2024-09-23
There are many approaches to creating an HTML template, but email templates present unique challenges. Unlike regular web development, where you account for different browsers, email templates must also accommodate a variety of email clients, such as Gmail, Outlook, and others. Additionally, varying levels of SPAM protection in both personal and business email systems can affect how your template is delivered or displayed.
This is where a framework like MJML becomes invaluable, helping you streamline the process and avoid many of the common pitfalls.
To make the development process more seamless, especially for larger templates, it's useful to work with an editor like Visual Studio Code (VSCode). By installing the MJML extension for VSCode, you gain access to live preview functionality, which allows you to see the HTML output and changes in real-time as you edit your MJML file.
To install the MJML extension in VSCode:
Ctrl+Shift+X).This live preview feature is incredibly useful, as it speeds up the design process and helps you visualize the final output without needing to manually compile each time.
Start by creating an empty project folder and installing MJML with the following command:
npm init -y && npm install mjml
Next, create a new file called index.mjml in the root of your project folder for your first template.
Your project structure should look like this:
/mjml-project
/node_modules index.mjml package.json
Now that we have our environment ready, let’s walk through creating a simple "Welcome Email" template.
In MJML, layouts are designed using a combination of sections, columns, and various MJML components like <mj-text>, <mj-image>, and <mj-button>. These components simplify the process of designing responsive email templates, without worrying about the inconsistencies between different email clients.
Let’s start with a more advanced email example that includes images, text, and a call-to-action button:
<mjml>
<mj-head>
<mj-preview>Welcome to our service!</mj-preview>
<mj-title>Welcome Email</mj-title>
<mj-attributes>
<mj-text font-family="Arial, sans-serif" color="#333333" />
<mj-button background-color="#FF5A5F" border-radius="6px" color="#FFFFFF" />
</mj-attributes>
</mj-head>
<mj-body>
<mj-section background-color="#f0f0f0" padding="20px">
<mj-column>
<mj-image width="150px" src="https://placehold.co/150" alt="Company Logo" />
</mj-column>
</mj-section>
<mj-section>
<mj-column>
<mj-text align="center" font-size="24px" font-weight="bold">Welcome to Our Platform!</mj-text>
<mj-text align="center" font-size="16px" line-height="24px">
We are excited to have you on board. You can start using our services immediately. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our support team.
</mj-text>
</mj-column>
</mj-section>
<mj-section>
<mj-column>
<mj-button href="https://example.com/get-started" padding="15px 50px" font-size="18px">
Get Started
</mj-button>
</mj-column>
</mj-section>
</mj-body>
</mjml>
Once you've created your MJML file, the next step is to compile it into standard HTML. MJML provides a simple command-line tool to handle this process.
To compile a single MJML file into an HTML file, use the following command:
mjml filename.mjml -o dist/filename.html --config.minify
This command will convert your filename.mjml file into a minified HTML file located in the dist folder.
For continuous development, you can use the watch mode to automatically recompile your file every time it is saved:
mjml --watch index.mjml -o index.html
This will monitor the index.mjml file for changes and regenerate the index.html file whenever updates are made, saving you time during the development process.
While MJML provides a lot of structure, you still have full control over styling your emails using inline CSS within the MJML attributes. By setting styles on <mj-attributes> for elements like <mj-text> or <mj-button>, you can ensure that your emails look consistent across all email clients.
For example, in the code above:
The font-family for all text components is set to Arial. The button’s background color and padding can be customized easily through attributes like background-color, border-radius, and padding. You can also style individual components directly within their respective tags. This flexibility is key when customizing designs for branding.
If you find yourself repeating the same patterns or design elements across different email templates, MJML allows you to create custom components. This feature enables you to modularize your design, making it easier to maintain and update in the future.
For example, let’s create a reusable header component:
<mjml>
<mj-body>
<mj-include path="./components/header.mjml" />
<!-- Other sections of your email -->
</mj-body>
</mjml>
In your components folder, you would create a header.mjml file that contains the reusable section:
<mj-section>
<mj-column>
<mj-image width="150px" src="https://placehold.co/150" alt="Company Logo" />
<mj-text align="center" font-size="20px">Welcome to Our Platform</mj-text>
</mj-column>
</mj-section>
By using <mj-include>, you can separate your email template into manageable chunks, which helps keep things organized, especially when working on large projects.
Creating responsive, well-designed email templates doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By leveraging MJML, you can streamline your workflow, ensure compatibility across different email clients, and focus on delivering great content to your audience.
With the ability to compile MJML files into HTML, customize styles, and reuse components, you’ll be able to efficiently build a variety of email templates—from simple transactional emails to complex, multi-section newsletters.
Give MJML a try in your next email project and experience the power of simplifying your email template development process.
Check out MJML for more information.