Email as a CMS block overview

Back Office users can manage the content of emails sent to customers through CMS Blocks in the Back Office. To use a CMS Block as an email, the Back Office user applies an email template.

Types of email templates

There are two types of emails used to manage CMS Blocks as emails: CMS Block email template and the actual email template.

CMS block email template

CMS Block email template is a Twig file that defines the design and layout of CMS Block in a way suitable for using it as an email. The following CMS Block email templates are available by default:

• HTML email template with header and footer.
• Text email template with header and footer.
• Empty email template.

To learn how a Back Office User applies a CMS Block email template, see Create email CMS blocks.

A Developer can create more CMS Block email templates.

Email template

Email Template is a Twig file that defines the content of a system email sent to customers. You can edit the template by editing the assigned Email CMS Block in the Back Office.

Naming of email CMS blocks

Being a multi-purpose entity, CMS Blocks relies strongly on its naming when used as an email. The CMS Block name defines the email template it is assigned to.

Template assignment

When a developer creates an email template, inside the file, they enter the CMS Block’s name, which is assigned to the template. If the name of an Email CMS Block changes, a developer must update it in the respective email template. For example, the availability-notification-subscription--html Email CMS Block is assigned to the subscribed.html.twig default email template.

Email format

There are two email formats by default: HTML and pure text. The format of the default email templates is identified by one of the respective tales in the name of an Email CMS Block: --html or --text. For example, Email CMS Blocks with the following names are assigned to the customer registration email template:

• customer-registration--html
• customer-registration--text

The email format itself is defined on the code level, the tales serving as identifiers. If you create new email templates, you don’t have to add them to their Email CMS Block names.

Default email templates

There is a number of email templates with the respective Email CMS Blocks available in the Spryker Demo Shops.

The following table contains the list of the default email templates, their Email CMS Blocks, and their purpose.

To learn how a Back Office User manages the content of email templates by editing Email CMS Block, see Edit placeholders in CMS blocks.

After creating email templates, a developer can import their assigned Email CMS Blocks. See an example of the import file with the Email CMS Blocks in Spryker Master Suite.

Email content

When editing an email template using email CMS block, you work in the WYSIWYG editor. Apart from the regular WYSIWYG editor tools, you can add glossary keys and variables.

You can use the functionalities described in this section, regardless of the email format.

Glossary keys in email templates

You can add glossary keys directly to email templates, and the respective translations are fetched automatically. When an email with a glossary key is sent, the key is replaced with the translation you defined for the locale selected by the customer. For example, you add the cart.price.grand.total glossary key to an email template. When the email is sent to the customer with the de_DE locale, the key is replaced with Summe.

To learn how a Back Office User creates translations, see Managing Glossary.

Variables in Email Templates

Also, you can use variables to adjust details like a customer name in the emails automatically. For example, if you add the firstName variable, when the email is sent, the variable is replaced with the first name of the customer it is sent to. Unlike glossary keys, variables are defined on the code level, namely in the transfer object definition.

A developer can provide a full list of variables and create new ones.

Content items in email templates

The CMS capability in Spryker lets you add content items into CMS Blocks. Unlike the regular CMS Blocks, the Email CMS Blocks do not support content items. If you insert one, its content is not rendered when the email is sent.

Related Business User documents