Template Builder
To build a new Template in CrossEngage, go to More -> Templates.
Click on Create Template in the Upper Right corner.
Give your Template a meaningful name.
Click on the Appearance Settings Tab in the sidebar on the left. Set the Appearance Settings as needed.
Click on Content Tab in the sidebar on the left. Set the Content of the Template as needed.
Click Save.
Appearance Settings
The Appearance Settings determine the general style and format of the email, irrespective of the content. The Appearance Settings consist of 5 Sections:
The General Settings contains options such as the Width and Padding of the email (in pixels, px), Fonts, Line Spacing and Background. Any settings here are applied to the entire Template.
The Template has a default width of 600px. You can have any width between 320px and 900px.
Stripes provide Font and Background options, similar to General Settings. However, these settings are only applied to the relevent 'Stripe': Header, Content, Footer or the Info Area.
Headings provides the format of Headings in a Template. This supercedes other formattings - Headings will follow this format irrespective of Stripe and General Settings.
Button provides the appearance and behavior of Buttons in the Template.
Mobile Formatting provides Appearance Settings, when the email is viewed on a Mobile Device. This allows you to create Templates that are just as readable and pleasing on Mobile devices, as devices with larger displays.
Content Settings
After you have set your Appearance Settings, we can start adding Content to the Template.
The first step in Content is to set the Structure of your Template. You can do that from the Content tab, or directly from the work area.
To add a new Stripe, Hover your pointer on any Stripe, and then Click the Plus ( + ) sign below it.
To delete a Stripe, hover your pointer on the Stripe it until you see the Stripe Options. Click on 'delete' to remove the Stripe from your Template.
To add more Structures, go to Content -> Structures. Click and Drag the Structure you want to add. When you Hover it on a Stripe, it will show you the Stripe boundary. Drop the Structure to add it to the Stripe.
Alternately, you can Hover on any Structure until you see its Structure Options. Click on the "copy" button to create a duplicate of the Structure.
To delete a Structure, hover your mouse on it until you see the Structure Options. Click on 'delete' to remove the Structure from the Template.
Click on any Stripe or Structure. You can now see Structure Settings for the Stripe / Structure in the Siderbar on the left. Configure the Stripe / Structure as needed.
You can see Options for a Stripe / Structure when you hover on it. You can see Settings of a Stripe / Structure in the left Siderbar when you click on it.
After the Layout of your Template is ready, it is time to fill the Blocks with Content.
Go to Content -> Blocks.
Drag and Drop the desired kind of Block on any of the Containers on the right. This tells the Template what kind of Content to expect, such as Text, Images, Buttons etc.
You can also drop multiple Blocks in a single container. While sometimes useful, this should be done carefully to avoid clutter.
Click on the Block to view its Block Settings in the left Sidebar. Provide the Content for the Block, such as a URL for Image / Video block or Text for Text Block. Configure the Container / Block as needed.
Merge tags: You can easily select and insert user attributes to personalize your emails using the "Merge tags" drop-down. The handlebar syntax for the selected attribute is inserted where needed. To insert merge tags, go to the text formatting panel in the "Text" basic block and click on the "Merge tags" button.
You can see Options for a Container / Block when you hover on it. You can see Settings of a Container / Block in the left Siderbar when you click on it.
The last Section under Content is Modules. A module is any Container, Structure or Stripe (not Block) that can be saved for use across all Templates. For example, you can create a Footer Stripe with the option to Unsubscribe / Opt Out of emails, and re-use this Stripe as the Footer for all your Templates.
To add a Container / Structure / Stripe as a Module, Hover your mouse pointer over it. Next, Click on the Save as Module button in its Options.
To edit / delete a Module, go to Content -> Modules. Find the required Module. Click on the three dots that appear when you hover your mouse over it. Click on Edit / Delete.
Synchronized models: Synchronized modules enable you to update your modules across templates. You can enable or disable synchronization of changes per module.
Enabling synchronized modules: When saving a block as a module, the option to synchronize the module is shown in the options.
Synchronizing the changes made: The synchronization is ‘off’ by default.
Once you make changes in a synchronized module you can choose to either update this module in all the templates, or update only in the current template, or restore to the original version of the module.
General Tools
CrossEngage provides 5 additional options in the Top Bar. These are as Follows:
The Fonts button allows you manage fonts not present in the CrossEngage platform by default. Click this button to add or remove Custom Fonts.
The Code Editor button allows you to see the HTML code behind the Template. Click this button once to show the Code Editor; Click it again to hide the Code Editor. While the Code Editor is open, click on any part of the Template to view and edit the code of that specific part.
The Preview button generates a sample Preview of the Template, to show you how it would appear in an email.
The Undo button can be used to Undo last action.
The Redo button can be used to Redo an action after an Undo.
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