Customizing custom messages, email templates, GUI and Security Fabric

This section contains the following topics:

Configuring custom messages
Customizing email templates
Customizing the GUI appearance
Enabling Security Fabric

Configuring custom messages

Go to System > Customization > Custom Message to view and reword custom messages.

Custom messages are used in many places such as login pages, IBE messages, disclaimer messages, email templates, and other system-related messages. Content, DLP, and antivirus replacement messages used in the action profiles are configured under Profile > Replacement Message > Replacement Message. For details, see Configuring replacement message profiles and variables, Customizing email templates, and Configuring global disclaimers.

The message list organizes replacement messages into a number of types (for example, System, Reject, etc.). Use the expand arrow beside each type to display the replacement messages for that category. Double-click each custom message to customize that message for your requirements.

You can change the content of the custom message by editing the text and HTML code and by working with custom message variables. For descriptions of the default custom message variables, see Default custom message variables.

All message groups can be edited to change text, or add text and variables.

Go to System > Customization > Custom Message.
To edit a message, double-click it or select it and click Edit.
In the Content area, enter the custom message.

Disclaimer messages include additional settings such as Tag subject, Insert header, and Add content.

There is a limit of 8191 characters for each custom message.

For HTML content, if you want to add color, you can either enter the hexadecimal or RGB value directly in the HTML tag, such as:

<tr bgcolor="#3366ff">

or:
1. Place the cursor in the attribute. Attribute names vary by the HTML tag.
2. Click Insert Color Code.
3. Click the color in the palette to insert its numerical value.
If custom variables exist, you can add them to the text. To do so:
1. Click Insert Variable. A pop-up window appears.
2. Place your mouse cursor in the text message at the insertion point for the variable.
3. Click the name of the variable to add. It appears at the insertion point.
4. Click the Close (X) icon to close the window.
If no custom variables exist, the Insert Variable link does not appear. Some message types include predefined variables. You can create variables. See Creating new variables.
Click OK, or click Reset To Default to revert the custom message to its default text.

Creating new variables

In addition to the predefined variables, you can create new ones to customize custom messages and email templates. Typically, these variables represent text that you will use multiple times.

Many predefined variables exist, and you cannot edit their values or rename them. Variables cannot be reused in other messages or email templates. For a list of predefined variables and which templates they can be used in, see the default variables for custom messages.

To create new variables to be used in custom messages, go to System > Customization > Custom Message.

To create new variables to be used in email templates, go to System > Customization > Custom Email Template.
Select a custom message or email template where you want to add a new variable, and click Edit Variable.
Click New.
Configure the following:
- In Name, enter the variable name to use in the custom message.
  
  For example, if you enter COMPANY-NAME, this variable will appear as %%COMPANY-NAME%% in the custom message if you insert it. This is also the name of the variable as it appears in the CLI. (The GUI uses Display name instead.)
- In Display Name, enter a label that will appear in the variable list when you click Insert Variables in the GUI while customizing a message or creating a variable. For example, you could enter Company Name for the variable %%COMPANY-NAME%%.
- In Content, enter the variable’s value.
Click Create and then Close.

To use the new variable, edit the contents of the custom message or email template. See Configuring custom messages or Customizing email templates.

Default custom message variables

Variable	Description	Location
`%%FILE%%`	The name of the file that is infected with a virus.	System > Customization > Custom Message > Reject > Virus message
`%%VIRUS%%`	The name of the virus that has infected the file.
`%%FILE_TYPE%%`	The file type of the infected file. This variable is only applicable to files with extensions.
`%%FILE%%`	The name of the file that was removed from the email.	System > Customization > Custom Message > Reject > Suspicious message
`%%EMAIL_ID%%`	The ID that FortiMail assigns to the quarantined email. Note that this email ID is different from the standard message ID in the email header.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Report > Quarantine summary
`%%MESSAGE_ID%%`	The standard message ID in the header of the quarantined email.
`%%ORIG_ENVELOPE_FROM%%`	The original envelope sender address (`MAIL FROM:`) of the quarantined email.
`%%ORIG_ENVELOPE_TO%%`	The original envelope recipient address (`MAIL TO:`) in the SMTP envelope of the quarantined email.
`%%QMSG_EMAIL_DELETE%%`	Under email actions in the quarantine summary, the Delete link that, if it is clicked, sends an email request to delete the quarantined message.
`%%QMSG_FROM%%`	The email address of the sender of the quarantined email
`%%QMSG_WEB_DELETE%%`	Under web actions in the quarantine summary, the Delete link that, if being clicked, sends a HTTP or HTTPS request to delete the quarantined message.
`%%QUARANTINE_FROM%%`	The start time of the quarantine summary.
`%%QUARANTINE_TO%%`	The end time of the quarantine summary.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Report > Quarantine summary
`%%SPAM_DELETE_ALL_EMAIL%%`	Under email actions in the quarantine summary, the Click Here link that, if being clicked, sends an email to delete all quarantined messages.
`%%SPAM_DELETE_ALL_URL%%`	Under spam web actions in the quarantine summary, the Click Here link that, if being clicked, sends a HTTP or HTTPS request to delete all quarantined messages.
`%%SPAM_DELETE_SUBJECT%%`	The subject of the email that is sent to delete a quarantined message when you click Delete under email actions in the quarantine summary.
`%%SPAM_RELEASE_EMAIL%%`	The email address, such as `release‑ctrl@example.com`, used to release an email from the recipient’s personal quarantine. For details, see Configuring the quarantine control options.
`%%QMSG_DATE%%`	The date and time when a message was quarantined.
`%%QMSG_EMAIL_RELEASE%%`	Under email actions in the quarantine summary, the Release link that, if being clicked, sends an email to have a quarantined message sent to you.
`%%QMSG_SUBJECT%%`	The subject of a quarantined message.
`%%QMSG_WEB_RELEASE%%`	Under web actions in the quarantine summary, the Release link that, if being clicked, releases the message to your inbox.
`%%QUARANTINE_MESSAGES_ COUNT%%`	The number of quarantined messages in this summary.
`%%SPAMREPORT_SENDER%%`	The email address, such as `release‑ctrl-svr@example.com`, used to send quarantine summaries.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Report > Quarantine summary
`%%SPAM_DELETE_ALL_ SUBJECT%%`	The subject of the email that is sent to delete all quarantined messages when you select Click Here under email actions in the quarantine summary.
`%%SPAM_DELETE_EMAIL%%`	The email address, such as `delete‑ctrl@example.com`, used to delete an email from the recipient’s personal quarantine. For details, see Configuring the quarantine control options.
`%%SPAM_PREFERENCE%%`	The Click Here link under Other in the quarantine summary that, if it is clicked, opens your entire quarantine inbox for you to manage your preferences.
`%%SPAM_RELEASE_ SUBJECT%%`	The subject of the email that is sent to release a quarantined message when you click Release under email actions in the quarantine summary.
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Copyright information of the secure message.	System > Customization > Custom Message > Secure message > Secure message footer
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	The `From:`, `To:`, and subject lines of the secure message.	System > Customization > Custom Message > Secure message > Secure message header
`%%DISCLAIMER_REPLY_TO%%`	The disclaimer reply to address.	System > Customization > Custom Message > Email Content Resources > Disclaimer insertion message
`%%FILE%%`	The name of the file that was removed from the email.
`%%FILE_TYPE%%`	The file type of the suspicious file. This variable is only applicable to files with extensions.
`%%MESSAGE_ID%%`	The standard message ID in the header of the email.
`%%ORIG_ENVELOPE_FROM%%`	The original envelope sender address (`MAIL FROM:`) of the email.
`%%ORIG_FROM%%`	The sender email address in the message header (`From:`) of the original email.
`%%ORIG_FROM_DOMAIN%%`	The domain in the sender email address in the message header (`From:`) of the original email.
`%%VIRUS%%`	The name of the virus that has infected the file.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Account reset notification
`%%LAST_NAME%%`	The last name of the notification receiver.
`%%MONTH%%`	The month when the link in the notification to reset the account will expire.
`%%TIME%%`	The time when the link in the notification to reset the account will expire.
`%%DAY%%`	The day when the link in the notification to reset the account will expire.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Account reset notification
`%%LINK_URL%%`	The link in the notification that you can click to complete the account reset.
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Signature of the notification.
`%%YEAR%%`	The year when the link in the notification to reset the account will expire.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.
`%%LAST_NAME%%`	The last name of the notification recipient.
`%%RECIPIENT%%`	The email address of the notification recipient.
`%%YEAR%%`	The year when the notification was sent.
`%%DAY%%`	The day when the notification was sent.
`%%MONTH%%`	The month when the notification was sent.
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Signature of the notification.
`%%DAY%%`	The day when the link in the notification to reset the password will expire.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Password reset notification
`%%LAST_NAME%%`	The last name of the notification recipient.
`%%MONTH%%`	The month when the link in the notification to reset the password will expire.
`%%TIME%%`	The time when the link in the notification to reset the password will expire.
`%%URL_HELP%%`	The Help link in the notification about secure email.
`%%FIRST_NAME%%`	The first name of the notification recipient.
`%%LINK_URL%%`	The link in the notification that you can click to complete the password reset.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Password reset notification
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Signature of the notification.
`%%URL_ABOUT%%`	The About link in the notification about secure email.
`%%YEAR%%`	The year when the link in the notification to reset the password will expire.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.
`%%LAST_NAME%%`	The last name of the notification recipient.
`%%RECIPIENT%%`	The email address of the notification recipient.
`%%YEAR%%`	The year when the notification was sent.
`%%DAY%%`	The day when the notification was sent.
`%%MONTH%%`	The month when the notification was sent.
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Signature of the notification.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Secure message notification - Pull
`%%EMAIL_SUBJECT%%`	The subject of the notification.
`%%URL_HELP%%`	The Help link in the notification about secure email.
`%%LINK_URL%%`	The link in the notification that you can click to open the secure message.
`%%URL_ABOUT%%`	The About link in the notification about secure email.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Secure message notification - Push
`%%URL_ABOUT%%`	The About link in the notification about secure email.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > Secure message notification - Push
`%%EMAIL_SUBJECT%%`	The subject of the notification.
`%%URL_HELP%%`	The Help link in the notification about secure email.
`%%ADMIN_SENDER%%`	The sender’s address of this notification email.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Secure message > User registration notification
`%%LAST_NAME%%`	The last name of the notification recipient.
`%%RECIPIENT%%`	The email address of the notification recipient.
`%%YEAR%%`	The year when the notification was sent.
`%%DAY%%`	The day when the notification was sent.
`%%MONTH%%`	The month when the notification was sent.
`%%SERVICE_NAME%%`	Signature of the notification.
`%%ATTENDEE_ACTION%%`	The action (accept, tentative, or reject) taken by the event attendee.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Notification > Calendar event notification
`%%CALENDAR_SENDER%%`	The email address from where the notification is sent.
`%%CALENDAR_URL_NO%%`	The event is rejected.
`%%EVENT_FREQUENCY%%`	The frequency of the event.
`%%EVENT_ORGANIZER%%`	the email address of the event organizer.
`%%EVENT_TYPE%%`	The type of the event.
`%%TIME_END%%`	The ending time of the event.
`%%CALENDAR_ATTENDEE%%`	The name of the person invited to this event.
`%%CALENDAR_URL_MAYBE%%`	The event is set to tentative by the attendee.
`%%CALENDAR_URL_YES%%`	The event is accepted by the attendee.
`%%EVENT_LOCATION%%`	The location where the event is to be held.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Notification > Calendar event notification
`%%EVENT_TITLE%%`	The nature of the event. For example, meeting or party.
`%%TIME_BEGIN%%`	The starting time of the event.
`%%LOCAL_HOST_NAME%%`	Host name of the FortiMail unit which sends out the notification.	System > Customization > Custom Email Template > Notification
`%%LOCAL_DOMAIN_NAME%`	Domain name of the Fortimail unit which sends out the notification.

Customizing email templates

The FortiMail unit may send notification email for:

quarantine reports (see Configuring email quarantines and quarantine reports)
IBE (see FortiMail IBE configuration workflow)
repackaging virus-infected email with new email body (see Configuring antivirus action profiles)
notifying the recipient for any FortiMail actions (see Configuring notification profiles)

You can customize the email templates for all of these email/report types.

Due to Microsoft 365 API limitations, customization of the From field in the notification email templates is not supported if FortiMail runs in MS365 mode.

To customize notification email templates

Go to System > Customization > Custom Email Template.
To edit a template, double-click it or select it and click Edit.
Enter the replacement message and click OK, or click Reset To Default to revert the replacement message to its default text.

Email templates include additional settings, such as Subject, From, To, and Envelope from, and Envelope to. You can either enter text directly, or insert a variable such as %%SUBJECT%% or %%POSTMASTER%%.
To format replacement messages in HTML, use HTML tags, such as <b>some bold text</b>.

There is a limit of 250 characters for the Subject field, 60 characters for the From field, and 4000 characters for HTML and Text messages each in the Content field.
To add a variable:
- Select Insert Variables next to the area to insert a variable. A pop-up window appears.
- Place your mouse cursor in the text message at the insertion point for the variable.
- Click the name of the variable to add. It appears at the insertion point.
- To add another variable, click the message area first, then click the variable name.
- Click the Close (X) icon to close the window.
To insert a color:
- Click Insert Color Code. A pop-up window of color swatches appears.
- Place your mouse cursor in the text at the insertion point for the color code, or highlight an existing color code to change.
- Click a color in the color swatch. For example, to replace the color code in the HTML tag <tr bgcolor="#3366ff">, you can highlight "#3366ff", then select the color you want from the color palette.
To add a new color code, include it with HTML tags as applicable, such as <tr bgcolor="#3366ff">.
To determine if your HTML and color changes are correct, click Preview. The replacement message appears in HTML format.
Click OK, or click Reset To Default to revert the replacement message to its default text.

Customizing the GUI appearance

The System > Customization > Appearance tab lets you customize the default appearance of the administrator and webmail GUI with your own product name, product logo, and corporate logo.

You can customize the webmail interface language. If your preferred language is not currently installed, you can add it. You can also adjust the terms in existing language files. This can be useful for localizing terms within a language. For example, you could adjust the English language file to use spellings and terms specific to the locale of the United Kingdom, Australia, or the USA if your email users are most familiar with terminologies popular in those areas.

To customize the GUI appearance

Go to System > Customization > Appearance.
Click the arrow to expand Administration Interface and Webmail interface.

Configure the following to change appearance:

GUI item		Description
Admin Portal
	Product name	Enter the name of the product. This name will precede Administrator Login in the title on the login page of the GUI.
	Product icon	Click Change to upload an icon that will be used as the favicon of the FortiMail GUI. The default icon is the Fortinet company icon.
	Custom top logo	Click Change to upload a graphic that will appear at the top of all pages in the GUI. The image’s dimensions must be 460 pixels wide by 36 pixels tall. For best results, use an image with a transparent background. Non-transparent backgrounds will not blend with the underlying theme graphic, resulting in a visible rectangle around your logo graphic. Note: Uploading a graphic overwrites the current graphic. The FortiMail unit does not retain previous or default graphics. If you want to revert to the current graphic, use your web browser to save a backup copy of the image to your management computer, enabling you to upload it again later.
	Login page	Select one of the following options: Default/Built-in: uses the default login page. Single sign on only: Use SSO configured in Configuring single sign-on (SSO).
	Default language	Select the default language for the display of the GUI and the login page. You can configure a separate language preference for each administrator account. For details, see Configuring administrator accounts.
	Default theme	Select the default display theme (red, green, blue, and light blue) for the display of the GUI and the login page. You can configure a separate theme preference for each administrator account. For details, see Configuring administrator accounts.
	System description	Optionally enter a description or comment.
Webmail Portal
	Webmail login	Enter a word or phrase that will appear on top of the webmail login page, such as Webmail Login.
	Login user name hint	Enter a hint for the user name. This hint will appear when you hover your mouse cursor over the login name field.
	Login page	Select either: Customize: Edit the page to create your own login page. Default/Built-in: Use the default login page. Single sign on only: Use SSO configured in Configuring single sign-on (SSO). If you have enabled single sign-on (SSO) and want to disable the username and password fields on the login page, see the FortiMail CLI Reference.
	Allow user to change theme	If selected, the webmail users will be able to customize the theme by themselves.
	Show online help link	If selected, the Help button will appear on the webmail interface. The default help contents are provided by Fortinet. If you want to use your own organization’s help contents, you can enable this option and enter the online help URL in the below field.
	Custom online help URL	Enter the URL if you want to use your own online help file, instead of the default one that comes with FortiMail.
	Custom webmail top logo	Click Change to upload an image that will appear at the top of all webmail pages. The image’s dimensions must be 314 pixels wide by 36 pixels tall. Note: Uploading an image overwrites the current graphic. The FortiMail unit does not retain previous or default graphics. If you want to revert to the current graphic, use your web browser to save a backup copy of the image to your management computer, enabling you to upload it again at a later time.
	Default language	Select the language in which webmail pages will be displayed. By default, the FortiMail unit will use the same language as the administrative GUI. For GUI language settings, see Configuring system options.
	Default theme	Select a theme for the webmail GUI.
	Webmail language customization	Displays the list of languages installed on the FortiMail unit in English and in their own language. Create: Click to add a new language to the list. See To add a custom language. Download: Select a language in the list, then click this button to download the language’s resource file for that language. You can then edit the resource files using an XML editor that supports UTF-8. Upload: Select a language in the list, then click this button to update the language’s resource file for this language from your management computer to the FortiMail unit. In addition to uploading new language resource files, you can also use this button to update existing languages. Delete: Select a language in the list, then click this button to remove the language. This option is available only for non-default languages.

Click Apply to save changes or Reset to return to the default settings.

To add a custom language

Note: The following steps require 7-Zip to decompress and compress archive file formats.

Go to System > Customization > Appearance.
Expand Webmail Portal, and expand Webmail Language Customization.
Underneath the list of language customizations, click Create.
In Language name in English, enter the name for the new language using English and US-ASCII encoding, such as Welsh.
In Language name, enter the name for the language using its own characters and UTF-8 encoding.
Click Create.

The new language appears at the bottom of the webmail languages list.
Select the new language’s row.
Click Download.

Your web browser downloads the file as a TGZ file.
Locate the downloaded file in Windows Explorer and extract the files using 7-Zip.
Open the extracted TAR file in an XML editor or plain text editor that supports UTF-8 encoding (Notepad++ for example).
For each value in the resource file, translate the word or phrase that is surrounded by double quotes ( " ). It will appear in the location indicated by the key’s name.

For example:

<resource key="report_spam" value="Report Spam"/>

indicates by key="report_spam" that the text is a label for the button that corrects the Bayesian scanner when it has not recognized an email that is spam. You could replace the contents of value (that is, Report Spam) with any text in your language that indicates the button’s function.
Save the TAR file.
Right-click the TAR file and click 7-Zip > Add to archive.
Set Archive format to gzip and click OK.
Return to the FortiMail GUI.
Select the new language’s row.
Click Upload and select the compressed GZ file containing the translated resource file, then click Open.
Click Apply.

To verify your language, log in to FortiMail webmail and review the text that appears on each button, field, and menu item. If the characters appear garbled, verify that your web browser is interpreting the web page using the correct encoding.

Enabling Security Fabric

FortiMail can connect to an upstream FortiGate root and become an integrated cluster member of a Security Fabric.

Go to System > Customization > Security Fabric to enable FortiMail to become a Security Fabric member. The Security Fabric FortiGate root can then establish a connection to the FortiMail unit using the IP address and port number specified.

This feature can also be configured in the CLI. For more information, see the FortiMail CLI Reference.