Email Templates: What Sends, When, and How to Customize

This article explains the three email templates every CommTrail org starts with, when each one sends, and how to customize them from /settings/email-templates.

The three default templates

When your org is created, you get three templates pre-loaded. Two are enabled out of the box. One is off by default and waiting for you to turn it on.

• signup_confirmation — enabled by default. Sent to a resident when they submit the public signup form.
• removal_notice — enabled by default. Sent when staff remove a speaker and check the notify option.
• meeting_reminder — disabled by default. Sends a reminder roughly 24 hours before the meeting once you enable it.

signup_confirmation

This email is triggered the moment a resident submits the Sign Up to Speak form on your public meeting page at /m/[slug]. It gives them their confirmation code, the meeting time rendered in your org's timezone, and a link to check or cancel their signup.

If the resident checked the accessibility accommodation request box, a short acknowledgment block is automatically appended to the email after your template renders. You do not need to add anything to handle that case.

Variables you can use

• {{speaker_name}} — the name the resident entered
• {{meeting_title}} — the meeting title
• {{meeting_date}} — formatted date and time in your org's timezone
• {{meeting_location}} — the meeting location, or TBD if none was set
• {{confirmation_code}} — the 6-character code they need to check status or cancel
• {{status_url}} — a deep link to /m/[slug]/status with the code prefilled

removal_notice

When a staff member removes a speaker from a meeting, they see a notify checkbox in the confirmation dialog. If that box is checked, this template is rendered and sent to the speaker's email address with the reason your staff entered.

Variables you can use

• {{speaker_name}}
• {{meeting_title}}
• {{removal_reason}} — the free-text reason your staff typed when removing
• {{org_contact}} — currently renders as "your city clerk"

meeting_reminder

This template is off by default. To turn it on, go to /settings/email-templates and tick the Enabled checkbox on the Meeting Reminder card.

Once enabled, a daily cron job scans your meetings and sends a reminder to every confirmed speaker whose meeting falls between 20 and 28 hours away. You do not pick the send time per meeting — it fires automatically inside that window.

Variables you can use

• {{speaker_name}}
• {{meeting_title}}
• {{meeting_date}} — date portion in your org's timezone
• {{meeting_location}}

Editing a template

Template editing is admin only. Staff accounts can see the page but cannot save changes.

1. Go to /settings/email-templates.
2. Find the card for the template you want to change and click Edit Template.
3. Update the Subject Line, HTML Body, and Plain Text Body fields. Both bodies are required so the email looks correct in every mail client.
4. Copy any variables you want to use from the "Available variables" line at the bottom of the editor — paste them verbatim, including the double curly braces.
5. Click Save Changes. Use the Enabled checkbox at the top of the card to turn the template on or off without editing the content.

How variable substitution works

Variables are replaced as plain text — what you write between the double curly braces is swapped for the value at send time, and nothing more. There is no if/else, no loops, and no math. If you type a variable name that does not exist in the list above for that template, the placeholder ships in the email unchanged.

All dates rendered into emails respect the timezone you set for your org at /settings. If a speaker in another timezone reads the email, they will still see the time as it will be at your meeting location.

Sender and replies

Every templated email is sent from no-reply@commtrail.com. Recipients can reply, but the no-reply address is not monitored — point residents at your own clerk's email inside the template body if you want them to be able to respond.

Questions about email templates, or want help drafting copy that matches your jurisdiction's tone? Email support@commtrail.com.