Variable tags on landing page = not working, in email = working?

[LoriP459]

Trying to set up an email with an associated landing page where both use variable tags. Specifically [[firstName]], [[lastName]] and [[companyName]].

This page states that this should be possible on both the email and the associated/linked landing page: https://knowledgebase.constantcontact.com/articles/KnowledgeBase/48289-Using-variable-tags-in-Consta...

When I create the email, there's an "Insert" option in the "Text" pop-up menu where I can successfully insert tags that work fine when testing the email. (IMPORTANT: for testing, I have set up and actual "Testing" contact list with internal contacts to use in order to test how the variable tags are working, I'm not simply trying to use the "Send test email" function.) However, there is no "Insert" option in the "Text" pop-up text menu when creating the landing page. Inserting the tags manually does not work in any way that I can determine. I cannot find anything specific to inserting these variables on the landing page anywhere. What am I missing?

Related, the limited documentation about using these tags is very misleading/confusing when you see the tags described as [[xxx]] and then when you place them in an email there is a completely different syntax with curly brackets {xxx}

I have tried different browsers, just in case.

Screenshots of the two different "Text" menus in the reply because I couldn't attach them to this post.

[LoriP459]

Just wanted to report that our higher level technical team got back to me, and they confirmed that landing pages can't accept variable tags at this time, based on their current design. They've pinged our Knowledge Base team to get the article updated, and have created a new feature request for the LPs' functionalities. 

[LoriP459]

This is the "Text" menu when composing copy in the email, "Insert" works for adding the tags here. (Edit to note: you see the curly brackets used once you "Insert" the variable tag that's shows as double square brackets in all the documentation - [[firstName]] & [[lastName]] )

This is the "Text" menu when constructing the landing page, without the "Insert" function and there's nothing I can find about this and nothing I do manually is working. (Edit to note: I had inserted the [[companyName]] tag you see here manually.)

[William_A]

Hello @LoriP459 ,

Admittedly, I'm a bit perplexed why the landing pages are included in the article as well, since they have to exist functionally independent from emails, as well as other internal account elements like contact details.

Just to make sure our bases are covered, our higher level technical team is going to take the case, and look further into it - to see if this is a glitch, or to confirm this is something that isn't available and we need to update the article.

With that said, I would advise going forward that landing pages like custom, survey, and lead generation cannot include contact elements, nor any other variable tag elements.

[LoriP459]

Thanks for the reply. I'm over my technical head saying this, but I was hoping that this was a benefit given that CC is hosting the landing page and creating the email and houses the contact list that drives them both.

Basically, once the email had the variable tag added to it, that user ID/information was passed through any link from that CC email to any CC landing page in some way. 

But again, I'm way out of my league here and all that was assumption that I thought the article validated.

Otherwise, why would I bother hosting the landing page on your site over a page I created on my own URL? Just so the designs can match (and making them match here isn't exactly automatic)?

[William_A]

The landing pages are there for customers of ours that either don't want to or can't generate additional landing pages on their own site. Or if they need to quickly throw together a little pop-up page, generic thank you page, or something else the CLP could cover (as an example). 

If you're able and willing to use a site builder you already have access to for creating your own custom webpages, I encourage you to so you'll have additional creative control.

[LoriP459]

Ok, understood, thanks. It's likely on me for ascribing too many possible benefits to the idea of having the three (contact list/email/landing page) connected through CC.

I will be most interested to hear the determination of your technical team.

[William_A · Accepted solution]

Just wanted to report that our higher level technical team got back to me, and they confirmed that landing pages can't accept variable tags at this time, based on their current design. They've pinged our Knowledge Base team to get the article updated, and have created a new feature request for the LPs' functionalities. 

[LoriP459]

Appreciate all the replies, William. Disappointed, but at least it seems like I wasn't completely unfounded in my hopes and dreams for how this could potentially work