Getting Started With AMPscript

1. Prerequisites
2. Scenario
3. AMPscript 101-401
1. 3.1. AMPscript 101
2. 3.2. AMPscript 201
3. 3.3. AMPscript 301
4. 3.4. AMPscript 401

This guide contains conceptual, scenario, and procedural information for integrating AMPscript into your email sends and landing pages. It includes sample code and links to procedures to help you understand the power of AMPscript and accomplish your own AMPscript projects.

Prerequisites

In order to use the information in this guide, you should understand basic information related to general logic and AMPscript in specific. AMPscript is not a full-fledged programming language like C++, C#, or Java, but you do need to be familiar with some programming concepts to make full use of AMPscript's feature. Read over these prerequisites to familiarize yourself with the knowledge you'll need to proceed with this guide.

AMPscript Prerequisites

Scenario

Northern Trail Outfitters maintains a monthly newsletter distributed to previous customers. Their mailing list contains the following information on these customers:

A unique customer ID number
First Name
Last Name
Preferred Name
Street Address
City
State
ZIP Code
Email Address
Preferences

The monthly newsletter contains updates about the company as well as content tailored specifically for the customer. As new items come in and different sales are announced, the customer receives a customized email including content targeted to their particular interest. Links in the email send the customer to a landing page that features items they might be interested in and incentives to encourage a purchase. The customer can also forward these offers to their friends and family, encouraging more sales and gathering more information about the customer for Northern Trail Outfitters to use in their marketing campaigns.

AMPscript 101-401

The following articles demonstrate with more progressively advanced AMPscript examples how to manage the example mailing list and use it in different email sends. You can review the information in each section and use it in your own AMPscript code.

AMPscript 101

This article demonstrates how to create variables and use them to set values in data extensions and print those values to the screen.

AMPscript 201

This article uses an if/else statement to insert a customer's preferred name and uses AMPscript to insert dynamic content and an estimated shipping date.

AMPscript 301

This article adds a content lookup based on a unique row in a data extension and populates multiple fields with content based on that row. The article also uses error checking to account for any unexpected data.

AMPscript 401

This article introduces FOR loops as part of an email send. It also demonstrates how to use AMPscript to change the appearance of an email send, filter message context, and create content from blocks of code.