Pushing Visual Preview signatures to Gmail with the Pusher

Overview

Learn how to use the Pusher to write a fully rendered Visual Preview signature into the Gmail signature settings of a list of users, so the signature is visible in their compose window.

This article is for organizations that use the Google Add-on with the Visual Preview push option, and it complements the Google Add-on launch guide. It walks through one specific push configuration. For a screen-by-screen reference covering every push type, action, and data source option, see How to use the Pusher tool.

A pushed signature is a snapshot

The Pusher writes rendered HTML into each user’s Gmail settings, and runs only when you run it. The signature doesn’t update itself when the design or a user’s profile data changes, and users can edit it directly in Gmail’s signature settings. To bring everyone back to the current design and data, run the push again. See Running the same push again.

Before you start

You need:

• A Domain Admin or Signature Admin role in Opensense (see Opensense portal admin roles)
• The Google Workspace integration connected to your Opensense account (see How does Opensense work with Google Workspace?)
• The users you’re pushing to assigned to a signature template on the Signatures > Routing page. The Pusher writes whatever Routing assigns, and users with no assignment receive no signature.
• A CSV or Excel file listing the users to push to (format described in Step 4)

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Start a new push

Go to Signatures > Pusher in the left sidebar. The Push History page opens. Click New Push in the upper right.

The New Push modal opens and walks you through the remaining steps.

Step 2: Set the push type and action

On the Configuration screen:

1. Set Push Type to Signature.
2. Set Push Action to Update.
3. Click Next.

Step 3: Choose Visual Preview

On the Signature screen:

1. Change Signature Type from Plain Text to Visual Preview.
2. Under Signature Template, select any template to populate the on-screen preview.
3. Check the Visual Preview pane to confirm the rendered signature looks right, then click Next.

For a Visual Preview push, the template you select here only drives the preview. The signature actually written to each user’s Gmail is determined by that user’s assignment on the Routing page. If a user has no Routing assignment, the Pusher writes no signature for them.

Step 4: Upload the list of users

On the Data Source screen:

1. Set Source to Upload Spreadsheet (CSV or Excel).
2. Click Choose File and select your spreadsheet.
3. Check the preview table below the upload field. Each user should show a green check. If the table turns red, fix the file and upload it again.
4. Click Next.

The spreadsheet needs a single column with the header username in the first row and one user per row beneath it. Enter each user’s full email address. The Pusher also accepts the username alone (the part before the @), but email addresses save you a conversion step.

No other columns are required. The Visual Preview push builds each signature from the user’s profile in Opensense, so keep your directory or the Users section as the source of truth rather than putting signature data in the spreadsheet.

Step 5: Review each user’s signature

The Review screen shows the signature that will be written to Gmail for each user. Use the arrows to step through the list and confirm the right data appears for each person.

The preview is built from each user’s profile under Manage > Users. If a field is missing or wrong, fix the profile before you push. See Choosing how to edit user data. Click Back to return to earlier steps, or Next to continue.

Step 6: Push to Google

The Push screen lists every destination connected to your domain. Find Google and click Push.

A Push Status window reports the result for each user. Click Export Results to download the list.

Expected result

Each user’s Gmail account has a signature named My Signature containing the rendered Opensense signature, set as the default for new messages. If a signature named My Signature already existed, it is overwritten.

After the push

Users need to refresh Gmail before the signature appears. Two things to tell them:

• The push sets My Signature as the default for new messages, but it cannot set the default for replies and forwards. Each user should open Gmail’s signature settings and set My Signature as the default for replies and forwards as well.
• Remove any old signature from other devices and mail clients so they don’t send two signatures.

Users manage their own signature fields through the Google Add-on. For what they’ll see and what they can change, point them to the Google Add-on launch guide. For launch messaging you can adapt, see Gmail launch communications: strategy and sample emails.

Running the same push again

To push again after a design or profile change, or to reset signatures that users have edited, you don’t need to rebuild the push. On the Push History page, click the ⋮ menu on the previous push and select Repeat Push. The New Push modal opens with the previous settings filled in, and you can adjust anything before confirming. See How to use the Pusher tool for details.

Troubleshooting

The preview table on the Data Source screen turns red

The file failed validation. Confirm that the first row contains exactly username, that there are no blank rows or extra columns, and that every entry is a user that exists in Opensense. Fix the file, and upload it again.

A user shows no signature on the Review screen, or nothing was written to their Gmail

The user has no assignment on the Routing page, so there is nothing for the Pusher to write. Assign the user (directly or through a Group) to a signature template on Signatures > Routing, and then run the push again.

A user's signature on the Review screen shows missing or wrong details

The Pusher renders from the user's profile in Opensense. Open Manage > Users, correct the profile (or the directory field it syncs from), and then return to the push. See Choosing how to edit user data.

The push reports a 403 error for some users

This usually involves alias addresses. See Fixing a 403 error when pushing signatures to a Gmail alias.

The push succeeded, but the user doesn't see the signature when composing

Have the user refresh Gmail. If they're replying or forwarding, check that My Signature is set as the default for replies and forwards in Gmail's signature settings. The push sets it for new messages only.

What’s next

Now that the push is complete, preview and test the signatures, to confirm that they render correctly in Gmail on desktop and mobile. Then:

• Plan your launch communication to users
• Review the other push types: Banner, Delete, and Plain Text pushes
• Introduction to the Pusher tool
• Google Add-on overview
• How does Opensense work with Google Workspace?