Copyright © 2024 Symprex Limited. All Rights Reserved.
User's Guide
Symprex Email Signature Manager
Version 9.6.2.
2
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction1
System Requirements2
Email Signature Manager Overview3
How Email Signature Manager Works11
Signature 36512
Installing Email Signature Manager13
New Installations of Email Signature Manager
13
Upgrading Email Signature Manager
16
Service Accounts
20
Direct Database Mode
26
Chapter 2 Tutorial27
Main Application Window27
Configuration Page
29
Database Page
30
Tools Page
30
Access Control31
Options Dialog33
Product Configuration Wizard34
Installation Type
35
Database Connection Established
41
Environment Configuration
41
Finished
43
Environment Configuration44
On-Premises Settings
45
Office 365 Modern Authentication
48
Hosted Settings
48
EWS Connectivity Test
51
Creating and Editing Templates53
3
Contents
Signatures
56
Disclaimers
59
Campaigns
60
Stationery
62
Dynamic Fields
63
Conditional Statements
66
Template Design Guidance
69
Test Signatures71
Manage Deployment72
Send On Behalf
75
Exclusions
78
Global Client Settings
79
Manage Rules
80
Status Monitor83
Deployment Options84
Service Page
87
Client Access Service
88
Advanced Page
90
Settings Database94
Import Database95
Manage Data Sources96
Configure a Custom Data Source
98
Domain Configuration101
Mobile Device Signatures102
Manage Signature Injection Rule
103
Chapter 3 Deployment106
The Email Signature Manager Client Access Service106
Using the Email Signature Manager Agent106
4
Contents
Running the Agent from a Logon Script
111
Installing the Agent using Group Policy
112
Additional Group Policy Settings
124
Installing the Agent using ClickOnce
125
Mobile Device Signature Injection125
Using the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent
125
Chapter 4 Appendices131
Using Microsoft SQL Server131
Creating the Email Signature Manager Database on SQL Server
132
Installing and Configuring SQL Server Express
135
Using Email Signature Manager in Manager Only Mode
138
Direct Database Mode and Creating a Login for the Agent
140
Template Fields142
Chapter 5 Licensing145
License Dialog145
Manual License Dialog145
Upgrade License Dialog146
Chapter 6 Copyright148
Chapter 7 Contacting Symprex149
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Introduction
Symprex Email Signature Manager is the perfect solution for ensuring professional email communication
across your organization with consistent signatures, mail format and contact information.
Email Signature Manager is designed for On-Premises Exchange Server environments but also works with
Office 365, with the exception that mobile device signatures are not supported on Office 365.
Office 365 customers are recommended to use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365. Signature 365 offers more features, greater control and superior client support,
and, like Email Signature Manager, does not require emails to be routed via any third-party service.
Benefits
Some of the key benefits of Email Signature Manager are:
Helps to ensure professional email communication.
Standardized, identical and consistent email signatures for everyone.
Correct and up-to-date contact information in emails.
Signatures are visible to users when composing emails.
Signatures are applied to emails sent from mobile devices.
Helps improve professional organization image and branding.
Minimum administration hassle for everyone.
Emails are not re-routed from source to destination.
Users do not have to do anything to use deployed signatures.
Features
Some of the key features of Email Signature Manager are:
Deploy identical signatures to Outlook, OWA and other email clients.
Works with Android, iPhone and iPad devices.
Built-in disclaimer and campaign support.
Powerful WYSIWYG template designer.
Supports HTML, RTF and Plain Text email formats.
HTML designer offers color-coded HTML source editing.
Merge signatures with contact information from Active Directory.
Merge signatures with contact information from virtually any type of database.
Powerful test module with full preview in all formats.
Test signatures before deployment in preview and in actual email clients.
Flexible deployment of signatures to groups and individual users.
Supports nested sub-groups when determining user group membership.
Simple deployment via logon script command-line utility, Active Directory or ClickOnce installation.
Status monitor to verify deployment status to every individual user.
Signatures work both when on-line and off-line.
Getting Started
This introduction will take you through the system requirements, an overview of Email Signature Manager
and how to either perform a first-time install of the product or upgrade an existing installation.
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About Symprex
Symprex is one of the leading companies in the world for add-on solutions for Microsoft Office 365,
Exchange Server and Outlook. Please see Symprex.com for more information about Symprex and the
solutions we offer.
System Requirements
Email Signature Manager minimum system requirements are:
Supported email clients:
Microsoft Outlook 2013/2016/2019/2021/365
Microsoft OWA/OOTW on Exchange Online
Microsoft OWA/OOTW on Exchange Server 2013/2016/2019
Mobile devices on Exchange Server when using the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent
Note Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution
designed specifically for Office 365.
Supported email servers:
Microsoft Exchange Online
Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 CU21 or later
Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 CU11 or later
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
Operating system software:
Microsoft Windows 8.1/10/11
Microsoft Windows Server 2012/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022
Framework software:
Email Signature Manager:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
Email Signature Manager Agent v4.x:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
Email Signature Manager Agent v3.x:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or later
Email Signature Manager Transport Agent:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
System hardware:
Email Signature Manager:
CPU and memory requirements for operating system
200MB free hard-disk space plus 5MB per 100 users for database
1024 x 768 screen resolution
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Introduction
Email Signature Manager Agent:
CPU and memory requirements for operating system
2MB free hard-disk space
Email Signature Manager Transport Agent:
CPU and memory requirements for operating system
40MB free hard-disk space
Email Signature Manager Overview
For an introduction to Email Signature Manager including solution benefits, features and how to get
started, please see the general introduction.
Easy to Use
The Email Signature Manager user interface is designed in accordance with current Microsoft guidelines
for Microsoft Office applications. The main application window is divided into a top ribbon for accessing
all of the commands, a work area in the middle for managing and editing templates, a status bar at the
bottom, and a backstage for accessing configuration and tools.
The main application is shown below with the Home ribbon tab selected:
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The main application is shown below with the Configuration ribbon tab selected:
With a user interface that works in the same way as current and recent versions of Microsoft Office
applications, Email Signature Manager is intuitive and easy to use.
Central Management
All aspects of the Email Signature Manager solution are managed from within the graphical user interface
of the main application. This is where you for example create, design and test your email signature
templates, manage deployment to groups and users, and verify deployment results in the status monitor.
The solution includes a service, which is responsible for generating signatures for Outlook, OWA and
mobile devices by merging data from Active Directory (or custom data sources) with the signature
templates including any disclaimers and campaigns.
Simple Deployment
Deployment of Outlook signatures is seamlessly performed by the Email Signature Manager Agent, a
small executable that runs on each user's computer. The Agent can either be started from a network share
from a logon script, or installed using for example Group Policy. Further, the Agent can be configured to
update Outlook signatures at logon only, or to stay running in the background and update Outlook
signatures continuously. The Agent works whether users log on to the domain or not.
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The Outlook signatures are generated by the Email Signature Manager Service that is installed with Email
Signature Manager. This service is also responsible for seamless deployment of OWA signatures and
generation of mobile device signatures. Signatures can be injected into emails sent from mobile devices
by the optional Email Signature Manager Transport Agent when using On-Premises Exchange Server.
Note Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365. Signature 365 offers more features, greater control and superior client support,
and, like Email Signature Manager, does not require emails to be routed via any third-party service.
Powerful Built-in Template Editor
Email Signature Manager offers a powerful built-in template editor for designing and editing email
signature, disclaimer and campaign templates.
A template consists of the following information:
Basic properties, such as name, description and data source.
HTML and Plain Text templates with dynamic fields (which are merged with the data source) and
conditional statements (to control when content appears in the signature).
Optional client settings, such as default fonts and other settings.
Template specific properties such as start and end date for campaigns.
Note RTF signatures are generated automatically from HTML signatures.
When editing HTML templates the editor offers a Design, Source and Preview mode for WYSIWYG editing,
HTML code editing (syntax color-coded), and previewing the template merged with user data.
The built-in template editor is shown below in Design mode for WYSIWYG editing:
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The built-in template editor is shown below in Source mode for source editing:
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The built-in template editor is shown below in Preview mode merging template with user data:
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Client Settings
A signature template can optionally include a set of client settings to control default message format and
fonts using the Client Settings dialog from within the template editor:
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Client Settings can also be defined on a global level so that they are applied automatically when any
signature is installed.
Easy Deployment Configuration
Configuring how users in your organization will receive signatures is simple using the Manage
Deployment dialog:
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Deployment can be specified either by group membership or by individual user, and signatures can also
be deployed for users who send emails on behalf of other users in your organization.
Powerful Status Monitor
Reviewing signature deployment results is easy using the Status Monitor dialog:
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The list of users can be sorted for example by status, name or last service our agent deployment
date/time. It is also possible to jump directly to any user by searching for example by name or email
address. Finally the deployment to users can be updated immediately.
How Email Signature Manager Works
Email Signature Manager comprises the following components:
Main Application for managing signatures, and configuring and monitoring deployment.
Database holding settings, templates, deployment configuration and status information.
Service responsible for generation and deployment of user signatures.
Client Access Service used by the Agent and Transport Agent to fetch signature settings from the
database.
Agent for updating Outlook signatures on each user's computer.
Transport Agent (optional) for Exchange Server for injecting signatures into emails sent from mobile
devices.
The Database, Service and Client Access Service are installed with the Main Application when
performing a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager.
The following steps are used to deploy signatures to the users in your organization:
Using the Email Signature Manager Main Application, your environment is configured. This tells Email
Signature Manager how Exchange is deployed across your organization, and optionally, is used to
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specify the service accounts that are used to update the mailboxes on Exchange Server and Office 365.
Using the WYSIWYG editor, the signature templates are designed. The templates use dynamic fields and
conditional statements that are evaluated during deployment to produce signatures that are specific to
each user (e.g. the signature can contain for example each user's name, email address and direct dial
number) but standardized across your organization.
Once the templates are designed and tested, the main application is used to specify how signatures are
deployed to the users in your organization. Deployment can be specified either by group membership
or for individual users. The main application is also used to set certain deployment options that control
how signatures are installed to Outlook on your users' computers.
With signature design completed and deployment configured, the Email Signature Manager Service
performs three core functions:
o Generates Outlook signatures and stores them in the database, and also writes them to each user's
mailbox.
o Deploys OWA signatures to each user's mailbox.
o Generates mobile device signatures, to be injected into emails sent from mobile devices, and stores
them in the database.
The Email Signature Manager Agent runs on each user's computer to fetch the pre-generated
signatures and deploy them to Outlook. The Agent normally connects to the Email Signature Manager
Client Access Service to fetch the signatures, but it can also fetch them from the user's mailbox when
running off domain. The Agent can be started from a network share from a logon script, or installed
using for example Group Policy. Further information about the Agent can be found in this topic and
about the Client Access Service in this topic.
If the users in your organization use their mobile devices to send emails via your On-Premises Exchange
Server, the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is used to inject the appropriate pre-generated
signatures into those emails during delivery. The Transport Agent knows where to inject the signature
based on a set of rules. Further information about the Transport Agent can be found in this topic.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Signature 365
Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365. Signature 365 offers client-side signatures directly in Outlook on Windows, Mac,
Mobile and OWA. Signature 365 also offers server-side and combo-modes providing support for all
email clients on all devices.
For more information about Signature 365, please click here.
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Installing Email Signature Manager
Before installing Email Signature Manager, if you have not already done so, it is recommended to review
how the product works, and then proceed as appropriate to:
Perform a new installation
Upgrade an existing installation
New Installations of Email Signature Manager
Each installation of Email Signature Manager requires one instance of a Full Installation of the product,
which comprises the following components:
The Email Signature Manager main application.
The Email Signature Manager Service.
The Email Signature Manager Client Access Service.
The Built-in Database.
For details of what each component does, please refer to the topic on how the product works.
The steps to install Email Signature Manager depend on your Exchange environment:
On-Premises Exchange Server
Office 365
Office 365 and On-Premises Exchange Server
Hosted Exchange
Hosted Exchange and On-Premises Exchange Server
Exchange Server without Impersonation or Other Email Platform
Installing for On-Premises Exchange Server
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager in an organization that uses On-
Premises Exchange Server:
1. Create the service account on your On-Premises Exchange Server for Email Signature Manager to use
to access mailboxes in your organization.
2. Review the guidance on throttling policies for Exchange Server 2013 and higher.
3. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
4. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Installing for Office 365
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager in an organization that uses Office
365:
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1. Create the service account on Office 365 for Email Signature Manager to use to access mailboxes in
your organization.
2. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
3. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Installing for Office 365 and On-Premises Exchange Server
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager in an organization that uses a mixed
Office 365 and On-Premises Exchange Server environment:
1. Create the service account on your On-Premises Exchange Server for Email Signature Manager to use
to access mailboxes in your organization.
2. Review the guidance on throttling policies for Exchange Server 2013 and higher.
3. Create the service account on Office 365 for Email Signature Manager to use to access mailboxes in
your organization.
4. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
5. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Installing for Hosted Exchange
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager in an organization that uses Hosted
(Off-Premises) Exchange:
1. Contact your Exchange hosting provider and ask them to create the service account within their
Exchange platform for Email Signature Manager to use to access mailboxes in your organization.
2. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
3. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Installing for Hosted Exchange and On-Premises Exchange Server
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager in an organization that uses a mixed
Hosted Exchange and On-Premises Exchange Server environment:
1. Contact your Exchange hosting provider and ask them to create the service account within their
Exchange platform for Email Signature Manager to use to access mailboxes in your organization.
2. Create the service account on your On-Premises Exchange Server for Email Signature Manager to use
to access mailboxes in your organization.
3. Review the guidance on throttling policies for Exchange Server 2013 and higher.
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4. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
5. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Installing without Impersonation Account
This topic describes the steps for installing Email Signature Manager without an impersonation account
(for example, due to security restrictions imposed by a hosted Exchange provider):
1. Perform a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager on to a suitable Windows Server.
2. Complete the post-installation tasks to configure Email Signature Manager.
Note that when installing without an impersonation account, the following restrictions apply:
OWA signatures will not be deployed.
Automatic support for Outlook signatures for remote users will not work.
Post Installation Tasks
Having performed a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager, start the main application and
complete Product Configuration Wizard as follows:
1. On the Introduction page, click the Next button.
2. On the Installation Type page, select New Installation and click the Next button.
3. On the New Installation page, select the Type and Built-In Database and click the Next button.
4. On the Database Connection Established page, click the Next button.
5. On the Environment Configuration page, it is recommended that you select Configure Environment
Now to complete the configuration of Email Signature Manager for your type of Exchange
environment; however, this step can be skipped and completed at a later stage. When you have
selected the appropriate option, click the Next button.
6. If you selected the Configure Environment Now option, the Environment Configuration dialog will be
opened. Select the appropriate option that describes your Exchange environment and enter the details
of the service accounts; it is recommended to use the Test button to ensure that each account has
been properly configured. Click the OK button to proceed to the final step of the wizard or the Cancel
button to return to the Environment Configuration page of the wizard.
7. The Finished page of the wizard will report on the current configuration of the product. Click the
Finish button to close the wizard.
After the wizard has been completed, you are ready to configure the product to deploy signatures to the
users in your organization:
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1. To get started, you can use one of the example signature templates that are included with the product
or you can use the WYSIWYG editor to create your own.
2. Using the Manage Deployment dialog, specify which users will receive signatures.
3. The service now has everything that it needs to generate the signatures for Outlook and to deploy
signatures to OWA, so click the Update Now button in the ribbon.
4. Use the Status Monitor dialog to verify that the service is working.
5. Arrange for the Email Signature Manager Agent to be executed on your end users' computers. There
are a number of ways of achieving this; please refer to this topic.
Congratulations! You have now completed the basic configuration of the product and can start to deploy
email signatures to your users.
Other post-installation tasks that you may wish to complete are:
Optionally, migrate the database to SQL Server if you wish to be able to manage your Email Signature
Manager installation from multiple computers. You can then perform additional Manager Only
installations of the product on the appropriate computers; please refer to this topic for more
information.
Optionally, install the Transport Agent to inject signatures into emails sent from mobile devices.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Upgrading Email Signature Manager
Before upgrading Email Signature Manager, it is recommended that you first read how the product works
and then use the following the instructions in the appropriate topic to upgrade your installation:
Upgrading v7.x and later
Upgrading from v5.x or v6.x
Upgrading from v4.x or earlier
Upgrading v7.x and Later
Upgrading an installation of v7.x or later is very simple:
1. Using the new installer, upgrade the computer where the Full Installation has been made (i.e. the
machine where the Email Signature Manager Service is located).
2. Run Email Signature Manager in the upgraded full installation; this will upgrade the database if
necessary.
3. Using the new installer, upgrade any other computers where there is a Manager-Only installation.
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The Email Signature Manager Agent has its own version numbering system, and new versions of the
Agent can be released independently of the main application; hence, there may not necessarily be a new
version of the Agent to match a new version of the main application, and vice versa. How the Agent is
upgraded will depend on how it has been deployed in your organization:
If you are starting the Agent via a logon script from a shared folder, the new version simply needs to be
copied to the folder.
If you are using GPO, please follow the upgrade instructions in the Group Policy topic.
If you are using ClickOnce, then the Agent can be updated using the Check Now button in the Software
Updates group on the Options dialog.
Note It is recommended (and with Office 365 required) to use v3.2.4 or higher of the Email Signature
Manager Agent.
The optional Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is always released in step with the main
application. It is not strictly necessary to upgrade the Transport Agent as all major releases are
compatible with the matching major version of the main application (for example, v9.0 of the Transport
Agent will be compatible with v9.1 of the main application). However, it is recommended to keep the
Transport Agent up-to-date with the main application when convenient to do so. The Transport Agent is
upgraded by simply running the installer for the new version. When moving to a newer major version of
Email Signature Manager, the Transport Agent must be updated.
To complete the upgrade of the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent, it is necessary to restart the
Exchange Transport Service, which is responsible for delivering email. It is therefore recommended that
you plan to upgrade at a quiet time. The installer can automatically restart the Exchange Transport Service
or you can manually restart the service.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Upgrading from v5.x and v6.x
There are a number of key changes between v5.x/v6.x and v9.x, as follows:
The Deployment Tool (sign.exe) has been replaced by a new Email Signature Manager Agent that
runs on users’ computers seamlessly updating Outlook signatures at configured intervals. The new
Agent gets signature settings from the Client Access Service or, in the case of remote users, from the
user's mailbox using Exchange Web Services.
The Access database (settings.mdb) has been replaced by a new Built-in Database that can scale to
any number of users and which does not require sharing on a network share.
The Email Signature Manager Service is now a core component of the product and is automatically
installed/upgraded when installing Email Signature Manager. The new service always runs under the
Local System account. The service account(s) for mailbox access are configured in a new Environment
Configuration dialog.
You should upgrade from v5.x and v6.x using following these steps:
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1. Determine the type of database you are presently using (open the Settings Database dialog) and
complete the appropriate step:
If you are using an Access database (typically, settings.mdb), move it from its current location (i.e.
the shared folder) to a secure location and take a backup copy.
If you are using SQL Server, take a full backup.
2. Determine how the old Deployment Tool (sign.exe) is currently executed by the users in your
organization and complete the appropriate step:
If you are running it from a logon script, remove the call to it from that logon script and delete
sign.exe from your shared folder.
If you are using GPO to deploy it using the MSI package, delete the GPO that installs it (this will
ensure that it is uninstalled when your users logon to their machines).
3. If you are currently running the service in conjunction with On-Premises Exchange Server, review the
permissions required by the service account according to your version of Exchange Server.
4. One server (and one server only) in your organization will need to have a Full Installation of the
product. It is therefore recommended that you determine if the Email Signature Manager Service is
already installed within organization and then either:
Perform a Full Installation on the server where the service is already installed; the installer will
automatically upgrade both the main application and the service (i.e. there is no need to uninstall
anything first), or
Uninstall the previous version of the main application and service from the current server, and then
install perform a Full Installation on a new server.
5. Complete the upgrade process.
Upgrading from v4.x and Earlier
There are a number of key changes between v4.x and earlier, and v9.x, as follows:
The Deployment Tool (sign.exe) has been replaced by a new Email Signature Manager Agent that
runs on users’ computers seamlessly updating Outlook signatures at configured intervals. The new
Agent gets signature settings from the Client Access Service or, in the case of remote users, from the
user's mailbox using Exchange Web Services.
The Access database (settings.mdb) has been replaced by a new Built-in Database that can scale to
any number of users and which does not require sharing on a network share.
A new Email Signature Manager Service is now responsible for generating Outlook signatures and
deploying OWA signatures to users’ mailboxes using EWS. In addition it also generates signatures for
use by the new Email Signature Manager Transport Agent to inject into emails sent from mobile
devices when using On-Premises Exchange Server.
You should upgrade from v4.x and earlier using following these steps:
1. Determine the type of database you are presently using (open the Settings Database dialog) and
complete the appropriate step:
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If you are using an Access database (typically, settings.mdb), move it from its current location (i.e.
the shared folder) to a secure location and take a backup copy.
If you are using SQL Server, take a full backup.
2. Determine how the old Deployment Tool (sign.exe) is currently executed by the users in your
organization and complete the appropriate step:
If you are running it from a logon script, remove the call to it from that logon script and delete
sign.exe from your shared folder.
If you are using GPO to deploy it using the MSI package, delete the GPO that installs it (this will
ensure that it is uninstalled when your users logon to their machines).
3. Uninstall the current version using Windows Control Panel. When prompted, you should remove the
current database (make sure to backup the database first) and settings.
4. Create a service account for use with the new Email Signature Manager Service.
5. One server (and one server only) in your organization will need to have a Full Installation of the
product.
6. Complete the upgrade process.
Completing the Upgrade
Having performed a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager, start the main application and complete
Product Configuration Wizard as follows:
1. On the Introduction page, click the Next button.
2. On the Installation Type page, select Existing Installation and click the Next button.
3. On the Existing Installation page, choose either to import your old settings database or upgrade
your existing SQL Server database as appropriate, and click the Next button.
If you are importing an Access database, then select it on the Import Access Database page and
click the Next button.
If you are upgrading an existing SQL Server database, enter the details on the Upgrade SQL Server
Database page and click the Next button (note SQL Server Authentication is required; please read the
Dedicated Login section in this topic for more information).
4. On the Database Connection Established page, click the Next button.
5. On the Environment Configuration page, it is recommended that you select Configure Environment
Now to complete the configuration of Email Signature Manager for your type of Exchange
environment; however, this step can be skipped and completed at a later stage. When you have
selected the appropriate option, click the Next button.
6. If you selected the Configure Environment Now option, the Environment Configuration dialog will be
opened and where possible, the wizard will have migrated any previous configuration. If necessary,
select the appropriate option that describes your Exchange environment and enter the details of the
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service account(s) as required; it is recommended to use the Test button to ensure that each account
has been properly configured. Click the OK button to proceed to the final step of the wizard or the
Cancel button to return to the Environment Configuration page of the wizard.
7. The Finished page of the wizard will report on the current configuration of the product. Click the
Finish button to close the wizard.
8. If you are using Email Signature Manager Transport Agent, upgrade each server where it is installed.
Note The Exchange Transport Service must be restarted to complete the upgrade; the installer can do this
automatically or you can manually restart the service.
After the wizard has been completed, your existing signatures and deployment configuration should now
be available and if the Exchange environment has been configured, the Email Signature Manager Service
will start to deploy and generate signatures. You can now complete the upgrade using the following
steps:
1. Use the Status Monitor dialog to verify that the service is working.
2. Arrange for the new Email Signature Manager Agent to be executed on your end users' computers.
There are a number of ways of achieving this; please refer to this topic.
Congratulations! You have now completed the upgrade of the product and the users in your
organization should have signatures deployed just as they did with your previous version.
Other post-installation tasks that you may wish to complete are:
The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent can be used to inject signatures into email sent from
mobile devices when using On-Premises Exchange Server; please refer to this topic.
From v7.0 upwards, it is not possible to share the Built-in Database. Therefore, if you wish to manage
the database from multiple computers, you need to migrate to SQL Server if you are presently using the
built-in (Access) database, and then you can perform a Manager Only installation of the product on the
appropriate computers; please refer to this topic for more information.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Service Accounts
In order for the Email Signature Manager Service to be able to write Outlook signatures and deploy OWA
signatures to user mailboxes, using Exchange Web Services (EWS), it is necessary to create an
appropriate service account on Exchange Server. The details of this account (or accounts if you have a
hybrid environment) are then entered in the Environment Configuration dialog.
If you are using On-Premises Exchange Server, create an account using Active Directory User and
Computers on a domain controller and then assign it the appropriate rights depending on the version
of Exchange Server you are using:
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On Exchange Server 2016 and 2019.
On Exchange Server 2013.
In addition, please read this topic on Exchange Server Throttling Policies.
If you are using Hosted Exchange, you will need to contact your hosting provider and ask them to
create an account with the appropriate permissions.
If you are using Office 365, please read this topic to create the account through the administration
portal.
Note If you have selected the Exchange without Impersonation Account option in the Environment
Configuration dialog, then you do not need to create any service accounts. However, selecting this
option, OWA signatures will not be deployed, and automatic support for Outlook signatures for remote
users will not work.
Permissions for the Service Account on Exchange Server 2016 and 2019
Permissions requirements for the service account on Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 are:
Application Impersonation
To assign the service account the required Exchange Server permissions, follow these steps:
1. Open the Exchange Management Shell and connect to Exchange Server.
2. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role ApplicationImpersonation -User <Account>
where <Account> is the name of the service account to which the required role will be assigned.
Permissions for the Service Account on Exchange Server 2013
Permissions requirements for the service account on Exchange Server 2013 are:
Application Impersonation
To assign the service account the required Exchange Server permissions, follow these steps:
1. Open the Exchange Management Shell and connect to Exchange Server.
2. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role ApplicationImpersonation -User <Account>
where <Account> is the name of the service account to which the required role will be assigned.
Note In v5.x of Email Signature Manager the required permissions were:
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Receive-As
These permissions can be removed from the service account.
Exchange Server Client Throttling Policies
In order for the Email Signature Manager Service to function correctly on Exchange Server 2013 and
higher, it is necessary to disable client throttling for the service account. This can be accomplished as
follows:
1. Open the Exchange Management Shell and connect to Exchange Server.
2. Type the following command:
New-ThrottlingPolicy <Policy>
where <Policy> is a suitable, unique name for the policy (for example, ESMServiceAccountPolicy)
3. Type the following command:
Set-ThrottlingPolicy <Policy> -EwsCutoffBalance Unlimited -EwsMaxBurst Unlimited -
EwsMaxConcurrency Unlimited -EwsMaxSubscriptions Unlimited -EwsRechargeRate Unlimited
-IsServiceAccount:$true
4. Type the following command:
Set-ThrottlingPolicyAssociation -ThrottlingPolicy <Policy> -Identity <Account>
where <Policy> is the name of the policy and <Account> is the name of the service account to which
the policy will be assigned.
Note Changes to client throttling policies will not be applied immediately on your Exchange Server; please
allow some time for the changes to become effective.
Creating the Service Account on Office 365
When deploying signatures to Office 365, Email Signature Manager requires a service account assigned to
the Application Impersonation role. This account can be created using the Office 365 administration portal
as follows:
1. Log on to Office 365 as an administrative account.
2. Select Active Users in the USERS node of the tree on the left side of the page, and then click the add
symbol ( ) on the Active Users list page to add a new user.
3. In the Create new user account popup, enter a suitable Display Name and User Name, configure the
password according to your password policy, and ensure that the Make this person change their
password the next time they sign in option is not checked. Here is an example:
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Click the Create button to create the account. If you have auto-generated the password, make a note
of it.
4. Click Exchange in the ADMIN node of the tree on the left side of the page; this will open the
Exchange admin center in a new window.
5. In the Exchange admin center, click permissions on the left side of the window.
6. Select the Application Impersonation role and click the edit symbol ( ).
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7. In the Members list, click the add symbol ( ) and from the Select Members windows, add the
account created in step 3 and click the OK button. The Members list should now contain the service
account; for example:
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8. Click the Save button; the service account has now been assigned to the Application Impersonation role.
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Direct Database Mode
Email Signature Manager can work in Direct Database Mode, in which the Email Signature Manager
Agent connects directly to the Email Signature Manager database. In this mode the service will not write
Outlook settings and signatures to each mailbox, and the Agent will fetch the same information directly
from the database.
Examples of when direct database mode may be useful are:
You want the Agent to work directly with the database in the same way as in Email Signature Manager
version 4.x, 5.x and 6.x.
Due to specific environment restrictions the Agent is unable to connect to mailboxes.
There are certain limitations to using direct database mode:
The Email Signature Manager database must be hosted on SQL Server.
Off-premises users may not be able to make direct connections to the database or VPN may be
required.
These are the steps to take if you want to use direct database mode:
1. If you are currently using the built-in database, migrate it to SQL Server.
2. Within the main application, open the Deployment Options dialog and on the Advanced page, select
the Direct Database Mode option.
3. Click the Save Configuration File button to save a configuration file that configures the Agent to
connect to the SQL Server database.
Note When using Group Policy, the configuration file is copied by the MSI package at installation time.
Hence, any existing installations will not have the configuration file copied. It is therefore recommended to
create a new GPO to install the latest version of the Agent, which will upgrade any existing installations
and install the file.
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Email Signature Manager is started by clicking its icon in the program group. When first started, an
evaluation license will be automatically granted that will allow you to evaluate the software for a limited
number of users for a limited amount of time. Once you have purchased an appropriate license, you will
need to apply it to fully enable the application and remove the evaluation restrictions; please refer to the
chapter on licensing for further information.
Main Application Window
The main application window has several areas, as shown below:
The ribbon at the top of the window provides access to all of the functions in the application. The ribbon
can be collapsed by clicking the arrow in the top right-corner to provide more space for the main content
of the window. The buttons in the ribbon will be available according to the current selection in the main
window. The settings database to which the application is connected is displayed in the status bar at the
bottom of the window, together with the current status of the service (only displayed on the machine
where the full installation has been performed). Further details and options for the application can be
found by clicking the Configuration ribbon tab, which opens the Configuration page by default.
The main area of the window displays the template browser, which displays the templates defined in the
database. The list can be viewed in one of four modes; click the appropriate button in the View group in
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the Home ribbon to change the view. To create a new template, click the appropriate button in the Create
group in the Home ribbon. With an existing template selected, you can:
Click the Edit button in the Template group in the ribbon to edit the selected template (this can also be
accomplished by double-clicking the template), or
Click the Rename button in the Template group in the ribbon to rename the selected template, or
Click the Delete button in the Template group in the ribbon to permanently delete the selected
template, or
Click the Duplicate button in the Template group in the ribbon to create an identical duplicate the
selected template.
Note The commands are also available in the context menu, which is opened by right-clicking on the
appropriate template as illustrated below:
Please see this topic for further information about creating and editing templates. Once you have created
your templates, they can be tested by clicking the Test button in the Template group in the Home ribbon
to open the Test Signatures dialog.
The deployment of your templates is managed using the tools in the Deployment group in the ribbon:
The Manage Deployment button will open the Manage Deployment dialog, which is used to configure
which users in your organization receive which signatures.
The Status Monitor button will open the Status Monitor dialog, which is used to monitor the
deployment of signatures to the users in your organization.
The Update All button (only available in the Full Installation of the product) will send a command to the
Email Signature Manager Service to update the signatures for all users; more information about what
the service does can be found in this topic.
Clicking the Signature 365 button in the Migration group will open the Signature 365 Migration Wizard,
which allows you to migrate your Email Signature Manager configuration to Signature 365. For more
information about Signature 365, please click here.
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Configuration Page
The Configuration page is displayed by clicking the Configuration ribbon in the main application window
and selecting the Configuration page:
The buttons on this page perform the following actions:
Environment Configuration: Opens the Environment Configuration dialog, which is used to configure
the Email Signature Manager environment.
Domain Configuration: Opens the Domain Configuration dialog, which configures how Email Signature
Manager connects to Active Directory.
Deployment Options: Opens the Deployment Options dialog, which configures the top-level settings
that determine how signatures are deployed to users in your organization.
Mobile Device Signatures: Opens the Mobile Device Signatures dialog, which configures how the
signatures for the mobile devices in your organization are handled.
Data Sources: Opens the Data Sources dialog, which configures the custom data sources used to
generate signature content.
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Database Page
The Database page is displayed by clicking the Configuration the ribbon in the main application window
and selecting the Database page:
The buttons on this page perform the following actions:
Settings Database: Opens the Settings Database dialog, which determines the database to which Email
Signature Manager is connected.
Import Database: Opens the Import Database dialog, which imports data from an existing database to
the current database.
Export Database: Performs a complete export of the current database to a new Access database. This
can be useful for backup purposes or if a copy of your database is required for technical support.
Tools Page
The Tools page is displayed by clicking the Configuration ribbon in the main application window and
selecting the Tools page:
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The buttons on this page perform the following actions to assist you with using Email Signature Manager:
Help: Opens the Email Signature Manager User's Guide.
Contact Us: Opens the Support Centre on the Symprex website.
Access Control: Opens the Access Control dialog to configure user permissions for using the software.
Options: Opens the Options dialog to configure application settings.
Check for Updates: Checks for updates to Email Signature Manager.
The right side of the page displays information about your license and product specific details for Email
Signature Manager such as the version number. This information can be useful if you need to contact
Symprex for technical assistance.
Access Control
The Access Control dialog is opened by clicking the Options button on the Tools page in the
Configuration backstage of the main application window:
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The Access Control dialog is used to specify the permissions that the users in your organization have
when using Email Signature Manager. To enable access control, select the Enable access control option
at the top of the dialog. If access control is disabled, all users can perform all actions. Once access
control is enabled, permissions to use the various functions of the application can be specified either
individually per user or by group membership.
Note Users that are members of the Domain Admins group always have full access and can perform all
actions.
The permissions applied to a user are calculated in the following order of precedence:
Permissions granted to an individual user on the Users page.
Permissions granted through membership of a group specified on the Groups page where a user will
take the permissions of the first group of which the user is a member.
Default permissions.
The default permissions are:
Start the application and browse templates.
Open the Status Monitor dialog.
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The permissions that can be assigned are:
Edit signature templates: Allows a user to create or edit a signature template.
Edit disclaimer templates: Allows a user to create or edit a disclaimer template.
Edit campaign templates: Allows a user to create or edit a campaign template.
Edit stationery templates: Allows a user to create or edit a stationery template.
Manage deployment: Allows a user to open the Manage Deployment dialog.
Environment configuration: Allows a user to open the Environment Configuration dialog.
Domain configuration: Allows a user to open the Domain Configuration dialog.
Deployment options: Allows a user to open the Deployment Options dialog.
Mobile device signature configuration: Allows a user to open the Mobile Device Signatures dialog.
Data source configuration: Allows a user to open the Data Sources dialog.
Settings database configuration: Allows a user to open the Settings Database dialog.
Access control configuration: Allows a user to open this dialog.
Import database: Allows a user to open the Import Database dialog.
Change license: Allows a user to change the application license.
Both the Users and Groups page work in an identical manner. The left side of each page lists the objects
to which permissions have been granted. Selecting an object from the list will display the assigned
permissions on the right side of the page, and the rights can be assigned as required. To add a new
object, click the Add... button. This will open a dialog to allow one or more objects to be selected from
the domain. The selected object can be removed by clicking the Remove button or changed to another
object, preserving the assigned permissions, clicking the Change... button. In addition, the order of
groups can be altered by selecting a group and clicking the up or down arrow to move that group up or
down within the list.
To refresh the access control configuration from the database, click the Refresh button.
When the access control has been configured as required, click the Save button to save your changes.
Click the Close button to close the dialog; if you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save
before the dialog is closed.
Options Dialog
The Email Signature Manager Options dialog is opened by clicking the Options button on the Tools page
in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
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The following settings can be modified:
Disable visual (WYSIWYG) HTML designer: Disables the visual HTML designer when editing templates
and forces the use of the Source view in the template editor. This option is useful if full control over the
HTML of your templates is required, as it prevents the visual editor from parsing and modifying the HTML
automatically.
Include users hidden from address lists: Various dialogs in the application require a user to be selected
from Active Directory (for example, the Test Signatures dialog). By default, these Select User dialogs will
exclude users hidden from address lists. This option can be enabled to include users that are hidden from
address lists. Note that this will include various Exchange system mailboxes.
Form Layout Data: Clicking the Reset Form Layout Data button will reset the size and position of all
windows within the application to their defaults.
Color Scheme: Allows you to choose the color scheme for the main application window.
To accept the changes you have made, click the OK button. Otherwise, click the Cancel button to close the
dialog.
Product Configuration Wizard
The Product Configuration Wizard appears automatically when the application is started but has not
previously been configured.
The first page displayed is the Introduction page:
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Please ensure that you have read the relevant topic in this User's Guide depending on whether this is a
new installation or an existing installation of Email Signature Manager, and then click the Next button to
proceed to the Installation Type page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
Installation Type
The Installation Type page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Introduction
page:
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Select the appropriate option depending on whether this is a new installation or an existing installation,
and click the Next button to proceed to either the New Installation page or Existing Installation page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
New Installation
The New Installation page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Installation Type
page when the New Installation option has been selected:
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You can select whether to connect to the Built-in Database (recommended for new users of the product)
or a SQL Server database (if one has been created following the guide for using SQL Server):
When connecting to the Built-in Database, there are no other settings that need to be entered.
When connecting to SQL Server, you must enter the credentials (user name and password) for the
dedicated SQL login to be used by the application.
To verify you have entered the details of the database correctly, click the Test Connection button. This will
open a connection to the database using the specified settings, read the current version, and show the
result in a message box.
To connect to the database, click the Next button and, if the connection is successfully established, the
wizard will proceed to the Database Connection Established page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
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Existing Installation
The Existing Installation page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Installation
Type page when the Existing Installation option has been selected:
You should select the appropriate option depending on your current installation:
If you have been using an Access database (settings.mdb) in a shared folder, select the Import an
Existing Access Database option, and click the Next button to proceed to the Import Existing Database
page.
If you have been using SQL Server, select the Upgrade an Existing SQL Server Database option, and
click the Next button to proceed to the Upgrade Existing Database page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
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Import Database
The Import Database page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Existing
Installation page when the Import an Existing Access Database option has been selected:
This page of the wizard will import an Access database (settings.mdb) that was previously located in a
shared folder.
Note The selected database will be imported to the Built-in Database. This will overwrite any current data
in the Built-in Database.
In the Database field, enter the full path to the database or click the ellipses ("...") button to locate the
database. If necessary, enter the password for the database.
To proceed with the import, click the Next button. If the import completes successfully, the wizard will
progress to the Database Connection Established page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
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Upgrade Database
The Upgrade Database page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Existing
Installation page when the Upgrade an Existing SQL Server Database option has been selected:
This page of the wizard will upgrade an existing SQL Server database.
Important The specified account must have db_owner rights in order to update the database schema.
Please refer to this topic for more information.
In the Server field, enter the name of the server where the database is located or drop down the list and
select the appropriate server. In the Database field, enter the name of the database or click the ellipses
("...") button to select a database from the specified server. Finally, enter the credentials of the dedicated
SQL login for the application.
To proceed with the upgrade, Click the Next button. If the upgrade completes successfully, the wizard will
progress to the Database Connection Established page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the application will not be usable and the main application
window will be mainly disabled. If you close and later restart the application, you will be presented with
the wizard again.
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Database Connection Established
The Database Connection Established page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the
connection to the Email Signature Manager database has been successfully established:
The exact content of this page will depend on whether this is a new installation of Email Signature
Manager or if an existing installation has been upgraded.
Click the Next button to proceed to the Environment Configuration page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the database will remain connected and the application will be
usable. However, the Email Signature Manager Service will not be able to update user signatures until the
environment configuration has been completed.
Environment Configuration
The Environment Configuration page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the
Database Connection Established page:
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In order for the Email Signature Manager Service to update user signatures, it is necessary to complete
the environment configuration.
On this page, there are two options:
Configure Environment Now: Select this option to proceed with environment configuration
immediately (recommended). You will need the details of the relevant service accounts. Clicking the
Next button with this option selected will open the Environment Configuration dialog. If the environment
configuration is completed successfully, the wizard will then proceed to the Finished page.
Configure Environment Later: Select this option to complete the wizard without completing
environment configuration. Clicking the Next button with this option selected will cause the wizard to
proceed to the Finished page.
Note If you cancel the wizard at this stage, the database will remain connected and the application will be
usable. However, the Email Signature Manager Service will not be able to update user signatures until
environment configuration has been completed.
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Finished
The Finished page in the Product Configuration Wizard is the next page after the Environment
Configuration page:
The content of this final page will depend on the content of the database to which the application has
been connected.
The suggested next steps are as follows:
If not already completed, complete the environment configuration.
Design your own templates using our guide or use the sample templates supplied with Email Signature
Manager.
Configure the deployment of signatures to your users.
Verify that the Email Signature Manager Service is updating user signatures in the Status Monitor.
Arrange for the Email Signature Manager Agent to be executed on your end users' computers.
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For signatures on mobile devices, configure mobile device signature injection.
Click the Finish button to proceed to the close the wizard.
Environment Configuration
The Environment Configuration dialog is opened by clicking the Environment Configuration button on
the Configuration page in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
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The Environment Configuration dialog is used to tell Email Signature Manager how your Exchange
environment is configured and the service accounts to use to access mailboxes.
The following environments are supported:
On-Premises Exchange Server
Office 365
Office 365 and On-Premises Exchange Server
Hosted Exchange
Hosted Exchange and On-Premises Exchange Server
Office 365 or Exchange without Impersonation Account
Note Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365. Signature 365 offers more features, greater control and superior client support,
and, like Email Signature Manager, does not require emails to be routed via any third-party service.
Depending on the selected environment, you will be required to enter the details of the service account
that has been created and assigned the Application Impersonation role within each platform supported by
that environment. For example, if you have selected an environment with On-Premises Exchange Server,
then you will need to enter the details of the service account that has been created within your On-
Premises Exchange Server platform.
Each environment supports for the following options:
On-Premises Exchange Server: Advanced Settings and Test Connectivity.
Office 365: Configure Modern Authentication and Test Connectivity.
Hosted Exchange: Advanced Settings and Test Connectivity.
Note that if you select the Office 365 or Exchange without Impersonation Account option, then no
other configuration is required, but the following restrictions apply:
OWA signatures will not be deployed.
Automatic support for Outlook signatures for remote users will not work.
When the environment has been configured as required, click the OK button to save your changes and
close the dialog. Alternatively, click the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
On-Premises Settings
The On-Premises Exchange Web Services Settings dialog is opened by clicking the Advanced Settings...
button in the On-Premises Exchange Server Mailbox Access group in the Environment Configuration
dialog:
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Note In normal conditions, the connection to Exchange Web Services will be configured automatically
using the Autodiscover mechanism built into Exchange Server. It should only be necessary to change these
advanced settings if specific problems are being encountered that prevent Autodiscover from working
correctly, or if performance problems are being encountered.
The following Autodiscover Settings can be configured:
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Setting
Description
Use the default
Autodiscover
mechanism
Specifies that the default Autodiscover mechanism should be used.
This is the default setting.
Use the following
Autodiscover URL
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism should use the specified Autodiscover
service URL directly.
Use the following
Exchange Web
Services URL
Disables the Autodiscover mechanism, forcing the connection to Exchange Web
Services to use the specified fixed Exchange Web Services URL for all users.
Use the first good
Exchange Web
Services URL found
When using the default Autodiscover mechanism, this setting stipulates that once
the first good Exchange Web Services URL has been discovered (from a Service
Connection Point), the mechanism should stop and use that URL alone (rather
than continuing and querying further Service Connection Points). This can be
useful if you have a number of Autodiscover servers (i.e. a number of Service
Connection Points), some of which are not currently available.
The following settings are applicable when the Use the default Autodiscover mechanism option is
selected:
Setting
Description
Skip Service
Connection Point
(SCP) lookup
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query Active Directory for
Service Connection Points (SCPs).
Skip root domain
query based on the
primary SMTP
address
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an Autodiscover
service at the URL based on the root domain found in the primary SMTP email
address for a user. The URL format is https://<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this would resolve to
https://contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
Skip query for the
Autodiscover domain
in the root domain
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an Autodiscover
service at the URL based on the Autodiscover sub-domain of the root domain found
in the primary SMTP email address for a user. The URL format is
https://autodiscover.<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this would resolve to
https://autodiscover.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
Skip the HTTP redirect
method
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an HTTP redirect on
the Autodiscover sub-domain of the root domain found in the primary SMTP email
address for a user. The URL format is https://autodiscover.<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this redirect query would be made against
https://autodiscover.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
Skip the SRV record
lookup method
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for SRV DNS records
(which point to the Autodiscover service) for the domain found in the primary
SMTP email address for a user.
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When the settings have been configured as required, click the OK button save your changes and close the
dialog. Alternatively, click the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
Office 365 Modern Authentication
The Office 365 Modern Authentication dialog is opened by clicking the Configure... button in the Office
365 Mailbox Access group in the Environment Configuration dialog:
Modern Authentication provides a secure mechanism for connecting to Office 365, including support for
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
To authenticate, follow these steps:
1. Enter the name of the service account in the Account Name box.
2. Click the Authenticate... button; this will initiate authentication using the specified account and either
the default Symprex application or your own custom application.
Once authentication has been completed, the Validate button can be used to verify that the persisted
token cache, used to authenticate the service account, is valid.
When authentication has been configured as required, click the Close button to close the dialog.
Hosted Settings
The Hosted Exchange Web Services Settings dialog is opened by clicking the Advanced Settings... button
in the Hosted Exchange Mailbox Access group in the Environment Configuration dialog:
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Note In normal conditions, the connection to Exchange Web Services will be configured automatically
using the Autodiscover mechanism built into Exchange Server. It should only be necessary to change these
advanced settings if specific problems are being encountered that prevent Autodiscover from working
correctly, or if performance problems are being encountered.
The following Autodiscover Settings can be configured:
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Setting
Description
Use the default
Autodiscover
mechanism
Specifies that the default Autodiscover mechanism should be used.
This is the default setting.
Use the following
Autodiscover URL
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism should use the specified Autodiscover
service URL directly.
Use the following
Exchange Web
Services URL
Disables the Autodiscover mechanism, forcing the connection to Exchange Web
Services to use the specified fixed Exchange Web Services URL for all users.
Use the first good
Exchange Web
Services URL found
When using the default Autodiscover mechanism, this setting stipulates that once
the first good Exchange Web Services URL has been discovered (from a Service
Connection Point), the mechanism should stop and use that URL alone (rather
than continuing and querying further Service Connection Points). This can be
useful if you have a number of Autodiscover servers (i.e. a number of Service
Connection Points), some of which are not currently available.
Query Outlook
provider settings first
When using the Autodiscover mechanism, each Autodiscover service (i.e. each
Service Connection Point) is queried using the standard Autodiscover protocol. If
this fails, the service is queried for the settings to be used by Outlook (which uses
a different protocol). In some environments, the standard Autodiscover protocol
is not available on any server, so it is beneficial (from a performance standpoint)
to query for the Outlook provider settings first.
The following settings are applicable when the Use the default Autodiscover mechanism option is
selected:
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Setting
Description
Skip Service
Connection Point
(SCP) lookup
Not applicable to Hosted Exchange environments.
Skip root domain
query based on the
primary SMTP
address
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an Autodiscover
service at the URL based on the root domain found in the primary SMTP email
address for a user. The URL format is https://<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this would resolve to
https://contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
Skip query for the
Autodiscover domain
in the root domain
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an Autodiscover
service at the URL based on the Autodiscover sub-domain of the root domain found
in the primary SMTP email address for a user. The URL format is
https://autodiscover.<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this would resolve to
https://autodiscover.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
Skip the HTTP redirect
method
Specifies that the Autodiscover mechanism will not query for an HTTP redirect on
the Autodiscover sub-domain of the root domain found in the primary SMTP email
address for a user. The URL format is https://autodiscover.<smtp-address-
domain>/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml, so for a user with the email address
user@contoso.com, this redirect query would be made against
https://autodiscover.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml.
When the settings have been configured as required, click the OK button save your changes and close the
dialog. Alternatively, click the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
EWS Connectivity Test
The Exchange Web Services Connectivity Test dialog is opened by clicking the Test Connectivity... button
in the relevant group on the Environment Configuration dialog:
This dialog is used to test connectivity to your organization's Exchange Web Services platform. This is
helpful to test that the deployment of signatures will work as expected using the account specified on the
Environment Configuration dialog.
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By default, the current Windows user is selected for the test. To choose a different user against which to
test, click the ellipses button ("...") next to the user.
When ready, click the Test button. If the tests complete successfully, you will be presented with a
confirmation message, giving the choice to open the detailed results dialog. It the tests fail, the results
dialog will open automatically.
Once testing has been completed, click the Close button to close the dialog.
EWS Connectivity Test Results
The Exchange Web Services Connectivity Test Results dialog is opened after completing a connectivity test
using the EWS Connectivity Test dialog:
The information message at the top of the window will give a summary of the overall result of the test.
Contained within the grid are all of the Exchange Web Services servers that were found during the testing
process. The information that is displayed is as follows:
Autodiscover URL: This is the URL of the autodiscover service that was queried to locate the Exchange
Web Services URL. The autodiscover URL can be found in a number of ways depending on the precise
configuration of the platform being tested; for example, when testing On-Premises Exchange Server,
autodiscover URLs can be determined by querying Active Directory for Service Connection Points.
Exchange Web Services URL: This is the URL of the tested Exchange Web Services server.
Version: This is the best-match version of the tested Exchange Web Services platform. The version
number reported can vary depend on the precise configuration of your environment; for example, the
mailbox version (as returned from the autodiscover service) may not match precisely the version of
Exchange Server.
Result: This details the information that was read from the specified mailbox to test connectivity.
If a server reports an error, double-click it to open a dialog that will display detailed information about
what happened and why the test failed. The test process also maintains a detailed log of what happened;
to view this log, click the View Log... button.
When ready, click the Close button to close the dialog.
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Creating and Editing Templates
Signatures can help to make your emails look professional, convey your brand, and to identify who you
are. Signatures configured for deployment to Microsoft Outlook, OWA and mobile devices are
automatically added to the end of new emails you compose. By designing and deploying signatures from
a central point, you can achieve a consistent appearance for all emails from your organization. Email
Signature Manager offers four different types of templates to accomplish this:
Ico
n
Type
Description
Signa
ture
Signatures normally include graphics such as a logo to convey corporate identity and
branding, and include fields to merge contact information from Active Directory or another
data source. Disclaimers and campaigns can be appended to any signature.
Discla
imer
Disclaimers are normally of a legal nature and will be appended to designated signatures.
Separating disclaimers from signatures makes it easy to maintain the same disclaimer on
many different signatures.
Camp
aign
Campaigns are normally used to include graphics or text, for example news or sales
promotions, and will be appended to designated signatures. Campaigns can be scheduled to
run within a certain time frame.
Statio
nery
Stationery can be used to set background images. Note that stationery only works in Outlook
and only when creating new email in HTML format.
Templates are created and managed from the main application window.
When designing a template, the main application window displays the Template ribbon and the template
editor:
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The Template ribbon offers various commands whilst designing your templates:
The Edit group contains the standard commands for working with the clipboard and content of the
template.
The Format group contains commands to adjust the formatting of the text (HTML templates only).
The Paragraph group contains commands to adjust the style of the text (HTML templates only).
The Insert group contains commands to insert Hyperlinks, Pictures, Tables, Fields and Conditional
Statements.
The Tools group contains commands to validate templates for upload to Signature 365 and to tidy the
HTML content of templates.
All templates share two common properties:
The name of the template, used to uniquely identify each template.
A description of the template, which is an optional field describing the template.
Depending on the type of the template, other properties are also available. These are discussed in the
separate topics for each template type.
All templates in Email Signature Manager have two principal components:
The HTML Template, which defines the content appended to HTML emails.
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The Plain Text Template, which defines the content appended to plain text emails.
Note RTF signatures are generated automatically from HTML signatures.
Each component can contain fields (identified by {} braces), which are dynamically replaced by the
appropriate user data from the selected data source when the template is deployed to each user. This
means that templates are dynamic and their content can be tailored to suit your organization. Prior to
deployment, you can test how your templates will appear for any user in your organization using the Test
Signatures dialog.
Note Please refer to the working with fields topic for information on how to use fields and to the
conditional statements topic for information about how to use conditional statements (for example, to
avoid labels followed by empty fields). It is also recommended that you read the section about design
guidance before authoring your templates to ensure you achieve the best results.
All templates are designed in a WYSIWYG editor, however, for the HTML template, the source can also be
modified directly by clicking the Source button:
While designing your template, you can, at any time, preview how it will look when merged with user data
by clicking the Preview button:
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The user for which the preview will be generated can be selected by clicking the ellipses ("...") button and
the preview can be refreshed by clicking the Refresh button.
When you have finished designing your template, you can:
Click the Save button to save the changes to your template.
Click the Close button to close the template and return to the template browser; you will be prompted
to save if you have made any changes.
If you are intending to migrate from Email Signature Manager to Signature 365, click the Validate
button to test for any issues that may affect conversion of the template to the Signature 365 format.
The structure and content of the template HTML can be improved by clicking the Tidy HTML button;
this is especially useful if if the HTML has been copied from Word, as it will remove a lot of the style
information that is added by Word.
Signatures
A signature is the basic template used to sign your emails. The design of each signature should generally
contain information about the author of the email and the organization. Legal information can be
appended to signatures using disclaimers and news and marketing information can be appended using
campaigns.
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To create a new signature, click the Signature button in the Create group in the Home ribbon on the
main application window.
To edit an existing signature, you can either:
o Select the signature in the template browser on the main application window and click the Edit button
in the Template group of the Home ribbon, or
o Double-click the signature in the template browser, or
o Right-click the signature in the template browser and select Edit from the context menu.
When you create or edit a signature, the template editor will be opened:
Signatures can have the following properties configured:
Name: The unique name of the signature (mandatory).
Description: A description of the signature.
Data Source: The data source from which the user data will be merged for the signature. By default, this
will be Active Directory but can be set to any custom data source.
Client Settings for the template can be defined by clicking the Define client settings for this template
link.
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Note The client settings defined for the template will be applied when the signature is installed as the
default signature for new emails for a user unless global client settings take precedence. Please review the
section on deployment for further details.
To save the changes and continue editing the signature, click the Save button.
To close the editor and return to the template browser, click the Close button; you will be prompted to
save if you have made any changes.
Client Settings
The Client Settings dialog is opened by clicking the Define client settings for this template link when
editing a signature template.
Client settings are used to configure email preferences for writing emails in Microsoft Outlook.
Note Global client settings can also be specified in the Manage Deployment dialog which, depending on
how they are configured, can override the settings defined in a template.
The following settings can be configured for the message format:
Set format for outgoing mail: Specifies the format to be used for writing outgoing email. This can be
either HTML, Rich Text or Plain Text.
The following settings can be configured for the message font:
Compose font: Specifies the font and color that will be used when a user creates a new email.
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Reply/Forward font: Specifies the font and color that will be used when a user replies to or forwards
an email.
Plain Text font: Specifies the font that will be used to compose emails in plain text format.
To accept the changes you have made, click the OK button. Otherwise, click the Cancel button to close the
dialog.
Disclaimers
Disclaimers are generally used to add legal information to the end of the designated signatures; for
example, this can be to give details of your organization's email policy.
To create a new disclaimer, click the Disclaimer button in the Create group in the Home ribbon on the
main application window.
To edit an existing disclaimer, you can either:
o Select the disclaimer in the template browser on the main application window and click the Edit
button in the Template group of the Home ribbon, or
o Double-click the disclaimer in the template browser, or
o Right-click the disclaimer in the template browser and select Edit from the context menu.
When you create or edit a disclaimer, the template editor will be opened:
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Disclaimers can have the following properties configured:
Name: The unique name of the disclaimer (mandatory).
Description: A description of the disclaimer.
Enabled: Determines if the disclaimer is currently enabled. When enabled, the disclaimer is appended
to the designated signatures.
Start Date: Optionally specifies the date from which the disclaimer will be appended to the designated
signatures.
End Date: Optionally specifies the date until which the disclaimer will be appended to the designated
signatures.
Append to all signatures: When selected, specifies that the disclaimer is appended to all signatures.
Append to the following signatures: When selected, the disclaimer is only appended to the signatures
selected in the list.
Append to signatures applied to any user: When selected, specifies that the disclaimer is appended
to signatures for any user.
Append to signatures applied to members of the following groups only: When selected, specifies
that the disclaimer is appended to signatures for only members of the specified group or groups.
Note The fields in the disclaimer will be merged using the data source from the parent signature at the
point of deployment.
To save the changes and continue editing the disclaimer, click the Save button.
To close the editor and return to the template browser, click the Close button; you will be prompted to
save if you have made any changes.
Campaigns
Campaigns are generally used to add news and marketing information to the end of the designated
signatures; for example, to tell recipients of emails from your organization about a forthcoming
promotion.
To create a new campaign, click the Campaign button in the Create group in the Home ribbon on the
main application window.
To edit an existing campaign, you can either:
o Select the campaign in the template browser on the main application window and click the Edit
button in the Template group of the Home ribbon, or
o Double-click the campaign in the template browser, or
o Right-click the campaign in the template browser and select Edit from the context menu.
When you create or edit a campaign, the template editor will be opened:
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Campaigns can have the following properties configured:
Name: The unique name of the campaign (mandatory).
Description: A description of the campaign.
Enabled: Determines if the campaign is currently enabled. When enabled, the campaign is appended to
the designated signatures.
Start Date: Optionally specifies the date from which the campaign will be appended to the designated
signatures.
End Date: Optionally specifies the date until which the campaign will be appended to the designated
signatures.
Append to all signatures: When selected, specifies that the campaign is appended to all signatures.
Append to the following signatures: When selected, the campaign is only appended to the signatures
selected in the list.
Append to signatures applied to any user: When selected, specifies that the campaign is appended to
signatures for any user.
Append to signatures applied to members of the following groups only: When selected, specifies
that the campaign is appended to signatures for only members of the specified group or groups.
Note The fields in the campaign will be merged using the data source from the parent signature at the
point of deployment.
To save the changes and continue editing the campaign, click the Save button.
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To close the editor and return to the template browser, click the Close button; you will be prompted to
save if you have made any changes.
Stationery
Stationery can be used to set background images for HTML messages authored in Microsoft Outlook.
To create new stationery, click the Stationery button in the Create group in the Home ribbon on the main
application window.
To edit existing stationery, you can either:
o Select the stationery in the template browser on the main application window and click the Edit
button in the Template group of the Home ribbon, or
o Double-click the stationery in the template browser, or
o Right-click the stationery in the template browser and select Edit from the context menu.
When you create or edit stationery, the template editor will be opened:
Stationery can have the following properties configured:
Name: The unique name of the stationery (mandatory).
Description: A description of the stationery.
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Note Stationery can only be applied to HTML messages authored in Microsoft Outlook. Hence, the Plain
Text Template tabs are not available for stationery.
To save the changes and continue editing the stationery, click the Save button.
To close the editor and return to the template browser, click the Close button; you will prompted if
changes have been made.
Dynamic Fields
Dynamic Fields is a very powerful feature in Email Signature Manager. Each component (HTML, Rich Text
and Plain Text) of a template is essentially the final content that will be deployed but instead of actual user
information, field markers (dynamic fields) are inserted where the real user information will be inserted (or
merged). This is illustrated in the simple signature below:
In this example, most of the content will be populated dynamically at the point of deployment. For
example, the {fullname} field will be replaced by the user's full name from the data source for the
template (the data source is normally Active Directory but custom data sources can be configured). The
deployed signature would appear something like the following example:
This examples demonstrates basic use of simple fields in signatures; a full list of the available fields is
listed in the appendix.
Formatting a Field Value in Upper, Lower or Title Case
Field values can be formatted to be in upper, lower or title case as follows:
Upper Case: Add the :U suffix to the field name, for example {fullname:U}
Lower Case: Add the :L suffix to the field name, for example {fullname:L}
Title Case: Add the :T suffix to the field name, for example {fullname:T}
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Disabling Encoding of Field Values
When a field value is inserted into a signature, it is encoded to HTML to ensure it appears correctly.
However, this may not be the desirable behaviour if the field contains HTML that should be used directly
in the signature without being encoded. To disable encoding of field values, add the :N suffix; for example
{description:N}.
Use any Active Directory Property Value
The pre-defined fields available in Email Signature Manager are the most commonly used fields for
signatures. However, it is possible to obtain the value of any Active Directory property by using the
following syntax:
{#propertyname}
where propertyname is the name of the property. If the property has multiple values, a specific value can
be obtained using the following syntax:
{#propertyname(index)}
where (index) is the is 1-based index of the value to be used. A list of some Active Directory fields that
can be useful in signatures can be found here.
Replacing Field Values
Field values has been replaced with alternative values from a specified list using a replacement function.
There are four such functions, with two distinct modes. The replacement function is specified after the field
name as follows:
{fieldname:function("","","")}
where:
fieldname is the name of the field whose value is to be replace.
function is the appropriate replacement function, as set out below.
the comma-separated list of match and replacement values; each value must be specified in quotes.
Match Value and Replacement Value Specified in Pairs
In this mode, the replacement function accepts a list of pairs of values; the first value is the value to be
matched and the second value is the replacement value:
"<Match One>","<Replacement One>","<Match Two>","<Replace Two>",...,"<Match N>","<Replace N>"
When the function is applied, all instances of each match value found in the field is replaced with the
associated value. There are two version of this function:
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Funct
ion
Description
r
Perform replacement using a case insensitive comparison according to the paired list of match
values and associated replacement values.
rc
Perform replacement using a case sensitive comparison according to the paired list of match
values and associated replacement values.
Example One: Ensure that departments are given consistent names in your signatures:
{department:r("hr","Human Resources","finance","Finance Department")}
This would perform a case insensitive comparison, replacing "hr" with "Human Resources" and "finance"
with "Finance Department".
Example Two: Ensure consistent formatting of phone numbers:
{phone:r(" ","-")}
This would replace all spaces in the telephone number with a hyphen, for example "901 555 1234" would
become "901-555-1234".
Multiple Match Values with a Single Replacement Value
In this mode, the replacement function accepts a list of values where the last value is the replacement
value and all preceding values are the match values:
"<Match One>","<Match Two>",...,"<Match N>","<Replace>"
When the function is applied, all instances of each match value found in the field is replaced with the last
value in the list. There are two version of this function:
Funct
ion
Description
rl
Perform replacement using a case insensitive comparison according to the list of match values
and using the last value for the replacement.
rlc
Perform replacement using a case sensitive comparison according to the list of match values and
using the last value for the replacement.
Example One: Ensure that a consistent phone number is used for certain numbers (such as converting
geographic numbers to non-geographic free-phone numbers):
{phone:rl("01234 123456","01234 654321","0800 123 4567")}
This would replace telephone numbers "01234 123456" and "01234 654321" with 0800 123 4567.
Example Two: Ensure consistent formatting of phone numbers:
{phone:rl("-"," "," ")}
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This would replace all double spaces and hyphens in the telephone number would be replaced by a single
space, for example "901-555 1234" would become "901 555 1234".
Wildcards
All of the replace functions support the use of wildcards in the match values. The following characters can
be used:
* : zero for more alpha-numeric characters
? : any single character
# : any single digit
Important: When wildcards are used, the match is performed against whole field value and the associated
replacement value replaces the whole field value.
Example One: Ensure that a consistent phone number is used for all numbers:
{phone:r("01234 *","0800 123 4567")}
This would replace any telephone numbers starting "01234 " with "0800 123 4567".
Limiting Replacement to the First Match
It is possible to replace just the first match found at the the start or end of a field value using the hat (^)
character.
Example: Ensure that telephone numbers start with the country dialing code:
{phone:r("0^","+44 0")}
This would cause any telephone numbers starting "0" with to be updated to start "+44 ", for example
"01234 123456" would become "+44 1234 123456".
Escaping Characters
In order to use special characters in the value list, they should be escaped as follows:
Quotation mark: \"
Left angle-bracket: \[
Right angle-bracket: \]
Backslash: \\
Hat: \^ (only applicable at the end of a match value)
Conditional Statements
Conditional Statements is a very powerful feature in Email Signature Manager. They allow you to include
or exclude part of a template based on whether or not there is data in a specific field. A common use of
this feature is to avoid labels in front of empty fields.
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If Conditional Statement
The $if conditional statement allows you to specify that the enclosed block of content should only be
included if the specific field contains data.
The syntax for the $if conditional statement is:
{$if field}content to include when field contains data{$}
Example:
{$if mobile}Mobile: {mobile}{$}
Ifno Conditional Statement
The $ifno conditional statement allows you to specify that the enclosed block of content should only be
included if the specific field contains no data or is null.
The syntax for the $ifno conditional statement is:
{$ifno field}content to include when field contains no data{$}
Example:
{$ifno mobile}Mobile: N/A{$}
Else Conditional Statement
The $if and $ifno statements can be combined with the $else statement to test for the inverse
condition. This simplifies conditional statements as there is no need to define both $if and $ifno
statements to test for a field value containing data or being empty.
The syntax for the $else conditional statement is:
{$if field}content to include when field contains data{$else}content to include when field contains no data{$}
Example:
Mobile: {$if mobile}{mobile}{else}N/A{$}
Testing if Field Is Equal To a Specific Value
The $if statement can be used to test if a field value is equal to a specific value by using the = operator
and using the following syntax:
{$if field="value"}content to include when field is equal to the specified value{$}
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Example:
Country: {$if countrycode="GB"}Great Britain{$else}Somewhere else{$}
The comparison is case insensitive.
Testing if Field Is Not Equal To a Specific Value
The $if statement can be used to test if a field value is not equal to a specific value by using the <>
operator and using the following syntax:
{$if field<>"value"}content to include when field is not equal to the specified value{$}
Example:
Country: {$if countrycode<>"US"}Not the United States{$else}The United States{$}
The comparison is case insensitive.
Testing if Field Is Like a Specific Value
The $if statement can be used to test if a field value is like a specific value by using the % operator and
using the following syntax:
{$if field%"value"}content to include when field is like the specified value{$}
The tested value can include the following wildcards:
* matches any combination of characters and/or digits.
? matches any single character or digit.
# matches any single digit.
Example:
Area Code: {$if phone%"0208*"}Outer London{$else}Somewhere else{$}
The comparison is case insensitive, and matched characters include punctuation marks, symbols and
separators such as spaces.
AND and OR Operators
Conditional statements support multiple comparisons in a single statement using the logical AND ($and)
and OR ($or) operators, which combine the logical result from each comparison in the order in which they
appear in the statement (i.e. the operators are evaluated from left to right with no precedence). For the
AND operator to give a logical result of TRUE, both comparisons must give a logical result of TRUE. For
the OR operator to give a logical result of TRUE, only one of the comparisons need give a result of TRUE.
The syntax for using the operators is as follows:
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{$if conditionOne $and conditionTwo $and conditionThree...}content to include when all of the conditions are TRUE{$}
{$if conditionOne $or conditionTwo $or conditionThree...}content to include when one of the conditions is TRUE{$}
Examples:
{$if firstname $and lastname}{firstname} {lastname}{$else}{fullname}{$}
{$if firstname="John" $and lastname="Smith"}John Smith{$else}Not John Smith{$}
{$if firstname<>"John" $or lastname<>"Smith"}Not John Smith{$else}John Smith{$}
Additional Notes on Conditional Statements
When the "Remove trailing spaces from field values" option is enabled (configured through the
Deployment Options dialog), any trailing spaces in field values will be removed before evaluating
conditional statements. Field values that only contain one or more spaces will be trimmed to an empty
value; this is desirable as such fields would generally be considered empty in relation to signatures.
When using conditional statements in HTML templates care needs to be taken to ensure that the correct
HTML tags are either included or excluded in the conditional statement. This can be verified by checking
the Source for the template in the template browser.
Avoiding Blank Lines
To avoid a blank line when a conditional statement that evaluates to false includes a whole full line, include
the line break within the conditional statement. For example this template would result in a blank line
between name and phone in signatures for users that do not have a mobile number:
{fullname}
{$if mobile}Mobile: {mobile}{$}
Phone: {phone}
To avoid the potentially empty line, the signature should be rewritten like this:
{fullname}
{$if mobile}Mobile: {mobile}
{$}Phone: {phone}
Note In HTML templates, you may need to either include or exclude line break tags (i.e. <br>) inside the
end of the conditional statement to achieve the desired effect. When using paragraph tags (i.e.
<p>...</p>), ensure that the tags will not become unbalanced by getting excluded by the conditional
statement.
Template Design Guidance
To ensure that your signatures appear as expected when applied to emails, please read the following
sections providing guidance on various aspects of template design.
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Styling Templates
Use Only Inline CSS
When authoring templates in HTML, it is important to avoid using internal or external CSS style sheets, but
to only use inline CSS to apply styles within the template content. This is because when templates are
deployed to Outlook and OWA, or injected into emails by the Transport Agent, it is not possible to merge
any CSS style sheet that may be present in an email with those in the template. This is also true when
campaigns and disclaimers are appended to signatures.
In short, all styles within your HTML templates should be applied inline, for example:
<SPAN STYLE="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; color: black">Your text here</SPAN>
The best method to produce a clean template is to first complete the content of the template without any
styles, and then apply the styles (such as bold, italic etc.) to the content as required. It is also
recommended to avoid pasting into the HTML WYSIWYG editor from word processors, such as Microsoft
Word, which may include a large amount of Word specific HTML tags and content, which can lead to
formatting problems.
HTML and CSS Support in Outlook
Microsoft Outlook uses the HTML parsing and rendering engine from Microsoft Word to display HTML
message bodies. The same HTML and CSS support available in Word is available in Outlook.
To learn about support for the HTML and CSS specifications provided by Word and Outlook please refer
to the following Microsoft articles:
Word 2007 HTML and CSS Rendering Capabilities in Outlook 2007 (Part 1 of 2)
Word 2007 HTML and CSS Rendering Capabilities in Outlook 2007 (Part 2 of 2)
These articles provides reference documentation related to supported and unsupported HTML elements,
attributes, and CSS properties.
Note that while the articles date back to 2006 and were written for Word 2007 and Outlook 2007, the
content remains valid for Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365, and therefore remains valuable
reference documentation when designing email signatures for the Outlook client.
More Information
Please refer to our Knowledge Base for more information on signature design.
Including Graphics
Email Signature Manager supports including images in signatures, such as logos, banners, social media
icons, employee pictures and so on.
For best results:
The best image formats for emails signatures are JPG and GIF.
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Use images that are the size they need to be in the HTML signatures.
Ensure the width and height attributes on the HTML img tags are set correctly.
Ideally ensure the alt attribute on the HTML img tags is set to an alternate text.
Keep images on a web server and reference in HTML signatures using image URLs.
Smaller image file sizes are better.
It is also worth noting the following:
When sending email from Outlook, images can be linked or embedded (this is controlled in the
Deployment Options dialog).
When sending email from OWA and mobile devices, images are always linked.
Microsoft email clients and most other email clients do not support animations.
Please refer to our Knowledge Base for more information on signature design.
Test Signatures
The Test Signatures dialog is opened by clicking the Test button in the Templates group in the Home
ribbon on the main application window:
This dialog allows you to test how your signatures will look when deployed to your users, and can also
install the signature preview directly to Outlook, OWA and Office 365.
To preview a signature, select it from the list on the left side of the dialog (the preview automatically
updates when a new signature is selected).
The preview will be populated using the data source defined for the signature; see creating and editing
signatures for details on how to change the data source.
The preview will be populated using the data for the selected user. Click the ellipses ("...") button next to
Test User to select a different user from Active Directory, and then click the Refresh button to see how
the signature will be generated for that user.
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Alternatively, you can enter the account name for a user in the Test User box and click the Refresh
button; the specified user will be loaded from Active Directory and the signature preview generated.
The user can be specified using either the plain account name (e.g. "john.smith"), the DOMAIN\Account
format (e.g. "MYDOMAIN\john.smith") or the account@domain format (e.g.
"john.smith@mydomain.com").
By default, the configured campaign(s) will be appended to the signature preview (see creating and
editing campaigns for further details). To see how a specific campaign will look, select it from the
Append Campaign list and click the Refresh button.
By default, the configured disclaimer(s) will be appended to the signature preview (see creating and
editing disclaimers for further details). To see how a specific disclaimer will look, select it from the
Append Disclaimer list and click the Refresh button.
The current preview (i.e. the exact contents of the previewed signature, as currently displayed in the
dialog) can be installed to a number of the supported platforms for the currently logged on user to see
how it will look.
To install to Outlook, click the Install to Outlook button. You will be prompted to confirm this action
before the preview is deployed to Outlook as the default signature for new and reply/forwarded emails.
Any client settings defined in the signature will also be applied and the deployment will use the settings
configured in the Deployment Options dialog.
To install to OWA on the local domain, click the Install to OWA button. You will be prompted to
confirm this action before the preview is deployed as the default OWA signature. The deployment will
use the settings configured in the Environment Configuration dialog and the currently logged on user
must have a discoverable mailbox for the deployment to succeed.
To install to Office 365, click the Install to Office 365 button. You will be prompted to confirm this
action before the preview is deployed to Office 365. This option is not available unless deployment to
Office 365 has been configured using the Environment Configuration dialog and the currently logged on
user must have an Office 365 hosted email account for the deployment to succeed.
Note Closing the dialog will not undo any test deployment of the previewed signature.
Once testing has been completed, click the Close button to close the dialog.
Manage Deployment
The Manage Deployment dialog is opened by clicking the Manage Deployment button in the
Deployment group in the Home ribbon on the main application window:
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Deployment of signatures to the users in your organization can be configured either by group
membership (i.e. users will receive the signatures for the group to which they belong), rule-based
membership (i.e. users will receive the signatures from a rule if they are included by that rule) or
individually (i.e. per-user). The Group/Rule Deployment page manages the Active Directory groups and
rules for which deployment has been configured, and the User Deployment page manages the individual
Active Directory users for which deployment has been configured.
Important If deployment for a user has been specified both by group/rule membership and individually,
then the individual deployment settings will take precedence.
Important If deployment for a user has been specified by membership of more than one group or rule,
the deployment settings from the first group/rule (of which the user is a member) in the list will take
precedence. The groups/rules can be ordered using the up and down arrows to set the desired
precedence.
The Group/Rule Deployment page work as follows:
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The list of Groups and Rules is displayed on the left of the page; selecting a group or rule will display
the deployment settings on the right of the page.
To add a new group or rule, click the drop-down arrow on the Add button and select either Group... to
add a domain group or Rule... to add a rule; you will be presented with a new dialog to select the
group from Active Directory or the rule from the defined rules.
To change the selected group or rule whilst preserving its deployment configuration, click the drop-
down arrow on the Change button and select the appropriate option. The first option will allow the
selected object to be changed for an object of the same type (for example, changing a domain group
to another group), and the second option will allow the selected object to be changed for an object of
the opposite type (for example, changing a domain group to a rule). In addition, when a rule is
selected, click the Edit Rule... option to open the Manage Rule dialog for that rule.
To remove the selected group or rule, click the Remove button.
The selected group or rule can be moved up or down using the arrow buttons at the top of the list. The
order of the groups/rules controls the precedence that will be used when determining deployment
settings based on group membership.
The User Deployment page works as follows:
The list of users is displayed on the left of the page; selecting a user will display their deployment
settings on the right of the page.
To add a new user, click the Add... button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select the user
from Active Directory.
To change the selected user whilst preserving their deployment configuration, click the Change...
button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select the user to replace the selected user.
To remove the selected user, click the Remove button.
With an object selected (group, rule or user), the following options are available to specify how signatures
are deployed to that object:
Outlook Signatures: Select the signatures that you wish to be installed to Microsoft Outlook for the
group/rule/user. The selected signatures will then be available for the user to choose within Outlook for
signing emails.
Outlook Signatures - New Messages: Select the signature that will be set as the default signature for
signing new emails. The default can be set to none by selecting "<None>" or it can be left unchanged
by selecting "<Do Not Change>".
Outlook Signatures - Replies and Forwards: Select the signature that will be set as the default
signature for replying and forwarding emails. The default can be set to none by selecting "<None>" or
it can be left unchanged by selecting "<Do Not Change>".
Outlook Signatures - Remove Other: Select if any other signatures than specifically deployed (this
includes any signatures that users have defined themselves) must be removed from Outlook. The
default is to use the global Remove all signatures other than those specifically deployed setting
specified in the Deployment Options dialog.
Outlook Signatures - Install Read Only: Select the appropriate option for installing signatures read-
only. The default is to use the global Make signatures read only and Only overwrite user changes if
template or user data changes settings specified in the Deployment Options dialog.
Outlook Stationery - Outgoing Messages: Select the stationery that will be set as the default
stationery for outgoing messages. The stationery can be set to none by selecting "<None>" or it can be
left unchanged by selecting "<Do Not Change>".
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OWA Signature - Outgoing Messages: Select the signature that will be set as the default signature for
outgoing messages authored in OWA (Outlook Web Access/Outlook on the Web). The signature can be
set to none by selecting "<None>" or it can be left unchanged by selecting "<Do Not Change>".
Mobile Device Signature - Outgoing Messages: Select the signature that will be set as the default
signature for outgoing messages on mobile devices. The signature can be set to none by selecting
"<None>" or it can be left unchanged by selecting "<Do Not Change>".
The Mobile Device Signature specifies the signature that is injected by the Transport Agent when emails
are delivered through On-Premises Exchange Server.
Note Email Signature Manager does not support managing mobile device signatures on Office 365.
Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365.
To refresh the deployment configuration from the database, click the Refresh button. To ensure that
deployment is valid, click the Validate button. This will start a process that verifies each group, rule and
user can be loaded from Active Directory, and updates as appropriate. If a certain object cannot be
found, the icon for that object is updated to show that it is no longer valid. If this happens, either remove
the object or replace it with a new object. To manage the rules that can be used to configure deployment,
click the Manage Rules... button to open the Manage Rules dialog.
When the deployment has been configured as required, click the Save button to save your changes. Click
the Close button to close the dialog; if you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before
the dialog is closed.
Send On Behalf
Send On Behalf settings are used to deploy additional Outlook signatures to users who send emails on
behalf of other users within your organization:
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The users who will receive send on behalf signatures during deployment are shown in the Users/Groups
list on the left-hand side of the tab; users can be specified either individually or by group membership.
The list can be modified using the buttons beneath it:
To add a new user or group, click the Add... button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select
the appropriate object from Active Directory.
To remove the selected user or group, click the Remove button.
To change the selected user or group whilst preserving the send on behalf configuration, click the
Change... button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select the replacement object from Active
Directory.
The selected user or group can be moved up or down using the arrow buttons at the top of the list.
The order (of the users and groups) controls the precedence that will be used when determining the
send-on-behalf signatures received by each user.
The right-hand side of the tab is used to configure the send on behalf signatures that each user and
group will receive. The Send on Behalf of list defines the users and groups for which signatures will be
deployed to the selected object. The list can be modified using the buttons beneath it:
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To add a new send on behalf of user or group, click the Add... button; you will be presented with a new
dialog to select the appropriate object from Active Directory.
To remove the selected send on behalf of user or group, click the Remove button.
To change the selected send on behalf of user or group whilst preserving the signature configuration,
click the Change... button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select the replacement object
from Active Directory
The Signatures to Deploy list defines which signatures will be deployed for the selected send on behalf of
user or group; simply check each signature that should be deployed. The signatures can be specified
either separately for each send on behalf of user and group, or can be specified for all of the send on
behalf of users and groups (for the user or group selected in the left-hand list) by selecting the Deploy
the same signature to all send on behalf users option.
For example, the configuration shown above defines that all users in the Human Resources group will have
the Green Leaf Signature deployed with the details for all members of the Board of Directors group.
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Exclusions
Exclusions are used to specify users who should not receive signatures:
When a user is excluded from deployment, the following actions are taken:
Outlook signatures deployed using Email Signature Manager will be removed.
OWA signature deployed using Email Signature Manager will be removed.
Signatures for injection by the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent for Exchange will not be
generated.
The Exclusions page works as follows:
The list of excluded users and groups is displayed in the main part of the page.
To refresh the list of excluded users and groups, click the Refresh button.
To add a new user or group, click the Add... button; you will be presented with a new dialog to select
the group or user to be added from Active Directory.
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To remove the selected user or group, click the Remove button.
To change the selected user or group, click the Change... button; you will be presented with a new
dialog to select the group or user to replace the selected object.
Excluded users are reported in the Status Monitor dialog.
Global Client Settings
Global client settings are used to configure email preferences for all of the users in your organization
when writing emails in Microsoft Outlook:
Select the Enable global client settings option to configure the client settings that will be applied to all
users when templates are deployed.
If you wish to apply the global settings ignoring any settings made in your templates, select the Make
global client settings override client settings in templates option. When this setting is not selected,
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any settings found in your templates will be applied, and when no template settings are found, the global
settings will be applied.
The following settings can be configured for the message format:
Set format for outgoing mail: Specifies the format to be used for writing outgoing email. This can be
either HTML, Rich Text or Plain Text.
The following settings can be configured for the message font:
Compose font: Specifies the font and color that will be used when a user creates a new email.
Reply/Forward font: Specifies the font and color that will be used when a user replies to or forwards
an email.
Plain Text font: Specifies the font that will be used to compose emails in plain text format.
The global client settings will be applied to each user when signatures are being deployed to the user.
Manage Rules
The Manage Rules dialog is opened by clicking the Rules... button in the Manage Deployment dialog:
A rule in Email Signature Manager specifies a group of users to be selected from the domain by matching
attribute values. Signatures and settings can then be applied using the rule as though it were a domain
group.
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The dialog shows the list of defined rules, and the view can be altered between Icons and Details using
the buttons above the list. To create a new rule, click the Add... button to open the Manage Rule dialog,
or to edit an existing rule, select it and click the Edit... button. To remove a rule, select it and click the
Remove button. Note it is not possible to remove rules that are in use in the deployment configuration.
When the rules have been configured as required, click the Close button to close the dialog.
Manage Rule
The Manage Rule dialog is used to create or modify a rule for selecting users from the domain to be
used as part of the deployment configuration. It is opened using either the Add... or Edit... button on the
Manage Rules dialog.
A rule is used to select users from the domain by matching specified attribute values.
Each rule has the following properties that can be modified:
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Name
Description
Name
The name of the rule.
Description
A description of the rule.
Fields
The list of fields to be matched when evaluating a user. To add a new
rule, click the Add... button. To edit a rule, select it and click the Edit...
button. To remove rule, select it and click the Remove button.
Evaluate this rule within the
specified Organizational Unit
Specifies if the rule should be evaluated against the users in the specified
Organizational Unit (OU), rather than against all users in the domain
(according to the current domain configuration).
Creating a new field or editing an existing field will open the Field Definition dialog. The results of
evaluating the fields are logically combined using the AND operator i.e. all of the field definitions must
match in order for a user to be included by the rule. To test that the rule is returning the expected users,
click the Test... button to open the test dialog that will list the members returned by the rule.
It is possible to define a rule without any fields. This can be useful to return all users within a specific
Organizational Unit (OU). If this approach is adopted, it is recommended that a single field matching on
all email addresses is defined to ensure that only mail-enabled users are returned. This field would be
configured as follows:
Once the rule has been configured, click the OK button to apply the changes and close the dialog, or click
the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving changes.
Field Definition
The Field Definition dialog is used to create or modify a field within a rule for selecting users from the
domain. It is opened using either the Add... or Edit... button on the Manage Rule dialog.
Each field definition has the following properties that can be modified:
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Name
Description
Name
The name of the field or attribute to be evaluated. Select from the
predefined list of the most commonly used fields, or enter the name of
any Active Directory attribute.
Evaluator
The evaluator to be used when evaluating the value of the field.
Value
The value to be used when evaluating the field. The Is Like and Is Not
Like evaluators support the wildcard (*) character.
Once the field has been configured, click the OK button to apply the changes and close the dialog, or click
the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving changes.
Status Monitor
The Status Monitor dialog is opened by clicking the Status Monitor button in the Deployment group in
the Home ribbon on the main application window:
Whenever a user is processed by the Email Signature Manager Service, or signatures are installed by the
Email Signature Manager Agent, the results are written to the Status Monitor; this allows deployment to
be monitored and verified remotely. The top of the dialog lists all of the users (with their email addresses)
that have been processed by the service, together with the Service result and (where applicable) and the
Agent result. The result can be one of the following:
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OK: Indicates that the Service successfully processed the user or the Agent successfully installed
signatures.
Error: Indicates that an error occurred during the processing or installation.
Skipped: Indicates the user was not processed due to their configuration (for example, their account
was disabled).
Excluded: Indicates that the user was excluded from deployment (in the Manage Deployment dialog).
License Exceeded: Indicates that the limit of users licensed has been exceeded.
Invalid License: Indicates that the license for the application is invalid or missing.
Selecting a user from the list will show the detailed logs for that user the last time deployment was
performed. There are a number of logs available, depending on your installation:
Service Result: This log records the work that has been done processing the user by the Email
Signature Manager Service.
Agent Result: This log records the result of installing signatures by the Email Signature Manager
Agent.
Signature Injection: This log records the last signature injection performed by the Email Signature
Manager Transport Agent. In order to log signature injection, it must be enabled on the Advanced page
of the Deployment Options dialog.
Note For further information about the deployment methods available, please review the chapter on
deployment.
The Update drop-down menu has the following commands:
Update All: sends a command to the Email Signature Manager Service to generate and deploy
signatures for all users (this is the same as clicking the Update All button in the Deployment group of
the ribbon). Once the update has completed, the grid will be automatically refreshed.
Update Selected: sends a command to the Service to generate and deploy signatures for the currently
user. Once the update is complete, the row for the user will be refreshed.
Refresh Grid: refreshes the grid with the latest deployment information from the database.
Users who were excluded can be shown or hidden by changing the Show Excluded users option, and
users who were skipped can be shown or hidden by changing the Show Skipped users option as
required; after changing these options, use the Refresh Grid button to refresh the list of users.
Note A user is excluded through the Exclusions tab on the Manage Deployment dialog. A user is skipped
if they are configured in the Manage Deployment dialog but have not received any signatures.
To close the dialog, click the Close button.
Deployment Options
The Deployment Options dialog is opened by clicking the Deployment Options button on the
Configuration page in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
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This dialog is used to configure system-wide settings used when deploying signatures to the users in your
organization.
By default, the dialog is opened on the Agent page, which is used to configure the settings specific to
deploying signatures to Microsoft Outlook. The following settings can be configured:
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Setting
Description
Make signatures read
only
Specifies that when the signatures are installed to Microsoft Outlook, they are
marked as read-only.
Enabling this option will make signatures read-only in the Signatures dialog in
Outlook; this means that the actual signatures cannot be changed or
removed.
Only overwrite user
changes if template or
user data changes
Specifies that only signatures that have been altered server-side (due to a
change in their design or a change in the user's account information) will be
written to disk, preserving any changes that the user makes locally to their
signatures.
Activate signatures
immediately on all client
versions
Specifies that when signatures are deployed on a computer where Microsoft
Outlook is already running, that the changes made will be activated
immediately in Outlook without needing to restart.
Copy linked images in
HTML templates to local
drive
Specifies that linked images in HTML templates should be copied to the local
drive on deployment. For example, if a template references an image on
either a network drive (using a UNC path, such as src="\
\server\path\image.jpg") or located on the Internet (such as src="http:\
\www.mywebsite.com\image.jpg"), that the image will be copied to the local
drive and the local signature updated accordingly.
Enabling this option ensures that images are correctly included when offline
and composing email in Microsoft Outlook.
Send pictures options
When checked, will apply the Send pictures from the internet option when
signatures are deployed by the Email Signature Manager Agent.
Send pictures from the
Internet
When Outlook sends a message, this option determines if pictures located on
the Internet are sent as a reference (i.e. the URL for the image is preserved in
the email) or embedded as inline images. This option is not configurable in
Microsoft Outlook 2007 and later and hence, Email Signature Manager is an
ideal way to configure this setting for your users.
Set default signatures for
all profiles
Specifies that the default signatures (for new and reply/forward emails) will be
set on all mail profiles, not just the default profile.
Set default signatures for
all accounts
Specifies that the default signatures (for new and reply/forward emails) will be
set on all accounts, not just the default account (the default account in profile
is the first Exchange account).
Remove all signatures
other than those
specifically deployed
Specifies that any signatures not specifically deployed using Email Signature
Manager will be deleted; this includes any signatures that the users have
defined themselves.
Remove all stationery
other than that
specifically deployed
Specifies that any stationery not specifically deployed using Email Signature
Manager will be deleted; this includes any stationery that the users have
defined themselves.
Update Interval
Specifies how often the Email Signature Manager Agent will update signatures
in Outlook.
Close the Agent after the
first automatic signature
installation
Specifies that each time the Agent is executed, it will automatically close once
signatures have been updated. This is the behaviour of the deployment tool
(sign.exe) from previous versions of Email Signature Manager.
Do not show the Agent
icon in the system tray
Specifies that the icon for the Agent is not displayed in the system tray. When
this option is enabled, it is not possible for end users to close the Agent
without using Windows Task Manager.
Suppress system tray
authentication error
messages
Specifies that the Agent will not show the popup notification in the system tray
if an authentication error occurs when communicating with Exchange Web
Services to download signature settings.
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When the settings have been configured as required, click the OK button save your changes and close the
dialog. Alternatively, click the Reset button to return all settings to their defaults or click the Cancel button
to close the dialog without saving any changes.
Service Page
The Service page on the Deployment Options dialog is used to configure the Email Signature Manager
Service:
The following settings can be configured:
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Setting
Description
Interval
Specifies how often the service will update signatures for the users in your
organization.
When the Email Signature Manager Service updates user signatures, it uses Exchange Web Services
(EWS). For efficiency, the EWS servers located during the Autodiscover process are cached in the
database. In normal circumstances, this cached data will remain valid but if any problems are experienced,
the service will automatically clear the cached data and repeat the Autodiscover process. However, in
some rare circumstances, it may be necessary to manually clear the cached data for all users to force the
Autodiscover process to be repeated and all signature settings to be written to the user mailboxes. To
clear the EWS cache, click the Clear Cache button. The Service must be stopped in order to clear the
cache.
Client Access Service
The Client Access Service page on the Deployment Options dialog is used to configure the Email
Signature Manager Client Access Service:
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The Client Access Service (CAS) itself has no direct configuration available. However, this page can be
used to ensure that the server has been correctly configured for connections to be made to the CAS.
The Service Connection Point group manages the Service Connection Point (SCP) in Active Directory,
which the Agent uses to locate the CAS automatically. To test that the SCP is present, click the Test button
in this group. This will query Active Directory for all known SCPs (there should only be one) and display the
results. If the SCP is missing, click the Create button (only available on the server where the CAS is
installed) to create (or update) it in Active Directory. Alternatively, the SCP can be removed from Active
Directory by clicking the Delete button. If multiple (redundant) SCPs are present in the domain, click the
drop-down arrow on the Delete button and select the All Service Connection Points in this Domain
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option. This will delete all of the SCPs for the Client Access Service in your domain (the SCP for the local
machine should then be recreated using the Create button).
The Windows Firewall group manages the TCP/IP port (5757 by default) that needs to be open in
Windows Firewall to allow inbound connections to the CAS. To test that the port is open, click the Test
button in this group. This will query Windows Firewall and display the results. If required, click the Open
button (only available on the server where the CAS is installed) to create a new rule Windows Firewall to
open the port. Alternatively, the port can be closed by clicking the Close button.
The Connectivity group contains just a single button to test connectivity to the CAS. Clicking the Test
button will run a test to lookup the SCP in Active Directory and then connect to the CAS at the location it
specifies. If the connection is successfully established, the version of the CAS is queried and reported.
Note If the connectivity test is performed from the server where the CAS is installed, transit through the
Windows Firewall will not be tested (as the connection will be made locally on the server).
Advanced Page
The Advanced page on the Deployment Options dialog is used to configure common deployment
settings:
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The following settings can be configured:
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Setting
Description
Include nested groups
when determining user
group membership
Specifies that nested sub-groups should be included when determining user
group membership during deployment of signatures.
Normalise whitespace in
field values when
generating signatures
Specifies that all whitespace in field values (newlines, tabs and spaces) are
normalised to single spaces between words, and all leading and trailing
whitespace removed; for example, " A Field Value " would become "A Field
Value". This setting can be used to ensure that conditional statements in
templates are evaluated correctly and the field values are formatted
consistently. For further information, see the chapter on working with fields.
Remove trailing spaces
from field values when
generating signatures
Specifies that trailing spaces should be removed from field values when
generating signatures; field values containing only spaces will be trimmed to
empty values. For further information, see the chapter on working with fields.
Deploy Outlook
signatures from all group
memberships
Specifies that the Outlook signatures will be installed from all groups to which
a user belongs. The main configuration (default signatures, OWA signature
and mobile device signature) is determined either from the user's individual
deployment configuration or from the deployment configuration for the first
group to which the user belongs in the prioritized order.
Record status information
about signature injection
Specifies that additional information is recorded to the Deployment Status log
when signatures are injected into emails (by the Email Signature Manager
Transport Agent). It is recommended that this option is not enabled unless
specific logging information about the Transport Agent is required.
Ignore disabled users
during deployment
Specifies that users whose account is disabled are ignored during
deployment i.e. there will not be a record for them in the Status Monitor
dialog.
Ignore users without an
email address during
deployment
Specifies that users who do not have an email address are ignored during
deployment i.e. there will not be a record for them in the Status Monitor
dialog.
Use ASCII format for all
Outlook signature files
Specifies that the Email Signature Manager Agent should write all Outlook
signature files in ASCII format, rather than Unicode, when appropriate (this will
affect how HTML and plain-text signature files are written). It should not
normally be necessary to use this option. If it is enabled, it is important to
note that any non-ASCII characters present in the signature will be converted
to question marks in the signature file.
Autodiscover on each
update cycle
Specifies that the Email Signature Manager Agent should use Autodiscover on
each update cycle, discarding the details of any previously discovered service
for acquiring signature settings. This setting can be useful in environments
where the users of the Agent move between being connected to your
organization's Local Area Network (and hence, able to connect to the Client
Access Service to download signature settings) and being off-premises with
only an Internet connection (and hence, only able to connect to their mailbox
using Exchange Web Services).
Add VML code to HTML
signatures for optimal
image support
Specifies that when the Email Signature Manager Agent installs HTML
signatures, it should add Vector Markup Language (VML) code for optimal
image support for Windows display scaling, and compatibility with encrypted
and signed emails.
Direct Database Mode
Enables direct database mode (when available). For further information, see
the chapter on direct database mode.
Write Signature Files
When enabled, the service will write files for the default new and
reply/forward signatures in HTML and plain-text format to the specified
folder. The files are written for each email address for each user defined for
deployment, and if the signature is different for the two options, the filenames
will include ".new" and ".reply" as appropriate.
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Save Database Connection Settings
This topic only applies when you use Email Signature Manager in direct database mode.
When using Email Signature Manager in direct database mode, the Email Signature Manager Agent
connects directly to the database.
The Save Database Connection Settings dialog is used to save a configuration file that configures the
Agent to connect directly to the database as well as the credentials to use. The database must be a SQL
Server database. The dialog is opened by clicking the Save Configuration File button on the Advanced
page of the Deployment Options dialog.
When saving the configuration file, you need to decide how the Agent will connect to the database and
then select the appropriate option:
Using Specific SQL Credentials: This is the recommended option. To use SQL Credentials, create a new
SQL login following the instructions in this topic. and then enter the user name and password for that
login. To verify you have entered the correct credentials, click the Test Connection button. Using this
approach will mean that all instances of the Agent (whether on- or off-premises) will connect with the
same login.
Using Integrated Security: This approach can be used when all users logon to your Active Directory
domain. You will need to create a SQL Login for the appropriate domain users and/or groups. The
basic principle of how to do this is outlined in this topic, which describes how to create a login for use
by a domain user when running the main application in Manager Only mode.
Using the current settings: This approach is not recommended, because it will mean that the Agent will
connect with the same login as the main application and that login will have been granted ownership
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rights on the Email Signature Manager database. However, this does provide a quick way to get the
Agent working in direct database mode.
Once the appropriate option has been selected, click the Save button to save the configuration file; the file
must be named agent.ini and should be saved in one of the following locations:
If you are using GPO to deploy the Agent, save the file in the same folder as the MSI package; when it is
installed, the package will automatically copy the file.
If you are using a shared folder, save the file in the shared folder next to the SignAgent.exe
executable.
Once the file has been saved, the dialog will be closed. To close the dialog without saving the file, click the
Cancel button.
Settings Database
The Settings Database dialog is opened by clicking the Settings Database button on the Database page
in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
The Settings Database dialog is used to connect the application to the database storing your templates
and deployment configuration. When the dialog is first opened, the settings for connecting to the current
database are displayed. If required, select the type of the database in the Type drop-down and then
configure the following settings:
Server: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server, enter the name of the server where the database is
located, or select from the drop-down list of available servers.
Database: Specifies the actual database for the settings database:
o When connecting to the Built-in Database, this will be fixed to the location of the database.
o When connecting to a Microsoft SQL Server database, enter the name of the database or select it by
clicking the ellipses ("...") button.
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User: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server, enter the name of the dedicated login to connect to
the database.
Password: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server, enter the password for the dedicated login to
connect to the database.
To verify that you have entered the details of the database correctly, click the Test Connection button.
This will open a connection to the database using the settings specified and read the current version, with
the result being displayed in a message box. The Repair & Compact button is available with the Built-in
Database to reclaim unused allocated space.
When the configuration for connecting to the new settings database has been completed, click the OK
button. The current database (if there is one open) will be closed and the specified database opened. To
close the dialog without making any changes, click the Cancel button.
Note The current settings database is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the main application
window.
Import Database
The Import Database dialog is opened by clicking the Import Database button on the Database page in
the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
Importing an existing database is normally used as part of migrating from using the Built-in Database
included with Email Signature Manager to using Microsoft SQL Server. Full details about how to configure
a SQL Server database for use with Email Signature Manager can be found in a separate chapter.
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Note All existing data in the current database will be deleted during the import process. It is therefore
important that you verify that you are connected to the correct target database before performing the
import. You can verify the current database by opening the Settings Database dialog.
Select the type of the source database in the Type drop-down and then configure the following settings:
Server: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server, enter the name of the server where the database is
located, or select from the drop-down list of available servers.
Database: Specifies the actual database from which the data will be imported:
o When connecting to a Microsoft Access database, enter the full path to the database or select it by
clicking the ellipses ("...") button.
o When connecting to a Microsoft SQL Server database, enter the name of the database or select it by
clicking the ellipses ("...") button.
User: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server using SQL Security, enter the login to connect to the
server.
Password: When connecting to either a password-protected Microsoft Access database or Microsoft
SQL Server using SQL Security, enter the password.
Note The Built-in Database that is included with Email Signature Manager is in Microsoft Access format
and can be found in the Program Data folder; the default location is C:
\ProgramData\Symprex\Symprex.EmailSignatureManager.Database.mdb.
To verify that you have entered the details of the source database correctly, click the Test Connection
button; this will open a connection to the database using the settings specified and read the current
version, with the result being displayed in a message box.
When the configuration for connecting to the source database has been completed, click the OK button.
You will be prompted to confirm the import before the process is started. To close the dialog without
importing any data, click the Cancel button.
Manage Data Sources
The Manage Data Sources dialog is opened by clicking the Data Sources button on the Configuration
page in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
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A data source is used to supply information when a signature is being deployed to a user; specifically, it is
used to fetch the data used to populate the fields in the signature. The default data source available for
all signatures is Active Directory, where the fields in the signatures are mapped to properties on the user's
Active Directory object. However, it is possible to populate signatures using the data held in a custom
database; this is a custom data source.
The current data sources defined in the database are displayed in a list on the left of the dialog. Selecting
any data source will display the details of that data source in the main part of the window. All data
sources have the following common properties:
Name: Specifies the unique name of the data source (mandatory).
Description: An optional property describing the data source.
Data Source Page: Specifies how to connect to the source database.
Data Query Page: Specifies the SQL query to select data from the source database.
Data Mappings Page: Specifies the mappings between the database and template fields.
The list of data sources can be refreshed by clicking the Refresh button. To create a new data source,
click the Add button or to remove the current data source, click the Remove button. When the data
sources have been configured as required, click the Save button to save your changes. Click the Close
button to close the dialog; if you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before the dialog
is closed.
More detailed information about working with custom data sources can be found in the Configure a
Custom Data Source chapter.
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Configure a Custom Data Source
This topic explains how to create or edit a custom data source for use with your templates.
Create the Data Source
Custom data sources are managed using the Manage Data Sources dialog.
To create a new data source, click the Add button on the dialog.
To edit an existing data source, select it from the list on the left side of the dialog.
Configure the Data Source
The first part of the configuration is to specify the database from which the user data will be fetched using
the Data Source page:
Select the type of the source database in the Type drop-down and then configure the following settings:
Server: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server, enter the name of the server where the database is
located, or select from the drop-down list of available servers. When connecting to Oracle, specify the
name of the server where the database is hosted, using a colon to specify a custom port if required.
Database: Specifies the actual database from which the data will be imported:
o When connecting to a Microsoft Access database, enter the full path to the database or select it by
clicking the ellipses ("...") button.
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o When connecting to a Microsoft SQL Server database, enter the name of the database or select it by
clicking the ellipses ("...") button.
o When connecting to an Oracle database, enter the name of the database.
User: When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server using SQL Security or Oracle, enter the login to connect
to the server.
Password: When connecting to either a password-protected Microsoft Access database, Microsoft SQL
Server using SQL Security, or Oracle, enter the password.
To verify that you have entered the details of the database correctly, click the Test Connection button;
this will open a connection to the database using settings specified (although no data will be read at this
point).
Specify the Data Query
The second part of the configuration is to specify the query that will be used to fetch the user data from
the database using the Data Query page:
The query needs to be specified such that it will return a single row of data for the user to which a
signature is being deployed. To accomplish this, the WHERE clause of the query can be customised using
the following tokens:
Field Name
Description
%USEREMAIL%
This token is replaced by the user's Active Directory email address.
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%USERNAME%
This token is replaced by the user's Active Directory account name.
%USERDOMAIN%
This token is replaced by the NETBIOS name for the user's domain.
%USERDNSDOMAIN%
This token is replaced by the full DNS name for the user's domain.
Generally speaking, the source table for the query should contain a primary key that can be mapped to
one (or more) of these tokens. In the example above, the UserAccountName field in the database is the
primary key field in the table and is used to match against the user's Active Directory account name. The
Preview for Current User box is updated from the specified query using the account details for the
current user, which can be used to verify that the query is generated as expected.
Specify the Data Mappings
The third part of the configuration is to specify the mappings between the fields returned by the query
and the fields in the signature using the Data Mapping page:
When the Data Mapping page is selected, a connection to the database specified on the Data Source page
will be established and the query specified on the Data Query page will be executed to determine the
fields available; these fields are displayed in the Database Field column of the grid. For each database
field that should be mapped, select the field in the Template Field of the grid.
In the example above:
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The UserFullName database field has been mapped to the fullname template field; when the signature
is deployed, any instances of the {fullname} field will be replaced by the value of the UserFullName
field from the database.
The UserOffice database field has been mapped to the office template field; when the signature is
deployed, any instances of the {office} field will be replaced by the value of the UserOffice field
from the database.
Configuration Completed
The configuration of the data source is now completed; click the Save button to save the changes. You can
now select the data source as the source for any signature and verify that it is fetching the correct data for
any user by using the Test Signatures dialog.
Note If the query fails to return a record when the signature is generated, the signature will be populated
using the data from Active Directory.
Domain Configuration
The Domain Configuration dialog is opened by clicking the Domain Configuration button on the
Configuration page in the Configuration backstage of the main application window:
This dialog configures how the Manage Deployment dialog will search your Active Directory domain for
users and groups:
Use the default Domain Controller: This is the default option and will use an LDAP query to find the
users and groups in just your local domain.
Use the default Global Catalog: This option will query the Global Catalog server for your local domain,
and will find users and groups from all domains that replicate to the Global Catalog. If necessary, select
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the Use SSL with the the Global Catalog option to make the query use secured communications on
port 3269 of your Global Catalog server.
Use the following custom root query: This option allows you to provide a custom query to find users
and groups from any domain or domain controller for which you have trust relationship (for example,
"LDAP://DC=mydomain,DC=com").
Query all known domains: This option will attempt to locate users and groups in all domains known to
the current domain. The list of domains is determined by examining the current forest and any trust
relationships that exist. To see the list of known domains that will be searched when this option is
selected, click the View Domains... button.
When the configuration for the domain has been completed, click the OK button. Alternatively, click the
Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
Mobile Device Signatures
The Mobile Device Signatures dialog is opened by clicking the Mobile Device Signatures button on the
Configuration page in the Configuration backstage of the main application window.
This dialog controls how the signatures are injected into emails sent from mobile devices as they are
delivered through On-Premises Exchange Server.
Note Email Signature Manager does not support managing mobile device signatures on Office 365.
Symprex recommends Office 365 customers use Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed
specifically for Office 365.
Signature injection works by using a set of rules to identify where in an email the mobile device signature
should be inserted. The text specified in the rule is replaced by the signature for the sender as specified in
the Manage Deployment dialog, resulting in the signature being injected into the email. Signatures are
injected into emails sent through Exchange Server using the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent.
To enable signature injection, on the Inject Signatures tab, select the Inject signatures into emails sent
from mobile devices using rules option.
By default, most mobile devices send new emails in plain-text format. Selecting the Convert plain-text
emails sent from mobile devices to HTML option will cause the plain-text emails to be converted into
HTML format and and the HTML signature to be injected.
Note When a plain-text email is converted to HTML, the rules applicable to HTML format emails will be
applied, not those applicable to only plain-text emails. Further, an email is only converted if a plain-text
rule matches.
The Injection Rules are used to define how signatures are injected and the order in which they are
evaluated:
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The following actions can be performed:
To create a new rule, click the Add... button, which opens the Manage Signature Injection Rule dialog.
To edit an existing rule, select it in the grid and click the Edit... button, which opens the Manage
Signature Injection Rule dialog.
To delete an existing rule, select it in the grid and click the Delete button; you will be prompted to
confirm this action before the rule is deleted.
To move a rule higher in the list (so it is evaluated earlier), select it in the grid and click the Move Up
button.
To move a rule lower in the list (so it is evaluated later), select it in the grid and click the Move Down
button.
When the configuration has been completed as required, click the Save button to save your changes. Click
the Close button to close the dialog; if you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before
the dialog is closed.
Manage Signature Injection Rule
The Manage Signature Injection Rule dialog is used to create or modify a rule for injecting a mobile
device signature into an email. It is opened using either the Add... or Edit... button on the Mobile Device
Signatures dialog.
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Each Signature Injection Rule has the following properties that can be modified:
Name
Description
Name
The name of the rule.
Description
A description of the rule.
Text to Replace
The text (or HTML for direct replacement rules) in the email to be
replaced by the signature.
Rule is active
Specifies if the rule is active; only active rules are applied when
processing emails.
Rule contains HTML code
Specifies that the rule contains HTML code. When this option is selected,
the specified HTML to replace must match precisely for the replacement to
occur (the Rule is case sensitive option is respected). Using this option
allows default signatures, such as those that contain a hyperlink, to be
replaced.
Apply rule to HTML messages
Specifies if the rule is applied to emails formatted in HTML.
Apply rule to plain text
messages
Specifies if the rule is applied to plain text emails.
Rule is case sensitive
Specifies that the match on Text to Replace is case sensitive.
Check if there is a new line
before the matched text
Specifies that new line must be present before the Text to Replace for it
to be considered a match; if no new line is found then the text will not be
replaced.
Check if there is a new line
after the matched text
Specifies that new line must be present after the Text to Replace for it to
be considered a match; if no new line is found then the text will not be
replaced.
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Once the rule has been configured, click the OK button to apply the changes and close the dialog, or click
the Cancel button to close the dialog without saving changes.
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Deployment of signatures to your users occurs as follows:
Signatures are updated in Outlook by the Email Signature Manager Agent.
Signatures are deployed to OWA by the Email Signature Manager Service.
Signatures are injected into emails sent from mobile devices by the Email Signature Manager
Transport Agent.
The service is also responsible for:
Writing Outlook signatures and settings to mailboxes for use by the Email Signature Manager Agent.
Generating signatures into the database for use by the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent.
The service is an integral part of Email Signature Manager and is installed with the Full Installation of the
product.
Having completed installation or upgrade, the following additional tasks need to be completed:
Arrange for the Email Signature Manager Agent to be executed on your end users' computers.
If you are using On-Premises Exchange Server or Hosted Exchange, the Email Signature Manager
Transport Agent needs to be installed.
Note The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is not available for Office 365 and some Hosted
Exchange providers may not support it.
The Email Signature Manager Client Access Service
The Email Signature Manager Client Access Service (CAS) provides a simple, configuration-free method
for the Email Signature Manager Agent and Email Signature Manager Transport Agent to fetch signature
settings. It is installed and started automatically with a Full Installation of Email Signature Manager. During
installation, the following actions are performed:
A Service Connection Point (SCP) is created in Active Directory and is used by the Agent and Transport
Agent to automatically find the URL for the CAS.
Port 5757 is opened in Windows Firewall to allow inbound TCP/IP connections to connect to the CAS.
The SCP and Windows Firewall rule can be managed using the Client Access Service tab on the
Deployment Options dialog.
The Agent will automatically use the Client Access Server if it finds the SCP in Active Directory.
Using the Email Signature Manager Agent
Signatures are installed to Outlook by the Email Signature Manager Agent. The Agent connects to the
Email Signature Manager Client Access Service to fetch the user's signatures and settings, updates
Outlook, and sends back the deployment results to the server; those results can then be viewed in the
Status Monitor dialog. If the Agent cannot connect to the Client Access Service (for example, because the
Agent is running off-domain), it reads the signatures and settings from the user's mailbox using Exchange
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Web Services (EWS). In this case, the Agent uses autodiscover to find the server hosting the user's
mailbox, reads the signatures and settings written to the user's mailbox by the Email Signature Manager
Service, updates Outlook, and writes the deployment log back the user's mailbox; the log is subsequently
read by the Email Signature Manager Service and made available in the Status Monitor.
The interval at which the Agent checks for new signatures, and other Agent configuration, can be
controlled through the Agent tab on the Deployment Options dialog.
Starting the Agent on an End User's Computer
There are three ways in which the Agent can be started on an end user's computer:
Started at logon using a script.
Installed via Group Policy.
Installed via ClickOnce technology.
When the Agent is running an icon appears in the Windows system tray:
The Agent menu is available by right-clicking the Agent icon in the Windows system tray:
Using Update Now
In the Windows system tray, right-click the Agent icon and select Update Now to update Outlook
signatures.
Opening Agent Status Monitor
In the Windows system tray, right-click the Agent icon and select Status Monitor... to open the Status
Monitor dialog:
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The main part of the window shows a list of the events that have occurred during the autodiscover and
signature installation phases for each update cycle. Below the list, the Update URL (or database, if using a
direct database connection), email address and User Principal Name that are being used for the update
cycle are shown (see below for how the Agent determines these details). To start an update cycle, click the
Update Now button and to copy log of events, click the Copy Log button. To copy a verbose log, hold
down the Shift key whilst clicking the Copy Log button; this verbose log can be very useful for
troubleshooting signature installation problems.
How the Agent Determines the Outlook Profile and Email Address
Before the Agent can fetch signatures and settings, it has to determine the Outlook profile to be updated
and email address for which signatures are required. The Outlook profile is determined in the following
order of precedence:
1. If a specific profile is selected in Agent Options, it is used (see Agent Options below); if the specific
profile does not exist, an error is reported.
2. If there is only one Outlook profile, it is used.
3. If there are multiple profiles and the Always use this profile option is selected (in the Mail Control
Panel applet), the specified profile is used.
4. If there are multiple profiles and the Prompt for a profile to be used option is selected, the profile
that contains an Exchange account matching either the user’s primary SMTP email address (as defined
on their domain account) or the specific email address specified in Agent Options, if any.
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If the profile cannot be determined using this process, an error is reported and signatures will not be
installed. The email address is determined in the following order of precedence:
1. If a specific email address is specified in Agent Options, it is used (see Agent Options below).
2. If available, the email address from first Exchange account on the selected Outlook profile is used.
3. If running using a direct database connection, the email address from the default send account on the
selected Outlook profile is used.
If the email address cannot be determined using this process, an error is reported and signatures will not
be installed.
How the Agent Determines Credentials for Exchange Web Services
If the Agent needs to read the signature settings written to the user's mailbox using Exchange Web
Services, it will need suitable credentials. The credentials are determined in the following order:
1. Custom credentials entered by the user (see below for how to configure custom credentials).
2. Credentials stored by Outlook in Windows Credentials Manager.
3. User's current Windows logon credentials.
If the credentials do not allow a connection to be made, the Agent will handle this as follows:
If the mailbox is hosted on Office 365, the user is prompted to start the logon process using Modern
Authentication. This process supports multi-factor authentication (MFA). Single sign-on (SSO) is also
supported and the related configuration document can be requested by email to the Symprex support
team.
Otherwise, the user is prompted to enter custom credentials for establishing the connection.
Configuring Agent Options
In most situations, the Agent should determine the correct Outlook profile and email address for installing
signatures, and unless multi-factor authentication (MFA) is being used with Office 365, it should also be
able to determine the correct credentials. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to manually
configure the Agent. To accomplish this, in the Windows system tray, right-click the Agent icon and select
Configure... to open the Options dialog:
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To use a specific Outlook profile, select the Use the following mail profile option and then select the
profile from the drop-down list.
To use custom credentials, select the Use the following custom credentials when communicating with
the server option, and then enter the appropriate user name and password. If the Store these
credentials in Windows Credentials Manager option is also selected, the credentials will be persisted to
Windows Credentials Manager and will be used the next time the Agent is started; otherwise, the
credentials will have to be entered again the next time it is started.
Note When using Modern Authentication, the option to enter custom credentials will not be available.
To configure advanced options, click the Configure Advanced Options button to open the Advanced
Options dialog (see below). To reset the cached credentials that are being used for Modern
Authentication, click the Reset Cached Credentials button.
When the settings have been configured as required, click the OK button save your changes and close the
dialog. Alternatively, Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
Advanced Options
The Advanced Options dialog is opened from the main Options dialog:
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The Service group allows the service from which the signature settings will be acquired to be customised
as follows:
Select the Use the default autodiscover mechanism option to allow the Agent to automatically
discover the service.
To always connect to Office 365, select the Connect to Office 365 option.
To use a specific autodiscover service, select the Use the following autodiscover URL option and
enter the URL (in the format https://<server>/Autodiscover/Autodiscover.xml).
To use a service directly, select the Use the service at the following URL option and then enter as
suitable URL as follows:
o To connect to a Client Access Service, enter the URL in the format cas://<server>.
o To connect direct to Exchange Web Services, enter the URL in the format
https://<server>/ews/exchange.asmx.
To use a custom email address, select the Use the following email address option and enter the
required email address.
When the settings have been configured as required, click the OK button save your changes and close the
dialog. Alternatively, Cancel button to close the dialog without saving any changes.
Running the Agent from a Logon Script
The Email Signature Manager Agent can be run without the need for installation by using your domain
logon script. This is accomplished by placing the Agent executable within a shared network folder and
updating your logon script to execute it.
Create the Shared Folder
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To create the shared folder, use the following steps:
1. On your chosen server, create a new directory.
2. On this new directory, assign the Domain Users group the following permissions:
o Read & Execute
o List Folder Contents
o Read
3. Share the folder using a suitable name. It is recommended to hide the share by appending the share
name with the dollar ($) character.
4. On the new share, assign the Domain Users group the following permissions:
o Read
Run the Agent from a Logon Script
To run the Agent from a logon script, use the following steps:
1. Download the Email Signature Manager Agent executable (SignAgent.exe) from the Symprex
website and copy it to the shared folder.
2. Modify the script executed by your domain users at logon to execute the Agent; this will be in the
form: \\server\share\SignAgent.exe
Note Email Signature Manager Agent v4.x requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher. Email Signature
Manager Agent v3.2.4 is recommended for older versions of .NET Framework 4.
Installing the Agent using Group Policy
Installing the Email Signature Manager Agent via Group Policy, using the MSI package, removes the
need to start the Agent from a logon script.
Installing the Agent using Group Policy Per User
Installing the Agent using Group Policy Per Computer
Note The MSI package does not require administrative privileges to be installed on a per-user basis and
also supports manual installation by domain users.
Note Email Signature Manager Agent v4.x requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher. Email Signature
Manager Agent v3.2.4 is recommended for older versions of .NET Framework 4.
Installing the Agent using Group Policy Per User
The following guidelines demonstrate a simple method to create a suitable Group Policy Object (GPO) to
install the Agent on a per-user basis on Windows Server 2012 R2 (the steps are the same for previous
versions of Windows Server):
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1. Download the Email Signature Manager Agent MSI package from the Symprex website and copy it
to a shared location to which your domain users have access. To function correctly, the following
permissions must be set:
o On the share itself, ensure that the generic group Everyone has Read permissions.
o On the folder containing the MSI package, ensure that the built-in group Domain Users has Read
permissions.
2. On a domain controller, start Group Policy Management from Control Panel > Administrative
Tools.
3. Within your domain, choose the Organization Unit (OU) that contains the users for which you wish to
install the Agent. Alternatively, you can install to the entire domain but this will include all users (e.g. the
built-in administrator account), which may not be appropriate. Right-click the chosen OU and select
Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here....
4. In the New GPO dialog, enter the name of the new Group Policy Object (for example, "Email Signature
Manager Agent") and click the OK button.
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5. The new Group Policy Object (GPO) should now appear in your chosen OU. Right-click it and select
Edit:
6. In the Group Policy Management Editor, expand User Configuration > Policies > Software
Settings, right-click Software installation and select New > Package...:
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7. Browse to and select the MSI package for the Agent. In the Deploy Software dialog, select Assigned
and click the OK button:
8. Right-click the new Email Signature Manager Agent package and select Properties:
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9. On the Properties dialog, select the Deployment tab and check the following options:
Uninstall this application when it falls of the of he scope of management
Install this application at logon
Click the OK button to save the changes.
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10. Close Group Policy Management Editor to return to Group Policy Management, and select the
Agent GPO in the OU. By default, the Authenticated Users group will have been added under Security
Filtering:
This is suitable for per-user installations based on membership of the selected Organization Unit. The
users and groups to which the Agent is installed can be further refined by adding to the filtering list.
Upgrading when Using Group Policy
The simplest way to upgrade the Agent when using Group Policy is as follows:
1. Open Group Policy Management and in the Group Policy Objects node, edit the GPO that installs
the Agent.
2. In the Group Policy Management Editor, expand User Configuration > Policies > Software
Settings.
3. Right-click the package that installs the previous version and select All Tasks > Remove....
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4. In the Remove Software dialog, ensure the Immediately uninstall the software from users and
computers option is selected, and click the OK button.
5. Create a new package to install the new version of the Agent i.e. follow from step 6 above using the
new version of the MSI package.
Installing the Agent using Group Policy Per Computer
The following guidelines demonstrate a simple method to create a suitable Group Policy Object (GPO) to
install the Agent on a per-computer basis on Windows Server 2012 R2 (the steps are the same for
previous versions of Windows Server):
1. Download the Email Signature Manager Agent MSI package from the Symprex website and copy it
to a shared location to which your domain users have access. To function correctly, the following
permissions must be set:
o On the share itself, ensure that the generic group Everyone has Read permissions.
o On the folder containing the MSI package, ensure that the built-in group Domain Computers has
Read permissions.
2. On a domain controller, start Group Policy Management from Control Panel > Administrative
Tools.
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3. Within your domain, choose the Organization Unit (OU) that contains the computers to which you wish
to install the Agent. Alternatively, you can install to the entire domain but this will include all computers
(e.g. domain controller servers), which may not be appropriate. Right-click the chosen OU and select
Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here....
4. In the New GPO dialog, enter the name of the new Group Policy Object (for example, "Email Signature
Manager Agent") and click the OK button.
5. The new Group Policy Object (GPO) should now appear in your chosen OU. Right-click it and select
Edit:
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6. In the Group Policy Management Editor, expand Computer Configuration > Policies > Software
Settings, right-click Software installation and select New > Package...:
7. Browse to and select the MSI package for the Agent. In the Deploy Software dialog, select Assigned
and click the OK button:
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8. Right-click the new Email Signature Manager Agent package and select Properties:
9. On the Properties dialog, select the Deployment tab and check the following option:
Uninstall this application when it falls of the of he scope of management
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Click the OK button to save the changes.
10. Close Group Policy Management Editor to return to Group Policy Management, and select the
Agent GPO in the OU. By default, the Authenticated Users group will have been added under Security
Filtering:
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This is suitable for per-computer installations based on membership of the selected Organization Unit.
The computers to which the Agent is installed can be further refined by adding to the filtering list.
Upgrading when Using Group Policy
The simplest way to upgrade the Agent when using Group Policy is as follows:
1. Open Group Policy Management and in the Group Policy Objects node, edit the GPO that installs
the Agent.
2. In the Group Policy Management Editor, expand Computer Configuration > Policies > Software
Settings.
3. Right-click the package that installs the previous version and select All Tasks > Remove....
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4. In the Remove Software dialog, ensure the Immediately uninstall the software from users and
computers option is selected, and click the OK button.
5. Create a new package to install the new version of the Agent i.e. follow from step 6 above using the
new version of the MSI package.
Additional Group Policy Settings
The following Group Policy settings can help to overcome problems if the Agent is not working properly
when started from a logon script or when installed on a per-user or per-computer basis:
Under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon, enable the Always
wait for the network at computer startup and logon setting.
Under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Group Policy, configure
the Specify startup policy processing wait time setting to a suitable value (for example, 120 seconds;
the default used by Windows is normally 30 seconds).
Note These settings can have an impact on the startup performance of the computer; please refer to
Microsoft documentation before adjusting them.
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Installing the Agent using ClickOnce
ClickOnce is a Microsoft technology that enables any user to install and run a Windows-based client
application by clicking a link.
ClickOnce works whether the user is logged on to a domain or not and does not require administrator
permissions.
The Email Signature Manager Agent can be installed using ClickOnce by clicking this link:
https://clickonce.symprex.com/SignAgent.application
Note Email Signature Manager Agent requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher when installed using
ClickOnce.
When installed using ClickOnce, the Agent is installed per user and is automatically updated when new
versions are released.
If required, the user can uninstall the Agent from Programs and Features in Windows.
Mobile Device Signature Injection
Signature injection is used to process emails sent from mobile devices. Unlike deployment to other
platforms (such as Outlook, where the signatures are automatically included when the message is being
composed by the user), pre-generated signatures for mobile devices are injected into emails during
delivery through Exchange Server. This is accomplished by defining a set of rules to identify where the
signature should be injected into the email using the Mobile Device Signatures dialog.
For mobile device signature injection to work, you will need to use the Email Signature Manager Transport
Agent.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Using the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent
The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is used to inject signatures into emails sent from mobile
devices during delivery through your organization's Exchange Server.
Note The Transport Agent cannot be used with Office 365. Office 365 customers are recommended to use
Signature 365, a powerful cloud solution designed specifically for Office 365.
Basic Architecture
The following work flow sets out the basic architecture of how signatures are injected to emails sent from
mobile devices:
The administrator authors the signatures for deployment to users in the usual manner.
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Using the Manage Deployment dialog, mobile device signatures are specified for the appropriate
groups and users.
Each user's signature is generated by the Email Signature Manager Service.
The administrator defines the rules for identifying where signatures should be injected into emails.
The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is installed onto each Exchange Server that has the
appropriate role.
When an email is delivered through Exchange Server, the Transport Agent injects the appropriate
signature at the location identified by the rules.
Getting Started with the Transport Agent
To get started with the Transport Agent, please follow these instructions:
1. Install the Transport Agent on to the appropriate Exchange Server(s) and complete configuration.
2. Configure which your users will receive mobile signatures in the Manage Deployment dialog.
3. Define the rules used by the Transport Agent and enable signature injection.
Injecting Signatures using the Injection Rules
When the Transport Agent processes an email, the following steps occur:
The signature injection rules in the order in which they are defined.
Each rule is only applied if (a) it is active, and (b) the email is in a format supported by the rule.
If the rule is to be applied, the email is parsed for the first instance of the Text to Replace; this will take
into consideration the settings for detecting new lines before and/or after the text, as well as separators
between emails in reply/forward emails. When found, the generated mobile device signature is used to
replace the text and hence, the signature is injected into the email.
If a rule results in a signature being injected, then no further rules are evaluated.
Installing the Transport Agent
The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent must be installed on to each On-Premises Exchange
Server that has the Mailbox Server role installed.
Note For further information about the Mailbox Server role, please refer to the appropriate Technet
articles for Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019.
To install the Transport Agent, please follow these steps:
1. Download the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent Setup package from the Symprex website.
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2. Run the Setup package on each Exchange Server in your organization that has the Mailbox Server role
installed.
Important If you install the Transport Agent to a custom location that is not contained with the main
Program Files directory, you must ensure that the account under which the Microsoft Exchange Transport
service is running has read permissions on the installation folder.
3. When the setup has finished, run the Configuration Utility to complete the final configuration tasks.
Configuring the Transport Agent
The Email Signature Manager Transport Agent is configured using the installed Configuration Utility,
which can be started from the Start menu.
There are two steps to complete once installation has been completed:
1. Specify the connection to the Email Signature Manager database.
2. Configure the various settings for the Transport Agent.
Note You will need administrative privileges on the server to run the Configuration Utility.
Specifying the Database Connection
The connection to the Email Signature Manager database is configured on the Data Source tab in the
Configuration Utility:
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Configure the following settings as required:
Type: Select the type of the database, which can be one of the following:
o Client Access Service: Connects the Transport Agent to the Client Access Service
o SQL Server: Connects the Transport Agent direct to the SQL Server database
o Built-in Database: Connects the Transport Agent direct to the built-in database (only when the
installed on the same server as the Full Installation)
URL (Client Access Service only): Enter the URL of the Client Access Service or leave blank to the use the
Service Connection Point in Active Directory (recommended).
Server (SQL Server only): Enter the name of the server where the database is located or select it from
the drop-down list of available servers.
Database (SQL Server only): Enter the name of the database on the server or select it by clicking the
ellipses ("...") button.
User (SQL Server only): Enter the login to connect to the server; when using SQL Server, it is
recommended that you use the same login as the main application.
Password (SQL Server only): Enter the password for the login.
To verify that you have entered the details of the database correctly, click the Test Connection button.
Note When the Email Signature Manager database is hosted on SQL Server it is recommended to connect
the Transport Agent directly to the database.
When ready, click the Save button to save the settings.
Configure Settings
The following settings can be configured on the Configuration tab:
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Connection Timeout: Specifies the timeout for connecting to SQL Server when processing an email. It
is recommended that this timeout is kept fairly short as connections should be made quickly under
normal operating conditions.
Connection Failure Interval: If connecting to SQL Server fails when processing an email, this interval
specifies how long the Transport Agent will wait until trying to connect again. During this interval, any
emails processed by the Transport Agent will not have signatures applied.
Domain Cache Refresh Interval: For efficiency, the Transport Agent maintains a list of the local
domains from which emails should be processed; this allows emails to be examined very quickly without
the need for a database connection to be established to determine if they need processing. This
interval specifies how often the cache should be refreshed. If necessary, the cache can be refreshed on
demand by clicking the Refresh Domain Cache button. The domain cache is not supported when using
the Client Access Service.
When ready, click the Save button to save the settings.
Registering on Exchange Server
In order for the Transport Agent to be used to process email, it must be registered with Exchange Server.
This is accomplished by executing the appropriate commands within the Exchange Management Shell. The
installer for the Transport Agent will execute these commands when the agent is installed, so there are no
manual steps required. Should you wish, you can verify that the Transport Agent is registered as follows:
1. Start an instance of the Exchange Management Shell.
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2. Type the following command:
Get-TransportAgent -Identity "Symprex Email Signature Manager Agent" | fl
3. The details of the agent should be listed. If they are not, the Agent is not registered. Please refer to the
Knowledge Base article "Managing the Transport Agent Registration" for more details on how to
register the Agent manually.
When ready, click the Close button to close the Configuration Utility.
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Appendices
This section contains additional information for using Email Signature Manager.
Using Microsoft SQL Server
Email Signature Manager fully supports using Microsoft SQL Server.
The following versions are supported:
SQL Server 2012
SQL Server 2014
SQL Server 2016
SQL Server 2017
SQL Server 2019
SQL Server 2022
SQL Server must be used as the database for Email Signature Manager in any of the following scenarios:
You wish to manage the database from more than one computer.
You wish to use the Email Signature Manager Transport Agent.
Migrating to SQL Server
To migrate from using the Built-in Database to SQL Server, please use the following steps:
1. If you do not have a SQL Server available within your organization, please read the topic on how to
install and configure SQL Server Express.
2. Create the Email Signature Manager database on the appropriate instance of SQL Server.
3. Using Services Control Manager, stop the Email Signature Manager Service.
4. Start the main Email Signature Manager application.
5. Connect to the Email Signature Manager database created in step 2 using the Settings Database
dialog. You must connect to the database using SQL Server Authentication.
6. Open the Import Database dialog. Ensure the Type is selected as Access and then click the ellipses
("...") button next to the Database text box. Select the Built-in Database. The default location is C:
\ProgramData\Symprex\Symprex.EmailSignatureManager.Database.mdb.
7. Click the OK button and confirm that you wish to import the database. The data from the Built-in
Database is now imported to the SQL Server database.
8. Using Services Control Manager, restart the Email Signature Manager Service.
9. If you wish to install Email Signature Manager on additional computers to manage the database,
please read the section on Manager Only mode.
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Creating the Email Signature Manager Database on SQL Server
This topic will guide you through the basic process of creating a new Email Signature Manager database
on an instance of Microsoft SQL Server.
If your organization already has a SQL Server available, ensure that the database is created following any
established policy.
If your organization does not have SQL Server, please follow our guide for installing and configuring SQL
Server Express.
Creating the Database
1. Download the script to create the database from the Symprex website:
https://www.symprex.com/support/files/esm/v9/sql/esmdb.zip
This zip file contains one file, esmdb.sql, which should be extracted to a known location.
2. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the appropriate instance of SQL Server. Right-
click Database and select New Database....
3. On the General page, enter a suitable name for the database. The database script uses
EmailSignatureManager as the default name.
4. On the Options page, configure the appropriate settings for the database according to your
organization's policy. If you are using SQL Server Express, the Recovery Model can be set to Simple
and database backups taken manually (see the topic on installing and configuring SQL Server Express).
5. Select File > Open > File... (or press Control+O) and open the esmdb.sql script. If necessary, change
the [USE] statement on the first line to point to the database created in step 3.
6. Execute the script (press F5), which will create the database structure. Verify that there are no error
messages reported. To check the structure has been correctly created, expand the database node and
then the Tables node. You should see the list of tables as follows:
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Dedicated Login
The Full Installation of Email Signature Manager requires a dedicated login using SQL Server
Authentication and with db_owner role. This ensures that the service (which uses the same login as the
main application) can connect to the database and that the database schema can be updated during
upgrades of Email Signature Manager. The login can be created as follows:
1. Start SQL Server Management Studio. Expand the Security node, right-click the Logins node and
select New Login....
2. On the General page, enter a suitable name for the login. Select the SQL Server Authentication
option and enter an appropriate password. Change the Default Database to the Email Signature
Manager database. The configuration of the login should look similar to this:
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3. On the User Mapping page, check the Map column for the Email Signature Manager database and
then check the db_owner role:
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4. Click the OK button to save the login.
The login can be now be used in the Settings Database dialog to connect to the database.
Installing and Configuring SQL Server Express
This topic will guide you through the process of installing and configuring SQL Server Express for use with
Email Signature Manager.
Note This guide is based on SQL Server Express 2014 and assumes that it will be installed on to a clean
machine where no other instance of SQL Server is installed.
Before You Start
1. Download the SQL Server Express 2014 with Tools installer from the Microsoft website. The main
download page can found here:
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https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=42299
You should download either ExpressAndTools 32BIT\SQLEXPRWT_x86_ENU.exe (for 32-bit operating
systems) or ExpressAndTools 64BIT\SQLEXPRWT_x64_ENU.exe (for 64-bit operating systems).
2. It is recommended that after installation, SQL Server Express 2014 is updated to Service Pack 1 or
later. The main download page can be found here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46694
You should download either SQLServer2014SP1-KB3058865-x86-ENU.exe (for the 32-bit version) or
SQLServer2014SP1-KB3058865-x64-ENU.exe (for the 64-bit version).
Install and Configure SQL Server Express 2014
1. Start the installer for the appropriate version of SQL Server Express (either SQLEXPRWT_x86_ENU.exe
or SQLEXPRWT_x64_ENU.exe) and extract the installation files to a suitable location (this can take
several minutes).
2. In the SQL Server Installation Center, select the new SQL Server stand-alone installation option.
3. Read the License Terms and then check the I accept the license terms check box. Click the Next
button.
4. In the Feature Selection step, the following components are mandatory:
o Database Engine Services
o Client Tools Connectivity
o Management Tools - Basic (Management Tools - Complete is recommended)
Check the installation folders are acceptable and click the Next button.
5. In the Feature Rules step, install any prerequisites and complete any other steps that are required to
continue with the installation.
6. In the Instance Configuration step, select the Default Instance option (the instance will be named
MSSQLSERVER) and click the Next button.
7. In the Server Configuration step, it is recommended to change the Startup Type of the SQL Server
Browser service to Automatic (which allows the instance of SQL Server to be discoverable on the
network). Otherwise, the default configuration is suitable. click the Next button to continue.
8. In the Database Engine Configuration step, select the Mixed Mode option (this is mandatory for
Email Signature Manager) and enter a suitable password for the sa account. The password must meet
the complexity requirements specified by the Local Security Policy of the computer. It is also
recommended that the Domain Administrators group is added to the list of SQL Server
Administrators. Otherwise, the default configuration is suitable. Click the Next button to continue.
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9. The installation process will now start. This can take several minutes to complete.
10. Review the actions taken in the Completed step, click the Close button to dismiss the installation
wizard, and then close the SQL Server Installation Center.
11. At this stage, it is recommended to either install the latest Service Pack and use Windows Update to
check for the latest updates.
Enabling Network Protocols
By default, only the Shared Memory protocol is enabled, which means that it is not possible to connect to
SQL Server Express across the network. To enable the other protocols, use the following steps:
1. Start SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Expand SQL Server Network Configuration and Protocols for MSSQLSERVER (where MSSQLSERVER is
the default instance name).
3. In the list of protocols, right-click the disabled protocols and select Enable from the context menu. It is
recommended that all protocols (Shared Memory, Named Pipes and TCP/IP) are enabled for best
connectivity to the server.
4. Right-click the TCP/IP protocol and select Properties. Select the IP Addresses tab and scroll down to
IPAll. Check that the TCP Port is set to 1433 (the standard default for SQL Server). Close the TCP/IP
Properties dialog.
5. Select SQL Server Services, right-click SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) (where MSSQLSERVER is the default
instance name) and select Restart to restart the SQL Server Database Engine.
6. Ensure that the firewall on the machine hosting SQL Server Express has been configured to allow the
appropriate inbound TCP/IP connections. These are TCP port 1433 for the Database Engine and UDP
port 1434 for the Browser Service.
Backing Up a Database
Assuming that the Recovery model for the database is set to Simple, you can create a manual backup of
a database using the following steps:
1. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the appropriate instance of SQL Server Express.
2. Expand the Databases node, right-click the Email Signature Manager database and select Tasks >
Back Up....
3. Ensure the Backup type is Full.
4. By default, a backup file matching the name of the database will be created (for example, C:\Program
Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Backup\EmailSignatureManager.bak). SQL Server is able to
store multiple backups in the same file. You can therefore either choose to use a single backup file or
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to use a distinct file for each backup that you take. To use a distinct backup (or to alter the location
where the backup is stored), click the Remove button to remove the default backup and then click the
Add button to a new destination backup file. Alternatively, if you wish to use the default backup file but
only store the latest backup, select the Media Options page and check the Overwrite all existing
backup sets option; this will erase any existing backup in the specified backup file.
5. Click the OK button to create the backup.
Important This is a description of the simplest method to backup your database. It is recommended that
you read this Microsoft article that fully explains backup options for SQL Server.
Restoring a Database
Before restoring the database, the Email Signature Manager Service should be stopped and any instances
of the main application closed. To perform a full restore of the database, use the following steps:
1. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the appropriate instance of SQL Server Express.
2. Expand the Databases node, right-click the Email Signature Manager database and select Tasks >
Restore > Database....
3. Select the Device option and click the ellipses ("...") button.
4. Check that the Backup media type is selected as File and then click the Add button. Select the backup
file that you wish to use to restore the database and the click the OK button.
5. On the General page, verify that the correct database has been selected. If the backup file contains
multiple backup sets, the latest one will be selected by default. If you wish to use an early backup set,
click the Timeline button, select the Specific date and time option and choose the appropriate
backup set to use.
6. On the Options page, select the Overwrite the existing database (WITH REPLACE) option.
7. Click the OK button to restore the database.
Using Email Signature Manager in Manager Only Mode
Where required, Email Signature Manager can be installed in Manager Only mode to allow other users in
your organization to use Email Signature Manager on their own computers connected to the shared
database. When running in Manager Only mode, the main application has certain limitations:
The Email Signature Manager database must be hosted on Microsoft SQL Server.
The Environment Configuration dialog is disabled.
The Import Database function is not available.
The Update functions (in the main application window and the Status Monitor) are not available.
When using Manager Only mode, it is recommended that Windows Authentication is used (instead of the
dedicated login) and that the user of the product is added to the db_datareader and db_datawriter roles.
For example, to add a domain user as a user of the database, use the following steps:
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1. Start SQL Server Management Studio. Expand the Security node, right-click the Logins node and
select New Login....
2. On the General tab, click the Search button and locate the domain user (or group) for the new login.
Change the Default Database to the Email Signature Manager database. The configuration of the
login should look similar to this:
3. On the User Mapping page, check the Map column for the Email Signature Manager database and
then check the db_datareader and db_datawriter roles:
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4. Click the OK button to save the login.
The domain user can now connect to the Email Signature Manager database by selecting SQL Server
(Windows Authentication) in the Settings Database dialog.
Direct Database Mode and Creating a Login for the Agent
This topic only applies when you use Email Signature Manager in direct database mode.
When using Email Signature Manager in direct database mode, the Email Signature Manager Agent
connects directly to the database. It is recommended to create a specific SQL login for the Agent to use to
connect to the database. This login can be created using the following steps:
1. Start SQL Server Management Studio. Expand the Security node, right-click the Logins node and
select New Login....
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2. On the General page, enter a suitable name for the login. Select the SQL Server Authentication
option and enter an appropriate password. Change the Default Database to the Email Signature
Manager database. The configuration of the login should look similar to this:
3. On the User Mapping page, check the Map column for the Email Signature Manager database and
then check the db_datareader and db_datawriter roles:
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4. Click the OK button to save the login.
The login can now be used by the Agent to connect to the database when using Email Signature Manager
in direct database mode.
Template Fields
The below template fields are the standard template fields in Email Signature Manager.
Note The topic dynamic fields explains how to use any Active Directory property in templates and
conditional statements are also supported.
Field Name
Description
{FIRSTNAME}
Replaced by the user's first name, as defined by the "givenName"
property in Active Directory.
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{LASTNAME}
Replaced by the user's last name, as defined by the "sn" property in
Active Directory.
{FULLNAME}
Replaced by the user's full name, as defined by the "displayName"
property in Active Directory.
{INITIALS}
Replaced by the user's initials, as defined by the "initials" property in
Active Directory.
{COMPANY}
Replaced by the user's company, as defined by the "company"
property in Active Directory.
{DESCRIPTION}
Replaced by the user's description, as defined by the "description"
property in Active Directory.
{TITLE}
Replaced by the user's (job) title, as defined by the "title" property in
Active Directory.
{OFFICE}
Replaced by the user's office, as defined by the
"physicalDeliveryOfficeName" property in Active Directory.
{DEPARTMENT}
Replaced by the user's department, as defined by the "department"
property in Active Directory.
{PHONE}
Replaced by the user's (primary) telephone number, as defined by the
"telephoneNumber" property in Active Directory.
{HOMEPHONE}
Replaced by the user's home telephone number, as defined by the
"homePhone" property in Active Directory.
{MOBILE}
Replaced by the user's mobile telephone number, as defined by the
"mobile" property in Active Directory.
{PAGER}
Replaced by the user's pager number, as defined by the "pager"
property in Active Directory.
{FAX}
Replaced by the user's fax number, as defined by the
"facsimileTelephoneNumber" property in Active Directory.
{IPPHONE}
Replaced by the user's IP phone details, as defined by the "ipPhone"
property in Active Directory.
{STREET}
Replaced by the user's street, as defined by the "streetAddress"
property in Active Directory (not to be confused with the "street"
property, which is a different field).
{POBOX}
Replaced by the user's PO Box, as defined by the "postOfficeBox"
property in Active Directory.
{CITY}
Replaced by the user's city, as defined by the "l" (short for locality)
property in Active Directory.
{STATE} -or-
{PROVINCE} -or-
{COUNTY}
Replaced by the user's state, as defined by the "st" property in Active
Directory.
{ZIPCODE} -or-
{POSTALCODE}
Replaced by the user's zip (postal) code, as defined by the
"postalCode" property in Active Directory.
{COUNTRY}
Replaced by the user's country, as defined by the "co" property in
Active Directory.
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{COUNTRYCODE}
Replaced by the user's country code, as defined by the "c" property in
Active Directory.
{EMAIL}
Replaced by the user's email address, as defined by the "mail"
property in Active Directory.
{HOMEPAGE}
Replaced by the user's home page, as defined by the
"wWWHomePage" property in Active Directory.
{MANAGER}
Replaced by the full name of the user's manager, as defined by the
"manager" property in Active Directory.
{EXTATTRIB1} -to-
{EXTATTRIB15}
Replaced by the user-defined extension attributes configured through
Exchange Server, as defined in the "extensionAttribute1" through
"extensionAttribute15" properties in the Active Directory.
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Licensing
This section of the help file describes how Email Signature Manager is licensed using either a download
key or a license supplied separately.
License Dialog
The License dialog is accessed by selecting the Configuration tab in the main application window,
selecting the Tools page, and clicking the License my software link (if the application has not previously
been licensed) or Change the license for my software link (if the application has been licensed):
When you purchased the license for your software, you should have been provided with a unique
download key. Enter this key into the Download Key textbox and click the Continue button. The software
will then connect to the Symprex licensing server to download and install your license.
If the computer you wish to license does not have an Internet connection, you may be provided with a file
containing you license information. To license your software using such a file, click the Enter Manually...
button to open the Manual License dialog.
If you experience any problems in licensing your software, please contact Symprex or your reseller for
assistance.
Manual License Dialog
If necessary, the license for your software can be entered manually by clicking the Enter Manually...
button on the License dialog:
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If you have been provided with a file containing your license, select Load the license from file and
locate the appropriate file.
If you have been provided with a text-based version of your license (for example, in an e-mail), copy the
text into the clipboard.
When ready, click the Continue button. If the selected file is valid or there is valid data in the clipboard,
your license will be installed. Otherwise, please contact Symprex or your reseller for assistance.
Upgrade License Dialog
The Upgrade License dialog is displayed automatically when Email Signature Manager detects that it is
using a license from a previous version:
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There are three options available:
Contact the Symprex server and upgrade my license: When you select this option, Email Signature
Manager will contact the Symprex licensing server and attempt to upgrade your existing license to the
current version. In order for this to succeed, there must be an active maintenance plan for the license
that is currently in use. If the maintenance plan has expired, you will need to contact Symprex or your
reseller to restart maintenance and obtain an upgraded license.
Enter a license for this version of the application: Choose this option if you have already been
supplied with the download key or license file for your the current version; this will open the License
dialog and allow you to enter the details of your license.
Change my license locally to an evaluation license: This option will change the existing license to an
evaluation license for the current version, which means that you can continue using Email Signature
Manager but subject to the evaluation restrictions imposed.
When you have selected the appropriate option, click the Continue button. Alternatively, if you do not
wish to modify the license (for example, because you wish to reinstall the previous version to continue
using your existing license), click the Cancel button.
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Copyright
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change
without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names,
email addresses, logos, people, places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with
any real company, organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, place or event is
intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the
user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of
Symprex Limited.
Symprex may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property
rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license
agreement from Symprex, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents,
trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.
Copyright © 2024 Symprex Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
Published: January 2024
Applies To: Symprex Email Signature Manager 9.6.2
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Contacting Symprex
There are several ways to contact Symprex.
Visit Our Web Site
Our web site provides general information about Symprex and our products:
https://www.symprex.com
If you experience technical problems with one of our products, please visit our support page:
https://www.symprex.com/support
Contact Us by Email
Please email sales enquiries and general enquiries about Symprex or our products to:
sales@symprex.com
Please email support enquiries to:
support@symprex.com
Contact Your Local Partner or Reseller
Symprex has partners and resellers in most countries. You can find your local reseller here:
https://www.symprex.com/partners/resellers
