CTI Navigator Web includes a template that automatically creates an email signature for you based on your agent information in the MLS roster. This signature is automatically included in all email created and sent by CTI Navigator Web.
CTI Navigator Desktop can automatically include your personal signature or stationary along with e-mailed MLS reports. The signature or stationary must first be created outside of CTI Navigator Desktop in a text or HTML editing program (as described below or in the Help function of your e-mail program). You then set CTI Navigator Desktop to include this signature file with your emailed MLS reports.
To link your signature (or stationary) to MLS reports in CTI Navigator Desktop: open a Search Results table, click the Email icon, click the E-mail Options tab, and check the appropriate stationary or signature option.
A "Text Signature" contains no formatting, hyperlinks or images. Use a "Text Signature" in Text Link reports or reports sent as a File Attachment. Use HTML signature (and/or stationary) for Embedded HTML or HTML Link messages with signatures that contain formatting, hyperlinks or images (such as logo or personal photo). Click on the Browse button to locate the appropriate stationary or signature file created elsewhere. To always include this signature/stationary with MLS reports emailed from CTI Navigator, click the "Set as Default" button.
Note 1: When HTML code (such as for an Embedded HTML or HTML link report) is transferred into most e-mail programs (e.g., Office Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail), the incoming HTML code will disable any HTML code already present (such as for an automatically inserted signature). This means that a signature automatically inserted by your e-mail program in outgoing messages may not display properly, or at all, unless the it has been setup separately in CTI Navigator's Email Options as described above.
Stationary is a formatting template that can include a background image, unique text font colors, and/or custom margins. Stationary typically comes with your e-mail program, and also can be created or saved from received e-mail. In Microsoft's Outlook Express, Stationary is typically stored at C:\Program Files\Common Files\ Microsoft Shared\ Stationary. Stationary files should be smaller than 10 KB. Pictures and other graphic objects in stationary can make the file too large to be reliably transmitted by e-mail. Extensive use of stationary in email is generally discouraged because it does not convey useful information to the recipient.
Signature is a small template file of information (such as name, agency, phone numbers, disclaimer) that can be automatically added at the end of an e-mail message. According to generally accepted Internet etiquette, signatures should display only about three to four lines of information after your name (so as to not clutter up the message or bloat its size).
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Below are instructions to create or edit signature files that can be included with MLS reports emailed from CTI Navigator. You can click on a topic of interest in the list below to go directly to that topic:
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A simple signature file can be easily created or modified as a text (.txt) file in most email programs or in WordPad that comes with Windows. (WordPad is listed in the list of Windows programs sometimes by itself and sometimes under "Accessories".) WordPad is useful because it makes a smaller file size (less coding lines) than more extensive word processing programs (like Word or WordPerfect).
A text signature includes nothing but text. Just type the content of information you would like to include with no special formatting (no bold, italics, underlines, etc.) and no hyperlinks or images. If you create your signature in WordPad (or Notepad), save the file in a folder that you create that is easy to access. For example, C:\Documents\Signature\ .
If you create your signature file in your email program, be sure you know the path to where the file is saved so you can set CTI Navigator Desktop to also use the file. For example, signature files created in Microsoft Outlook typically are stored at C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures.
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To include formatting (such as bold or color fonts, italics, underlining) and/or hyperlinks (such as a link to an email address or website address that activates a screen with the address when clicked on) in your signature requires HTML coding. If you have an HTML editing program, you can type the content for your signature with formatting and hyperlinks, and then save as an "html" file type in that editing program. If you are familiar with HTML code, you can type the code yourself into Notepad (an accessory program that comes with Windows) and save the file as an "html" file type. For ease of access by programs (such as CTI Navigator and/or your email program), save the file in your Signature folder.
If you are not familiar with HTML codes or HTML editing programs, you can create a basic formatted signature using the following template. Just copy and paste the code below into your Windows' Notepad program, and then replace the information in bold red type with your personal information. Programs that support HTML code (such as your email program or Internet browser) will interpret this code to display your Name, Office Name, Cell Phone#, Office Phone#, Email address and website address using default fonts for your signature.
<br>
Your NAME<br>
Your OFFICE NAME<br>
YourCellPhone# Cell<br>
YourOfficePhone# Office<br>
<a href="mailto:YourEMAILaddress">YourEMAILaddress</a><br>
<a href="http://WEB-SITE-ADDRESS/">WEB-SITE-ADDRESS</a><br>
Note that both an email address and a website address must be entered twice in the same line.
For example, the signature code for "Angie Realtor" that includes an email and website address could be:
<br>
Angie Realtor<br>
Creative Realty<br>
941.379.2933 Cell<br>
941.371.2743 Office<br>
<a href="mailto:ctimls99@hotmail.com">ctimls99@hotmail.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.info.ctimls.com/">www.info.ctimls.com</a><br>
Options for Customizing the Signature Template:
For more advanced codes, search the Internet for HTML codes, use an HTML signature generator, or use the formatting toolbar in your email program as described below and in the Related Articles and Internet Links at the bottom of this web page.
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A graphical signature can include an image (such as a logo or personal photo) as well as possible formatting and hyperlinks. To add an image to your template code (see example above):
An enhanced graphical signature (with more extensive formatting) can be created using Outlook Express (in Windows XP and earlier) or Windows Mail in Windows Vista as follows (see below for Windows Live Mail):
Note: It your signature includes formatting or hyperlinks but does not include a graphical image, skip step 5 above.
You also can create a graphical signature in Windows Live Mail (often used to email from Windows 7 and 8) as follows:
Note: It your signature includes formatting or hyperlinks but does not include a graphical image, skip steps 4, 7, 8 and 9 above.
Warning: signature files (especially with logos or photos) make email messages larger and slower to transfer or display. Some recipients' email may treat the signature as an attachment that is either blocked from display or must be opened separately from the main message. Also, images will not display if the image file is changed or moved from its original location.
Also beware that unusual or fancy fonts not installed on the viewers' computer may not display properly. Their computer would emulate your font with the closest type of font installed on their computer. Emulated fonts may or may not resemble your original in format, spacing or appearance.
For additional graphical instructions on creating signature files, see the appropriate article in the Related Articles and Internet Links at the bottom of this web page.
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Use the Windows Search or Find function if needed to locate where your signature file is stored. If you have previously included the signature file with your email reports, open CTI Navigator Desktop > create a search results data table > select the E-Mail icon > click the Options tab > look at the file name beside whatever Signature you have checked (HTML or Text). To see the path to this file, click the Browse button beside the file name. To edit that file, exit CTI Navigator and open the signature file in the appropriate text or HTML editor.
To change an existing signature, open the file in which you created your signature > make the changes > and save it using the appropriate editor (typically WordPad for ".txt" text files, and either Notepad, Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Expression Web, or Adobe's Dreamweaver for ".aspx" graphical files).
To edit an existing signature in Windows Live Mail: open a new message screen in Windows Live Mail > click the insert tab > select the signature you want to change > make your changes > select File > "Save as file" > set "Save as Type" (select either Text or HTML as appropriate for the original file type) > browse to and select your existing signature file > click Save > click Yes to replace the existing file.
If you originally created an htm signature file in MS Word, Word inserts extraneous code (such as xmlns schemas) that may (or may not) display in your email. To prevent such extraneous code from appearing in email, either open the file in a true graphical editor (such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver), or open the file in Notepad > remove the xmlns schemas code (see note 2 below) > save the file as HTML.
Note 2. To remove extraneous code (such as Word's xmlns schemas), highlight and delete everything except html inside the first set of chevron symbols (< >). This should leave <html> as the first line of code (usually followed on the second line by <head>). Click File, Exit and Save the changes to replace the original code in the file.
To add a logo or photo to your e-mail signature with positioning control is an advanced function. Use the Insert Picture function in your HTML editor program to insert the logo or photo where you want it positioned in your signature (see related articles and notes 3 and 4 below). The file of the logo or photo should be in gif or jpg format, and must be small (preferably less than 2 KB). The image file should be on your computer's hard drive (or a download site on the Internet), and the HTML code must use "absolute reference" (rather than relative reference) to the location of the image file. An absolute reference designates a specific drive letter, folder(s) and file name on your computer. Be sure to save the file in HTML format to preserve the code for the image. You may need someone with an HTML editor program and familiar with HTML code to setup your photo or your company's logo in a file appropriate to add to an email signature. Otherwise, commercial programs are available for creating enhanced email signatures.
Note 3. The basic steps in FrontPage to add a photo to an existing signature file are as follows:Note 4. You can change the path to an image (photo or logo) on your computer in an existing signature code using Notepad as follows:
- Open FrontPage > select File > Open > Look in > change path to location of existing signature file
- Click on the existing photo place marker (or delete it and click where you want the photo to appear) > select Insert > Picture > From File > Look in > change the path to the location of photo
- Click and hold the right corner sizing handle on the photo box > drag to resize the photo
- To position the photo to the left of the text, select Format > Position > Wrapping style= Left > Positioning style=None > OK
- To move the photo up/down, click and hold on the photo and drag straight up/down > stop when the vertical positioning bar is beside the desired line of text
- To position the photo to the right of the text, select Format > Position > Wrapping style= None > Positioning style=Absolute > enter a Location (such as Left= 380, Top =20) > and/or click OK > click and hold on the photo and drag it to the desired position to the right of the text > re-size if desired
- Click the Preview tab at the button of FrontPage to see how the signature will display. Beware that the photo box (even an empty section) may overlap and obscure part of the text unless sufficient clearance from the text is provided
- File > Save (to replace exiting file) or Save As (to create new file). Use this file in CTI Navigator.
- First note the path on your local hard drive to where your stored the image file. If you have the Address Bar enabled in your Windows Explorer, just highlight the photo file and copy (Ctrl/C) the full path in the Address Box. It is usually a good idea to have both the image and signature file in the same folder (but it is not entirely necessary). Do not use Microsoft Word because it automatically adds a lot of extraneous code (for its own schemas).
- Then Open Notepad and open the HTML signature file you want to use. Find the line which refers to the image. For example, src="TomPhoto_small.jpg"
- Click inside the initial quotation mark after scr=" and in front of the image filename (e.g., scr="|TomPhoto_small.jpg) and either paste or type the full path to the image. For example, src="C:\My Documents\My Photos\TomPhoto_small.jpg". If you paste the path, but careful to insert a backslash mark in front of the image filename because the paste may not include this backslash separator in front of the file name. Do not change any other code in the file.
- Either Save the file to replace the original HTML signature file, or Save As and give it the name you want to use for your signature with an HTML extension. If you always want to include this image in your signature, use the same file name as your existing signature (to overwrite it) and you won't need to change where it is referenced in CTI Navigator or in your email program .
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[rev.01.30.2014]