Editing notification templates

Message templates let you control the wording Ona uses for automated emails and texts, including patient-facing templates such as Imaging report shared. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates. The Message templates section opens a full-screen dialog with a sidebar list, search, channel tabs, and the selected template editor. On phones, you can use Back to return to the list and Close to exit the dialog.

On the same page, you can also manage clinic-wide email and SMS notification settings, visit reminders, intake timing, and your own bell notifications. For those settings, see Notifications and reminders.

How do I open message templates?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications, then in Message templates click Edit templates when you want to change the wording patients or team members receive from automated notifications.

Use Settings (1) to open Settings, Notifications (2) under Account to open the Notifications page, and Edit templates (3) in Message templates to open the dialog.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings.
2. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications.
3. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
4. In the dialog, use the sidebar list to choose a template.
5. If you need a different channel, use the channel tabs at the top of the editor.

The dialog shows the selected template, its current content, supported variables, and Preview · sample patient data.

How do I edit an email template?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates to change the email version of a notification. Email templates can include Subject, Heading, and Message.

Use Notification (1) to choose what you are editing. Select Email (2) for the email version. Update Subject (3), Heading and Message (4), then check Preview · sample patient data (5) before you save.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Use the sidebar list to choose the notification you want to change.
3. Select Email.
4. Edit Subject.
5. Edit Heading.
6. Edit Message.
7. Use Variables to insert supported values into Message. If you need a variable in Subject or Heading, type it exactly as shown in Variables.
8. Review Preview · sample patient data.
9. Click Save template.

The editor shows placeholder issues live. Broken placeholder ranges in Message are underlined, and Subject and Heading are validated too. After saving, the template applies to sends immediately. The template shows as Customised.

How do I edit an SMS template?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates to change the SMS version of a notification. SMS templates use Message only.

Use Notification (1) to choose the notification, select SMS (2) for the text version, update Message (3), and review Preview · sample patient data (4).

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Use the sidebar list to choose the notification you want to change.
3. Select SMS.
4. Edit Message.
5. Add supported values from Variables if you need dynamic details.
6. Review Preview · sample patient data.
7. Click Save template.

For patient texts, the character and segment estimate includes the “Reply STOP to opt out.” line that is appended to every patient SMS. The preview also shows the segment count wording, a red Too long to send warning when the SMS goes over the limit, and an extra note when Unicode characters reduce the number of characters each segment can hold.

How do I use variables in a notification template?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates to add supported variables. Only use the variables shown for the selected notification, including patient-facing templates like Imaging report shared.

If you need a variable in Subject (1) or Heading (not shown), type it exactly as shown. Put your cursor in Message (2) where you want a value to appear, select it from Variables (3), then check Preview · sample patient data (4).

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Use the sidebar list to choose the template you want to edit.
3. If you need a variable in Subject or Heading, type it exactly as shown in Variables.
4. Place your cursor in Message where the value should appear.
5. Select the variable from Variables.
6. Review Preview · sample patient data to see how the message reads.
7. Click Save template when the preview looks right.

Variables render exactly as provided. If a value is missing when the notification sends, it becomes an empty string. Keep connecting words like “on” or “at” inside the value where possible, not around the variable in the template.

If you type a variable the notification does not support, or type a malformed placeholder, Ona shows template issues in Subject, Heading or Message and Save template is disabled.

How do I discard unsaved template edits?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates when you have changed a template but do not want to save those edits.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Open the template with unsaved changes.
3. Click Revert.

Use Message (1) to review the unsaved text, and Revert (2) to discard it and go back to the last saved version.

The editor returns to the last saved version of that template.

How do I reset a notification template to the default wording?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates when you want to remove a saved customization and go back to Ona’s built-in copy for that notification and channel.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Open a saved custom template.
3. Click Reset to default.
4. In Reset to default?, click Reset template.

Ona restores the built-in copy and discards your customized text.

How do I turn a template on or off?

In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates to change whether an individual template is active.

In the editor, Notification (1) selects the notification and channel you want to change, and Active turns that template on or off.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings. In the settings navigation, under Account, click Notifications. In Message templates, click Edit templates.
2. Use the sidebar list to open the notification and channel you want to change.
3. Turn Active on or off.
4. Click Save template.

The selected template keeps the new saved active state.

What can't I do here?

In Settings → Notifications, template editing has these limits:

• Staff and clinicians cannot edit clinic-wide message templates from Settings.
• Subject is available for Email templates only.
• Heading is available for Email templates only.
• Message is required.
• Subject is limited to 200 characters.
• Heading is limited to 200 characters.
• Message is limited to 5,000 characters.
• You cannot save a template with placeholder issues in Subject, Heading or Message.
• You cannot save a template with unsupported variables in Subject, Heading or Message.
• You cannot save a template with malformed placeholders.
• In SMS preview, Ona shows the segment count, a red Too long to send warning when the message is over the limit, and a Unicode note when characters reduce the size of each segment.
• Reset to default is available only after a template has been customized.

Common questions

What is the difference between Revert and Reset to default?

Revert drops unsaved changes and returns to the saved version. Reset to default removes the saved customization and restores Ona’s built-in wording.

Do templates autosave?

No. Click Save template to save your changes. Unsaved edits stay in the editor while you switch between templates.

Why is Save template disabled?

Save template is disabled when Message is empty, the template is over a character limit, the SMS preview shows Too long to send, the text contains Unicode characters that reduce the segment size and push it over the limit, or the text contains placeholder issues in Subject, Heading or Message.

Can I preview the exact patient message?

No. Preview · sample patient data uses sample patient and visit details, plus your organization name. It helps you check the wording, but it is not a live patient message.

Does editing a template turn the notification on or off?

No. Changing the wording does not change the notification toggles or reminder settings on the Notifications page. Use the page’s notification settings to control which automated notifications are sent.

Can I edit the Imaging report shared template?

Yes. It appears in the notification template list when your organization has that template available, and you can edit it the same way as the other patient-facing templates.