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Customizing your Slack messages (Beta)

Written by Oskar Johnson Hägglund

With the custom Slack format you can edit how you want your message to look when sent to Slack.

To start, create your Slack workflow with the basic settings. Follow steps 1-6 in this guide to get started integrating and setting up your workflow.

Setting up the message

  1. When you have created the basic settings, you can choose Custom format in the overview.

2. In the text box you can write your custom message. Click the Insert data button to add values that will be changed based on the companies you get notified from.

3. Click the value and it gets inserted into a message. Let's take an example:

Hello! {{ name }} just visited our website from {{ country }}.

This will result in a message that looks like:

Getting creative 🎨

Enhance the appearance of Slack messages with added styles, user tags, as well as channel and workspace notifications.

Text Formatting

  • For bold text, encase your text with asterisks (*). For example, bold.

  • For italic text, encase your text with underscores (_). For example, italic.

  • For strikethrough text, encase your text with tildes (~).

Inline Code and Quotations

  • For single-word or single-line inline code blocks, encase your text with a single backtick (`). For example, inline code block.

  • For multiple-line inline code blocks, encase your text with three backticks (```). For example,
    ​inline code block
    ​text block.

  • For quotations, initiate the quote with a closing angle bracket (>). .

Creating Lists

  • For numbered lists, input the number, a period (.), and a space prior to your text. For example:

    1. Value A

    2. Value B

  • For bullet point lists, you cannot format them like it's done in Slack using asterisks. However, you can simulate this format using the bullet point symbol (•) and a space before your text. For example, • bulleted list.

    • Value A

    • Value B

Hyperlinks

  • URLs are automatically turned into clickable hyperlinks in Slack without the need for extra formatting.

To show the hyperlink as a text rather than a URL:

  • Input an open angle bracket (<), your URL, a pipe character (|), your hyperlink text, and a closing angle bracket. For example, <https://albacross.com|Link> will be shown as just Link.

  • Remember, spaces can be included between words in the link text.

Inserting New Lines

  • You do not need special formatting to create a new line. Simply hit the return (enter) key on your keyboard.

Using Emojis

  • Encase the emoji name with colons (:). For example, :heart_eyes: will result in 😍.

  • Take a look at the standard emoji library recommended by Slack to find your favourite icon: Link to guide

Mentions and Alerts

  • For user mentions, input an open angle bracket, the at symbol (@), the user's Slack member ID, and a closing angle bracket. For example, <@UG1234567>.

  • For “Everyone” notifications (alerts everyone in your workspace in the #general channel), input an open angle bracket, an exclamation point (!), the word "everyone", and a closing angle bracket. For example, <!everyone>.

  • For “Here” notifications (alerts active members in a specific channel), input an open angle bracket, an exclamation point (!), the word "here", and a closing angle bracket. For example, <!here>.

  • For “User group” notifications (alerts all members of a user group), input an open angle bracket, an exclamation point (!), the word "subteam", a caret symbol (^), the user group ID, and a closing angle bracket. For example, <!subteam^abcde123456>.

Useful Tips:

To find a user’s Slack member ID:

  • Open the user’s Slack profile.

  • Click on More.

  • Copy the member ID by clicking on Copy member ID and paste it into your workflow message.

To find a user’s Slack member ID:

  • Open the user’s Slack profile.

  • Click on More.

  • Copy the member ID by clicking on Copy member ID and paste it into your Zap.

To find a user group ID:

  • Open Slack in your web browser.

  • Click on People & user groups from the menu on the left.

  • In the People window, click on the User groups tab.

  • Choose the user group you want to mention.

  • In the webpage URL, copy the alphanumeric ID that comes after /user_groups/. This is the user group ID.

Please Note:

  • Your workspace might deactivate notifications or usage of @here and @everyone, and it might not always be appreciated by your colleagues. Reach out to your Slack administrator to confirm if notifications are enabled.

Example

This message:

Hey! *{{ name }}* just visited our website! :heart_eyes:

They are from {{ country }} :flag-{{ country_iso }}: and have an employee count of _{{ employees }}_. They work in the {{ industry_category }} industry.

*Here are some links:*

• <{{ profile_url }}|Albacross Profile>

• <{{ linkedin }}|Linkedin URL>

Will give this output in Slack:

Feel free to get creative and share your ideas with us!

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