Applying a source to campaigns
How to update the link parameters in all of a source's campaigns after editing its tokens, while keeping the values entered by hand.
After you edit source tokens, the link parameters of campaigns that already exist do not change by themselves. The Campaign parameters… («Параметры кампаний…») button in the source card shows what will change in each campaign and updates all of the source's campaigns in one go. The owner and the admin can see the button.
Opening the preview
- Open the Sources («Источники») section.
- Select a source in the list.
- Change the rows in the Source tokens («Токены источника») block if you haven't done so yet.
- Click Save («Сохранить»).
- Click Campaign parameters…. While the tracker prepares the list, the button says “Preparing…” («Подготовка…»).
The Campaign parameters («Параметры кампаний») window opens with the label “preview” («предварительный просмотр») above the heading. At this step nothing has changed in the campaigns yet.
The preview is built from the saved tokens. Edits in the source card that were not followed by Save are not included.
What the window shows
At the top of the window is the line “Campaigns: 12 · with changes: 5. The preview is valid for 15 minutes.” («Кампаний: 12 · с изменениями: 5. Просмотр действует 15 минут.») The first number is all campaigns in which this source is selected, including paused and archived ones. The second is the campaigns whose parameters will change.
Below is the list of campaigns. To the right of the name is the number of changed rows, for example “6 changes” («6 изменений»), or “No changes” («Без изменений»). Click a campaign with changes to expand a table:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Parameter («Параметр») | The parameter name in the link |
| Before («Было») | The current name and value as name: value. An empty value is shown as “(empty)” («(пусто)»). If the campaign has no such parameter — “Not set” («Не задан») |
| After («Станет») | The name and value after applying, in the same form |
The table includes only the rows that will change.
Merge rules
The tracker matches rows by the Parameter column: a campaign row and a token with the same parameter are treated as one row. The match is case-sensitive.
| Where the parameter exists | Name («Название») in the campaign | Value («Значение») in the campaign |
|---|---|---|
| In the campaign and in the source | Taken from the token | A filled-in value stays. An empty one is replaced with the token's Placeholder |
| Only in the source | Taken from the token | The token's Placeholder. The row is added to the end of the list |
| Only in the campaign | Not changed | Not changed |
The name from the token is the Name column in the source card, or the Slot («Слот») if that column is empty.
The order of the campaign's rows is kept. Campaign rows are not deleted, even if the token has been removed from the source.
Only the link parameters change. The campaign name, price, status and other settings stay the same.
Applying the changes
- Review the tables of the campaigns with changes.
- Click Apply to 5 campaigns («Применить к 5 кампаниям») — the button shows the number of campaigns with changes. If there are no changes, the button is inactive.
- Wait for the result. While the update is running, the button says “Updating…” («Обновление…»).
The label above the heading changes to “update result” («результат обновления»), and the line at the top to “Updated: 5 of 12. Skipped campaigns need a new preview.” («Обновлено: 5 из 12. Для пропущенных кампаний нужен новый просмотр.») Each campaign shows an outcome instead of the number of changes:
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| “Updated” («Обновлена») | The campaign's parameters were replaced with the ones in the After column |
| “No changes” | The campaign had no changes in the preview |
| “Changed after the preview — skipped” («Изменена после просмотра — пропущена») | This campaign's parameters changed after the preview was opened. The campaign was not touched |
| “Unavailable or the source changed — skipped” («Недоступна или сменился источник — пропущена») | After the preview was opened, a different source was selected in the campaign or the source was removed. The campaign was not touched |
Click Close («Закрыть»). To update the skipped campaigns, click Campaign parameters… again and apply the new preview.
Check
- In the Campaigns («Кампании») section, open a campaign with the “Updated” outcome.
- Go to the Source and parameters («Источник и параметры») tab.
- Compare the parameter table with what the After column showed.
The parameters in the Traffic link («Ссылка для трафика») block on the campaign page come from this table. Which of them do not get into the link is described on the Campaign link, domain and parameters page.
Limitations
- A preview is valid for 15 minutes. After that it cannot be applied — create a new one.
- One preview holds up to 2000 campaigns. If the source has more, the window does not open.
- If the source's tokens were saved with different values after the preview was opened, the whole apply is rejected: no campaign is updated.
How it differs from the “↓ from source” button
The ↓ from source («↓ из источника») button is in the campaign itself, on the Source and parameters tab, and works with a single campaign. It also keeps the values you entered and adds missing parameters, but differs in three ways:
- it puts the parameters in the order of the source tokens and moves the parameters that are not in the source to the end of the list;
- it does not show a preview;
- it changes the table on the screen and writes to the campaign only after you click Save parameters («Сохранить параметры»).
It does not require the owner or admin role. More details are on the Campaign link, domain and parameters page.
If something went wrong
The preview is outdated. Create a new one («Просмотр устарел. Сформируйте новый.»)
More than 15 minutes have passed since the window was opened. Click Close, then Campaign parameters…, and apply the new preview.
resource not found
The message appears in the window after you click the apply button, when the preview has expired or the source has been deleted. Click Close and create a new preview.
The source changed after the preview. Create a new preview («Источник изменился после просмотра. Сформируйте новый просмотр.»)
While the window was open, the source's tokens were saved with different values. Click Close, then Campaign parameters… — the new preview will be built from the current tokens.
A single preview supports up to 2000 campaigns («В одном просмотре поддерживается до 2000 кампаний»)
The source has more than 2000 campaigns. The message appears at the top of the Sources page, and the window does not open. The parameters of an individual campaign are updated by the ↓ from source button.
The preview has no new tokens
The tokens were changed in the card but not saved. Click Close, then Save, and open the preview again.