❑Predefined Messages are used to simplify the creation of:
•Manual Contacts made by your Operators:
✓Being able to use Predefined Messages allows your Operators to quickly and easily create an SMS message, Manual Page and/or a Manual Email.
•Users of the MKS Connect Service may implement these additional features:
✓Unattended Alarm Notification - If an Operator does not respond to an alarm signal within the established time period, a Predefined Message will be sent to the MKS Connect Service which will then notify (via Pager or Email) the appropriate Standby person(s).
✓Enable an Alarm Signal triggered automated message delivery (defined using the Notification List within the CSID Zone and/or Panel Zone Forms)
•Companies using IVR features will have many additional System installed Predefined Messages for use by that enhanced feature.
•These Predefined Messages define the most frequently transmitted types of text, and may include database related content which will be accessed and automatically inserted into the message based on the database field coding embedded in the Predefined Messages.
❖See the "Predefined Messages" section of the Alerts Sub-Tab and the Off Test Warning Setup chapters for more information.
❖See the IVR Setup and IVR/SMS Phone Account chapters for information relating to IVR features.
❖See the MKS Connect Service and related chapters for additional information about that service.
❑Creating a Predefined Message:
•To Access the Predefined Messages Form:
a)From the Backstage Menu System Select Maintenance and Choose the General option, then select the General Maintenance option which displays the secondary Maintenance Menu, or
b)From the Quick Access Menu, Select Maintenance and Choose General Maintenance to display the secondary Maintenance Menu.
✓Once the Maintenance Menu is displayed, Choose the Communication sub-menu, then Click on the Predefined Messages option.
Predefined Messages Form
✓This Predefined Messages Form may be Re-sized by Dragging the Top and/or Bottom up or down, and/or the Right side in or out.
•Navigation Menu - The Navigation Menu is located at the top of the Predefined Messages Form.
✓This Navigation Menu provides the normal Record Movement, New, Edit, Delete, Cancel, Save, and Refresh options; as well as special Print and Search functions.
✓There are two types of Record Editing Views
1)HTML (Email, Web Apps)
2)Plain Text (SMS,Voice)
•To define the various (additional) Predefined Messages types:
✓Click the 
Icon to start the Predefined Messages entry in the Record Editing section.
✓Message ID - System assigned record number inserted when record is initially added
✓Message Type - Use the Drop-Down Selection List provided to Select the appropriate message type.
1)HTML (Email, Web Apps) - This option will have Rich Text Editing functionality and may be used when you are defining a message to be sent as an Email for certain Web Applications
2)Plain Text (SMS,Voice) - This option will be used when you are defining a message to be sent as a SMS Text Message or transmitted as a Voice message
✓Message - Enter a Description of this Panel Connection entry.
▪The Defined Message may be almost any length (up to 254 characters) and include upper and/or lower case letters, numbers, spaces, normally used punctuation marks, and Macro Substitutions.
▪If the Message Type selected is HTML, then this field will have Rich Text Editing functionality, otherwise the entry will be plain text.
✓Fields - Use the Drop-Down Selection List to Choose a Field Name to insert the actual data they represent into the message.
▪These Macro Substitution Entries are specially formatted words and characters that instruct MKMS to insert the data, that is actually in that field within the database, in place of those Macro Substitution characters.
▪Macro Substitution Entries must start with %Field_, then have the actual name of the field containing the data that is to be inserted in the Predefined Message, and must end with the % sign resulting in a format as follows:
%Field_FieldName%
Some of the available Field Names
Add Field - Position the cursor within the Message field where the Field Name is to be inserted, then Click the Add Field button.
oThe added field name will appear within the Message field using the following format: %Field_FieldName%
✓Description - Optionally, a brief description of the Predefined Message may be provided.
✓Click the 
Icon to record this Predefined Message entry.
✓Repeat this process, as needed, to define each Predefined Message in use.
List Icon - The Navigation Menu also has a List option which provides a tabular view of these Predefined Message records.
Predefined Messages Form - List View with System and User defined Predefined Messages
✓Click the List Icon to display the associated Grid Data.
✓The columns of Grid Data may be rearranged, filtered, sorted, and exported as a PDF file and/or an Excel formatted file.
✓Find - Enter text to search for a specific record, then Click the Find option.
✓Clear - To remove the text to search for entry, Click the Clear option
Navigation Menu shown with the List Options for Export & Print
✓Click the List Icon again to Close the List View and return to the Record Editing View.
❖See the Grid & Lists - Print Preview - Export Data chapter for complete information on using the List View, including its Export & Print options.
❑Off Test Warning - A Predefined Message is also used to setup an automatic Email Warning Message normally sent to a Technician to alert him/her that an Account she/he put On Test will be coming Off Test shortly.
•This Email Warning Message will be generated just before an On Test Account is going Off Test by using the MKS Connect Service.
•See the Off Test Warning chapter for complete information.
❑Using the Special Functions on the Navigation Menu at the top of the Predefined Messages Form:
•Print - Click the Print Icon to View and/or Print a list of the Predefined Messages.
❖See the Grid & Lists - Print Preview - Export Data chapter for complete information on using the List View, including its Export & Print options.