OST price link formatting

[honstar]

Milo automatically tries to replace placeholders contained in curly brackets like the following

{{placeholder-key}}

This requires loading an additional placeholders feature js script, followed by a subsequent http request to /placeholders.json.

Currently, the OST generates price links using above placeholder syntax, e.g.:

{{PRICE - <offer_id> - <product>}}

This leads to unnecessary script processing and http requests that should be avoided. Unlike OST cta buttons where the button label should be replaced using the milo placeholder feature, prices don't.

Instead, a different visual cue should be provided in OST price links to avoid the above.

Thoughts?

[npeltier]

this is great catch! should we just replace {{/}} by another open / close ? (()) / [[]] /<<>> /

[yesil]

For prices, I think same format without curly brackets should suffice: PRICE - <offer_id> - <product>

[vladen]

Price (and CTA) placeholder could contain just a normal text and perhaps more data in it:

• PRICE, optical: phsp_direct_individual ABM E27CB5D79014ACAB6953B091CEA72228
• PRICE, no term, no tax: stks_direct_individual PERP BDCC4F683FCA989922B6BABAC22E5B30
• CTA, continue: UCv3 email, phsp_direct_individual ABM
• CTA, buyNow: UCv3 recommendation stks_direct_individual PERP

Where:

• product: phsp_direct_individual
• offer id: BDCC4F683FCA989922B6BABAC22E5B30
• plan type: ABM, PERP
• placeholder settings: optical, no tax, no term

[npeltier]

could depend on what we manage to do for preview though

[3ch023]

one more thing that keeps bothering me is 'offer id'.
we save it in the SharePoint document. if 'offer id' will change Sharepoint will keep showing the outdated wrong offerId, while WCS will be resolving a new one.
i would rather show no offer id at all or show OSI instead

[yesil]

IMO, OSI should remain a hidden, technical detail.
GWP can click on a price with offer ID, open OST, copy the new price link and past easily.
However, the localisation aspect is more concerning, as we will probably not be able to localize offer IDs(if applicable) nor we should.

[npeltier]

i like simplicity of just text, but no open & close, depending of chosen format, makes insertion in middle of "simple" text more brittle (authors do need to add spaces)

[geri-w]

Can it also be inserted with a different color, so it's more apparent that it's an inserted OST price? Not sure if the authors would need to add the spaces, or if the spaces would come in with the OST placeholder and then authors would need to be careful not to delete the spaces. Was thinking if the spaces come in with the placeholder and the placeholder text is a color, say red and if the required space is accidentally deleted, the placeholder color would go away, signaling to authors the price placeholder is broken.

[3ch023]

@npeltier @geri-w

authors do need to add spaces

could you explain more? why are spaces a necessity?
or is it to save time adding them in SharePoint?

[3ch023]

if the required space is accidentally deleted, the placeholder color would go away, signaling to authors the price placeholder is broken
i think as long as link is valid the price placeholder should be consider not broken.
e.g. if you need to make a price with brackets, like (US$82.49) you wouldn't use spaces around the price placeholder, it would look something like

[geri-w]

Thanks @3ch023 - I was misunderstanding @npeltier's comment. I was thinking the space would be required in the inserted "Display text" to make the OST link functionality work and realize now that was not what was meant. So yes, you can disregard my comment about giving Author's a signal that an OST link is broken if the "Display text" is altered. I can see that the "Display text" can be anything and it does not affect the OST link. :)