Customize the announcement message posted to your channel when the rotation advances.
What is the Channel Message?
When a rotation advances, Rotation App posts an announcement in the rotation’s channel to notify your team. By default, the message looks like this:
Hey team 👋 It’s @user’s turn to be @rotation-user-group.
You can customize this message to fit your team’s tone and include the information that matters most to you.
How to customize the message
- Go to Home tab: Learn where to find Rotation App’s Home tab
- Find your rotation
- Open the rotation menu and select ✏️ Edit.
- Press “Edit Channel Message” to open the message editor.
- Write your message using the rich text editor. You can use formatting, links, and emojis just like in any Slack message.
- Insert dynamic variables using the menu below the text input. Variables are placeholders that get replaced with actual values when the message is posted.
- Save your changes.
Available variables
Variables use the {{variableName}} syntax. You can insert them via the Insert variable… dropdown below the editor, or type them manually.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{{onCall}} | The currently assigned user(s). Required, every message must include this variable. |
{{nextOnCall}} | The next assigned user(s) in the queue. |
{{nextOnCall+N}} | An assigned user(s) further down the queue, where N is how many shifts beyond “next”. For example, {{nextOnCall+1}} is the user(s) after next, {{nextOnCall+2}} is two shifts after next, and so on. Useful for planning ahead. |
{{previousOnCall}} | The previously assigned user(s). |
{{rotationName}} | The name of the rotation. |
{{rotationUserGroup}} | The rotation’s user group mention. |
The dropdown exposes the most common entries (current, next, after next, previous, plus the rotation name and user group). For shifts further out, type {{nextOnCall+N}} directly.
Example messages
Handoff style:
🔄
{{previousOnCall}}you’re done!{{onCall}}is now the{{rotationName}}.
Simple:
{{onCall}}is now assigned.
Informative:
🚨
{{rotationUserGroup}}rotation update:{{onCall}}is now assigned. Next up:{{nextOnCall}}.
Plan-ahead:
Today:
{{onCall}}• Next:{{nextOnCall}}• After next:{{nextOnCall+1}}• Two shifts after next:{{nextOnCall+2}}
Good to know
- The
{{onCall}}variable is required. You’ll get an error if your message doesn’t include it. {{nextOnCall}}is equivalent to{{nextOnCall+0}}— both refer to the next shift’s assignee(s).- Future assignees are forecasts: they reflect the current queue, substitutions, and skips at the time the message is posted. Any changes you make to the queue afterward will be reflected in subsequent messages.
- Messages have a maximum length of 1,500 characters.