Using event attributes in html templates (in app messages)

Question

I have an (html based template) in-app message that I want to use liquid script to pass a custom event value to customize values in the modal a user gets.

Basically the in app message tracks a "checkin" event on the user profile and depending on how many of these someone has done, I want the in app message to alter the content based on a checkin count.

For example it should set a dot to the correct value (so if you have 5 checkins 5 dots should be filled in - and the text would say "5 checkins done") - but it returns a null value.

Here's the script in the template (it's in the body):

var checkins = parseInt("{{custom_event.${checkin_completed}.count}}", 10) || 1;

Based on the above if checkins = 5 (pulling from the user), then the template should take that and customize the template and message.

But again, it just returns null.

Manoj__ · Answer

Hey @chazm

There are two options.

* Create a canvas that listens to checkin_completed events and increment a value of custom attributes. Then you can use this attribute in IAM
* Use the context step to call the /users/export/ids endpoint with custom_events value and it will return the events and the counts. The response can then we used in message step for personalisation

sample paylod:

Sample code:

{% capture body %}
{
  "braze_id": "{{${braze_id}}}",
  "fields_to_export": ["custom_events"]
}
{% endcapture %}

{% connected_content YOUR_BRAZE_ENDPOINT/users/export/ids
  :method post
  :headers {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
  :body {{body}}
  :content_type application/json
  :save response
  :retry
%}

{% assign event_count = 0 %}
{% for custom_event in response.users[0].custom_events %}
  {% if custom_event.name == "YOUR_EVENT_NAME" %}
    {% assign event_count = custom_event.count %}
  {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

You have done this {{ event_count }} times.

chazm · Answer

When I looked before it said "To get the lifetime count of a custom event using a Braze Liquid script, use the custom_event personalization tag combined with the .count property" So in javascript (since this is in a script tag): var checkins = parseInt("{{custom_event.${checkin_completed}.count}}", 10) || 1; I also tried without the count as well. On the user record (when I look at the user record and custom events) I see the custom event (checkin_complete) and a value (so basically the number of checkin events - which is the count). So I thought I'd be able to simply access that, but looks like not. So perhaps we might need a custom attribute or something. I'm a total newbie to Braze so liquid script isn't very intuitive to me. Anyway thanks for the reply.

Nirnay · Answer

Hi @chazm I haven’t worked too much with HTML in-app messages specifically, but are you trying to get the total count of a custom event from the user profile? As far as I know, there isn’t a Liquid tag in Braze that exposes aggregated custom event counts like that.

So something like {{custom_event.${checkin_completed}.count}} doesn’t look like a supported pattern, which might explain why it’s coming through as null.

From what I’ve seen, Liquid usually only supports explicitly passed values like Canvas entry properties or context variables:
{{context.${checkin_count}}}

But both of those require the value to already exist in the event payload. Correct me if I’m wrong here.