When recipients click the enrollment link in enrollment emails, they may land on an invalid or broken URL instead of the eCat Online enrollment page.

This typically happens when an organization's custom enrollment email template contains placeholder text that hasn't been replaced with an actual URL, or when the template includes literal text that gets formatted as a link.

Why This Happens #

SuperCat uses standardized email templates that are sent via the mailing server. By default, the mailing server wraps and tracks links exactly as they appear in the HTML.

If an organization's custom enrollment template includes placeholder text like "Insert eCat Online URL here" or similar text formatted as a link, the mailing server will treat it as a literal link, e.g., "http://[insert eOL login URL here]". The result is an invalid URL when the email is sent.

Common causes include:

• Placeholder text in the template: The organization's enrollment_welcome_template contains literal placeholder text that hasn't been replaced
• Missing URL in the template: The template was copied from another source, but the URL wasn't updated
• Template variable not properly formatted: A template variable or placeholder wasn't correctly replaced

How to Identify the Issue #

1. Check the email source: View the raw HTML of the problematic email
2. Look for the link: Find the <a href="..."> tag that's causing the issue
3. Identify the template: Determine if it's:
   • A standard enrollment instructions email (system-generated, should work automatically)
   • A custom enrollment approval email (uses enrollment_welcome_template from organization settings)

What You Can Do #

1. Log in to SuperCat Admin Console as an admin user
2. Navigate to Tools → Company Settings → Email Templates
3. Locate the "Enrollment Approval Email" template field (enrollment_welcome_template)
4. Review the template content for:
   • Literal placeholder text like "Insert eCat Online URL here" or similar
   • Any text that appears to be a placeholder for a URL
   • Links that don't contain actual URLs
5. Replace any placeholder text with:
   • The actual eCat Online login URL for that organization
   • Or remove the placeholder if a URL isn't needed
6. Save the changes
7. Test by having the organization send a test enrollment approval email
8. Click the link in the test email to confirm it opens the proper eCat Online page

Note: Custom enrollment templates support template variables like:

• %username% Replaced with the applicant's username
• %password% Replaced with the password (or "[your current password]" if blank)
• %existingsitemessage% Replaced with a message if the user has existing accounts
• Each organization's URL is unique. The eCat Online URL format is: https://[email_hostname]/ecat/[shortname]/[url_key]/enrollment/...
• Always test: After updating templates, always send a test email and verify all links work correctly
• Template variables: Only specific template variables (like %username%) are automatically replaced. URL placeholders are not automatically replaced.

These variables are automatically replaced when the email is sent. However, if literal placeholder text for URLs exists in the template, it will not be automatically replaced.

Still Seeing the Error? #

If the link remains invalid after updating the template:

1. Verify the template was saved: Check that the changes were actually saved in the database
2. Check for multiple templates: Ensure you're editing the correct template (enrollment approval vs. enrollment instructions)
3. Review the raw email HTML: Inspect the actual link in the sent email to see what URL is being used
4. Check for other placeholders: Look for any other placeholder text in dynamic content sections
5. Contact Support: Share the following with the Support team:
   • Organization shortname
   • Template name/type
   • Screenshot of the template field from the admin console
   • Screenshot or copy of the invalid link from the email
   • Raw HTML of the email (if possible)

Prevention #

To prevent this issue:

1. Use template variables: When creating custom templates, use the supported template variables (%username%, %password%, etc.) rather than literal placeholders
2. Test templates: Always test custom templates before deploying them
3. Document templates: Keep documentation of what each template variable does
4. Avoid literal URLs in templates: If URLs are needed, consider if they can be generated dynamically or if they should be included as template variables

Related Templates #

• Enrollment Instructions: Standard emails are sent when enrollment is requested (not customizable per organization)
• Enrollment Approval: Custom template sent when enrollment is approved (enrollment_welcome_template)
• Enrollment Denial: Custom template sent when enrollment is denied (enrollment_denied_template)