and Device Type. The Breakdown By sidebar in the detail dialog shows the options that apply to the metric you've opened.

What do I see when I click a chart data point?
Clicking a data point opens the Drill Down panel below the chart. It shows a sortable table of the underlying items (topics, boards, or places) that contributed to the value at that date. You can pivot between Topics, Boards, and Places using the radio buttons at the top of the panel.

Can I compare metrics from different categories?
Yes. The Compare picker shows metrics from every category, and you can mix and match (for example, comparing a Traffic metric with a Content metric) up to a limit of 10 metrics.

Why do I see "New" in the % Change column of the drill-down table?
"New" indicates that the item didn't exist or had no activity in the comparison period. It's a way of distinguishing genuine new contributors from items whose activity simply changed.

What's the difference between the page-level Filters button and the Filters panel inside a metric's detail dialog?
They serve different purposes. The page-level Filters button (top right of the main grid) scopes which metric cards are visible across the whole grid. The Filters panel inside a metric's detail dialog is specific to that metric — its toggles refine how that one metric is calculated, and the available toggles vary by metric.

Can I export the data?
Export options are part of the broader analytics roadmap. For 26.3, Metrics Explorer is primarily an in-app exploration tool. Use the screenshots, breakdowns, and Statistical Summary table to capture findings for reports.

Metrics Explorer - Comparing, Filters and Search

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 08:09:34 GMT

The Compare button at the top of the main grid opens a metric picker that lets you select up to 10 metrics for side-by-side comparison. This is useful for spotting correlations (e.g., between traffic and engagement), or for tracking related metrics together on a single chart.

Selecting metrics to compare

The Compare Metrics picker shows all available metrics with a checkbox on each card. Select up to 10 metrics, then continue to the comparison view. A counter at the top shows how many you've selected (e.g., "2 / 10 metrics selected").

Figure 12. Compare Metrics picker with selectable cards and a 10-metric limit

The comparison view

Once you confirm your selection, the comparison view opens with a summary band at the top showing each selected metric's current value and percentage change, followed by an overlay Trend Comparison chart with one line per metric.

Figure 13. Trend Comparison overlay chart with two metrics plotted together

Hover any point on the comparison chart to see a tooltip with the date and the value of every selected metric on that day.

Figure 14. Hover tooltip showing per-metric values for a single date

Statistical Summary

Below the Trend Comparison chart, a Statistical Summary table provides per-metric statistics across the selected date range:

Current — the aggregate value.
Change — percentage change vs. the previous period.
Average — the average daily value.
Peak — the highest single-day value.
Low — the lowest single-day value.

Click any column header in the Statistical Summary to sort the table by that column.

Figure 15. Statistical Summary table with sortable columns

Filters and search

Three controls help you narrow down which metrics appear in the grid: the search box, the trend filter tabs, and the Filters button.

Searching by metric name

Use the search box in the top right of the main grid to filter the metric cards by name. Typing a few characters narrows the grid to just the metrics whose names match. This is the fastest way to jump to a specific metric when you already know what you're looking for.

Filters button (Trend direction)

The Filters button (top right) opens a panel with additional filter options that apply across the visible metrics. It leads to four tabs that let you filter cards by their trend direction: All, Increasing, Decreasing, and Unchanged. These filter based on the comparison badge — useful for quickly surfacing all the metrics that have moved in a particular direction.

Figure 16. Filter options (All / Increasing / Decreasing / Unchanged)

Metrics Explorer - Data Point Breakdown

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 08:06:05 GMT

The most powerful capability of the detail dialog is the ability to drill into any single data point on the chart. Clicking a data point reveals a Drill Down panel below the chart, showing the underlying items that contributed to the value at that date.

Figure 11. Drill-down panel below the Page Views chart, showing the contributing topics for a selected data point

Drill-down dimensions

The drill-down panel offers 3 filters at the top right (e.g., Topics, Boards, Places). Switching between them re-groups the table by that entity type — so you can see which specific topics drove the value, then pivot to see which boards, then which places.

Drill-down columns

The drill-down table shows, for each contributing item: the item name (linked to the source content), the metric value (e.g., Views), the previous-period value (Prev Views), the percentage change, and contextual columns such as Board and Content Type. Click any column header to sort. The percentage change column highlights items marked "New" — entries that didn't exist in the previous period.

Note: Drill-down is the answer to "which specific things caused this?" — when a metric drops or spikes, click the data point on the day of the change and pivot through Topics, Boards, and Places to identify the drivers.

Metrics Explorer - Reading a Metrics Card

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 08:04:05 GMT

Each metric card shows everything you need at a glance to understand the current state of a single metric and how it has moved over the selected date range.

Element	What it shows
Category label	The functional category the metric belongs to (e.g., Traffic, Content).
Metric name	The name of the metric (e.g., Page Views, Solutions Accepted).
Info icon	Hover over the icon next to the name to see a short tooltip describing what the metric measures.
Comparison badge	A coloured pill showing the percentage change versus the previous period of the same length. Red = decrease, blue = increase, grey = unchanged.
Current value	The total or aggregate value of the metric for the selected date range.
Sparkline	A small inline chart showing how the metric trended day-by-day across the date range.

Tip: Use the comparison badge as a quick triage signal. Scan the grid for cards with large red badges to spot drops worth investigating, or large blue badges to identify what's been accelerating.

5. The metric detail dialog

Clicking any metric card opens a detail dialog with a full-size chart, additional comparison context, breakdown dimensions, and a Filters panel. This is where most investigative work happens.

The exact contents of the dialog, particularly the Breakdown By dimensions and the Filters panel, vary by metric and category. For example, a Content metric will offer breakdowns and filters relevant to content, while Knowledge Bases will have breakdowns relevant to them only. The structure of the dialog is the same throughout, but the options inside it adapt to what makes sense for the metric you're viewing.

The walkthrough below uses the Page Views metric (from the Traffic category) as an example.

Figure 9. Page Views detail dialog showing summary tiles, breakdown dimensions, and chart

Header summary

The top of the dialog shows the metric name, a short description, and three summary tiles:

TOTAL — the aggregate value for the selected date range.
VS PREV PERIOD — percentage change compared to the immediately preceding period of the same length.
VS LAST YEAR — percentage change compared to the same date range one year ago.

On the right of the header, a granularity selector (e.g., "1 day") controls how data points are grouped on the chart.

Breakdown By

The left sidebar offers breakdown dimensions that slice the metric. For Page Views, the available dimensions are Conversation Style, User Type, Role, Rank, Node Type, and Device Type. Selecting a dimension regroups the chart and drill-down to show the metric split along that dimension.

Different metrics expose different breakdown dimensions. When you open a metric in another category, expect the sidebar to offer options relevant to that metric — they won't necessarily match what's shown here.

Filters

Below the breakdown options, the Filters panel offers scope toggles that refine what's included in the metric's calculation. For Page Views, the available toggles are:

Exclude Node Level Metric — removes node-level contributions from the calculation, leaving only community-wide data. This excludes navigation/landing page views, such as category, board, group home, community home, and profile pages. It includes only views where someone was actually reading content: discussions, articles, ideas, posts, KB articles, etc.
New Topics Only — restricts the metric to topics newly created within the selected date range, rather than including activity on pre-existing topics.
Completed Occasions Only — limits the metric to completed instances, excluding in-progress or upcoming ones. This restricts page views on community events that have already ended. Views on non-event content and on upcoming or in-progress events are excluded.

Figure 10. Filters panel for the Page Views metric

As with breakdowns, the filter toggles available depend on the metric. Different metrics surface different toggles tailored to what's meaningful for that data.

The chart

The main chart plots the metric over time. Hover over any point to see its exact value for that date. The chart redraws when you change the granularity, apply a breakdown, or apply a filter.

Metrics Explorer - Navigation

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 08:01:03 GMT

In the admin settings, navigate to: Admin Panel → Analytics→ Metrics Explorer

Figure 1. Metrics Explorer entry card navigation

Navigating the metric grid

The main view of Metrics Explorer is a grid of metric cards organized into category sections. The header gives you global controls that apply to the entire view: a date range, a metric search box, a Compare button, and a Filters button.

Figure 2. Main grid: date range, metric count, search, Compare, Filters, and the Traffic category

Date range

The date range at the top of the page applies to every metric in the grid. Choose a preset or set a custom From/To range. Changing the date range refreshes all visible cards and recalculates the comparison badges (vs. previous period and vs. last year) accordingly.

Note: only data from the last 2 years is visible through the Metrics Explorer. The date range can be set up to a maximum of 1 year for analysis.

Metric count

The header shows "Metrics (86)" — the total number of metrics currently visible. This count updates as you apply filters or search terms.

Category sections

Below the header, metrics are grouped into category sections (Traffic, Members & Registration, Content, and so on). Each section is labeled and contains the cards for that category. Scroll vertically to move through categories.

Figure 3. Members & Registration category

Figure 4. Content category

Figure 5. Engagement categoryFigure 6. Private Messaging, Group Hubs, and Knowledge Base categoriesFigure 7. Ideas category

Metrics Explorer - Overview

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 07:56:13 GMT

Metrics Explorer is a self-service analytics workspace inside Aurora. It surfaces 86 metrics organized by functional category, with each metric represented as a card in the main grid. Clicking any card opens a detail dialog with a chart, period-over-period and year-over-year comparisons, breakdown dimensions, and click-to-drill-down behavior on individual data points.

Metric categories

The 86 metrics are grouped into the following categories:

Traffic — page views, visits, unique visitors, member vs. anonymous traffic, referrers, and session-depth metrics.
Members & Registration — registration funnel, member counts, DAU/MAU ratio, and rank changes.
Content — topics, replies, solutions, kudos, time-to-first-reply, and content velocity.
Engagement — contributing, participating, and observing members; follows, conversations participated, business value.
Private Messaging — private conversations and median private message volume.
Group Hubs — group hub joins, departures, invites sent, and invites accepted.
Knowledge Base — KB helpful and unhelpful votes.
Ideas — submissions, votes, status, age, journey, and idea-comment activity.
Events — attendance, RSVPs, invites, completions, and events by type.
Survey — Net Promoter Score, customer satisfaction, survey submissions, and helpfulness ratings.

Key capabilities

Custom date range with From/To selectors and preset options.
Period-over-period and year-over-year comparison badges on every card.
Search across all 86 metrics by name.
Filter the metric grid by trend direction (Increasing, Decreasing, Unchanged).
Detail dialog with breakdown dimensions and an inline filter panel.
Click-driven drill-down on any data point to see the underlying topics, boards, or places.
Side-by-side comparison of up to 10 metrics, with overlay chart and statistical summary.

Clarification Questions - FAQ

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 07:41:05 GMT

Will my post be delayed while clarification questions are generated?
No. The post is published normally as per moderation settingson submit. Clarification runs after publication.

Are clarification questions required?
By default no — every question is optional and authors can skip the entire step. Admins can turn off "Allow Users to Skip Clarification" per board, in which case authors must answer at least one question to dismiss the panel.

Are my clarification answers visible to other members?
Yes. Once approved (or immediately, on boards without moderation), they appear as "Additional context from the author" beneath your post and are visible to anyone who can see the post.

What happens if I close the panel by mistake?
Nothing is lost. The post is already live, and an "Add Details" banner appears so you can reopen the panel and answer at any time.

Can clarification answers contain inappropriate content without affecting my post?
Clarification answers are moderated independently. If an answer is rejected, only that answer is hidden, the original post stays as it is.

Are clarification answers part of my post body?
No. They are stored separately and rendered as a card beneath the post titled "Additional context from the author." Editing or moderating answers does not modify the post body.

Will Answer Assist wait for clarification before answering?
It depends on the board's Answer Assist delay. With a non-zero delay, Answer Assist waits and uses clarification context if available.

Can I edit my clarification answers later?
Yes. Authors can edit existing answers, add answers to skipped questions, or delete answers. Only changed answers are re-moderated.

Why do some questions have suggested chips and others don't?
Chips are generated when the AI is confident in specific answer options. When it isn't (for example, "describe your setup"), it presents free text only.

Can I disable the info banner?
Yes. The info banner has a per-board visibility toggle and editable copy.

Which board types support Clarification Questions?
Forum and Ideas boards in Aurora 26.3.

Clarification Questions - End-User Experience

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 07:39:06 GMT

Posting a question

The post editor is unchanged. On boards where Clarification is enabled and the info banner is turned on, an info banner appears below the tags. The number it references is pulled from the board's configured maximum (upto 6).

Info banner shown in the post editor

On submit, the post is published according to the moderation settings. Question classification then runs in the background. If the post is classified as a question, then the clarification panel appears.

Clarification question UI

On desktop, a panel slides in from the right; on mobile, it fills the screen. The published post stays visible in the background with a "Pending Clarification" badge, which will be visible to the author of the post.

Clarification panel beside the published post

Each question can be answered with suggested chips (when the AI is confident in specific options) or free text. Some questions show free text only. A progress indicator tracks completion. "Skip for now" if enabled - dismisses the panel; "Submit" activates after at least one answer. Once submitted, the clarification questions and their respective answers will be visible under the original question to all community members.

Optional by default: All clarification questions are optional. Skipping the panel does not remove the post, it stays live with no additional context.

What happens after submitting

The "Pending Clarification" badge is removed.
An "Additional context from the author" card appears below the post body, with numbered Q&A pairs.
The card is visible to all community members. Anyone reading the post sees the same enriched context, which is the point: replies and Answer Assist now have specifics to work with.
The author sees their own answers immediately, even when still pending moderation, with a "Pending moderator review" indicator. Other members only see approved answers.

If clarification is skipped or unanswered

The post stays live without additional context. An "Add Details" banner is shown on the post for the author and clicking it reopens the same clarification panel, the author can complete clarification at any time.

If the post is still unanswered and Answer Assist could not generate a cited answer, you may set up an Orchestrator Rule for the system to sends the author an email or private message after the configured reminder delay (default: 24 hours), with a CTA back to the post. This reminds the author to answer the clarification questions to give added content to their query.

To set up this Orchestrator rule:

Go to Email templates and create an email for the ‘Clarification Nudge’
Then go to System -> Orchestrator & click on ‘ Create Rule ‘
Name the rule and in the triggers, select ‘Clarification Nudge Requested’
Select the boards you want the rule to be triggered on
Finally select ‘Email’ in the Actions tab and select the template you created for the Clarification Nudge.
The timer for the Clarification Nudge can be set in the Clarification Settings

Workflow statuses

Status	Meaning
PENDING	Questions generated, awaiting the author's response. "Pending Clarification" badge shown.
COMPLETED	Author submitted answers. Q&A is visible beneath the post.
SKIPPED	Author explicitly clicked "Skip for now." "Add Details" banner shown for re-entry.
ABANDONED	No response after the expiry timeout (default 48 hours). "Add Details" banner shown; author can still complete at any time.

Clarification Questions - Admin Configuration

LucyL — Thu, 21 May 2026 07:36:50 GMT

Enabling the feature

Clarification settings live in the admin app under Settings -> Features -> Clarification Settings. The hierarchy is community → category → board, with each level containing an enable toggle. Boards inherit from their category and community defaults; the per-board toggle overrides them.

Admin settings — community, category, and per-board enable toggles

Use the Configure button on any board to open its detailed settings (Section 3.2). The master "Enable Clarification Questions" switch at the top disables the feature globally regardless of any per-board toggles.

Reminder: only Forum and Ideas boards support this feature in Aurora 26.3.

Per-board settings

Per-board configuration panel

Setting	Default	Description
Maximum Questions	3 (1–6)	Upper bound on AI-generated questions per post. The AI may generate fewer.
Show Info Banner	On	Whether to display the info banner in the post editor.
Banner Text	Default copy	Editable banner copy. Use {maxQuestions} as a placeholder for the configured maximum.
Reminder Email Delay	24 hours	Hours before the reminder email is sent for unanswered clarification questions.
CM Guidance Examples	Empty	Optional examples that hint to the AI what to ask. Not shown verbatim to users.

Writing good guidance examples

Guidance examples are short hints that help the AI understand what kind of detail your community typically needs. They are passed to the model alongside the post and similar-post context from CLM, but are not shown to users verbatim since this is not a form creator.

Works well

"Always ask which authentication method is being used (SAML, OIDC, OAuth)."
“Briefly explain your task and what you were trying to achieve.”
“What are the versions of the platform, and other third-party components, you are working with?”
“Have there been any recent changes to the configurations? Please include details about relevant component versions (Elastic Search, Spark, Database).”
"For login or access issues, ask whether the issue is reproducible in incognito."
"For mobile bugs, ask for OS version and app build number."
“Are there any error messages encountered? What are the relevant logs and stack traces?”

Works less well

Long, multi-part questions trying to anticipate every scenario.
Generic prompts ("Tell us more") - the AI already does this.
Examples written as instructions to users - the AI generates fresh questions, it does not paste your text.

Note: Guidance is optional. Without examples, the AI generates questions based on the post and similar-post context alone.

Interaction with Answer Assist

The clarification questions serve as additional context for the Answer Assist where applicable.

Answer Assist delay	Behavior
Greater than 0	The post publishes and the clarification panel surfaces. Answer Assist waits per its delay, then fires using approved clarification answers as additional context, when available.
Equal to 0	Answer Assist fires immediately on the original post. If it produces a strong cited answer, clarification is not shown. If it cannot cite, clarification surfaces and the email reminder is sent. The expert recommendation card may also appear in parallel.
On COMPLETED (clarification was skipped initially, completed later)	Answer Assist re-runs with enriched context (original post + approved Q&A) to attempt a cited answer. On boards with AI moderation, the re-run is deferred until clarification answers complete moderation.

Moderation of clarification answers

Clarification answers are moderated independently of the original post:

Pre-moderation boards — answers start as PENDING; AI moderation runs async and updates each to APPROVED or REJECTED.
Post-moderation boards — answers start as APPROVED; AI moderation can subsequently reject.
Moderation off — answers are auto-approved.
Moderation bypass — users with bypass permissions get answers auto-approved.
Cascade approval — when a parent post is approved, attached PENDING answers are auto-approved.

Note: Rejecting a clarification answer hides only that answer, the original post is unaffected. The user is notified to edit the answer.

Clarification Review

A new Clarification Review page in the admin app lists every post that entered the clarification workflow, with metrics at the top and per-post actions in the table.

Clarification Review page in the admin app

Metrics

Total Workflows — count of posts that entered the workflow.
Completion Rate — share that reached COMPLETED.
Skip Rate — share ending in SKIPPED.
Avg Questions — average number of questions generated per post.
Email Prompt Rate — share where the reminder email was sent.

Filters: status, board, date range. Metrics can be sliced by board, locale, and time period.

Per-row actions

View Post — opens the post in a new tab.
View Q&A — expands the row to show questions and answers inline.
Resend Nudge — re-sends the email reminder. Useful for PENDING and ABANDONED posts.
Reset to Pending — moves a SKIPPED or ABANDONED post back to PENDING so the author sees the "Add Details" banner again.
Moderate answers — approve or reject individual answers with a reason (SPAM, ABUSE, OTHER), or use Approve All to bulk-approve pending answers in a collection.