Using Actito templates

A template is a pre-formatted canvas which specifies the layout of a message and which you can easily adapt to suit your own needs.

Using a template to create your email is the simplest option. It allows you to have a basis for the creation of your message, all while giving you a lot of flexibility.

Most templates are available at the third step of the creation of your email, namely the definition of the message. To access them, select 'Create From Template'.

Various categories of templates stand at your disposal.

Design templates

Templates libraries

Custom templates library

These are the templates belonging to your licence. They are available in the upper section of the template selection page.

Indeed, Actito gives you the opportunity to order templates matching your specific requirements. They might:

• Follow your graphical charter
• Display default images and logos
• Add specific blocks matching your needs

To request the creation of a custom template or to obtain additional information related to them, we invite you to contact your account manager.

tip

This zone will only be displayed if there are existing custom templates in your licence.

Actito templates library

Actito offers a library of templates containing layouts suited to most frequent situations, such as newsletters, event invitation or welcome emails. They are available in the bottom section of the selection page.

These templates only set the layout of blocks and images, while letting you freely define their content. You also retain the possibility to modify them according to your requirements.

Editing a template

After selecting your template, you will reach 'Editor mode', where you will be able to adapt the template to your needs and to fill the fields of content.

Module library

To the left of your screen, the module library gives you an overview of each block that can be added to your email. To insert a module, all you need to do is to select it, then to drag and drop it where you want to insert it in your email.

There are various kinds of blocks:

• Headers: the 'pre-header' block, which can contain the pre-header as well as the web version link, and the 'header' block, where you can insert a logo and repeat the subject of your email.
• Images: it can be large banners filling all the width of the email, as well as small images below of next to test zones.
• Titles: with or without subtitles.
• Text zones: with or without titles, with or without images.
• Separators
• 'Call to action' buttons: theses buttons can be used to insert web pages links.
• Footer: it may contain the 'unsubscribe' link, a link towards legal information,...

You can hover you mouse over a block of the library on the left to see a preview of its design.

Some modules only appear in specific templates, such as event program blocks, address blocks and sharing on social network blocks,...

To order custom blocks or for additional information related to their practical application, we invite you to contact your account manager.

Editing modules

Next, you have the possibility to modify the structure of the modules which make up the template, as well as fillings their content.

You can:

Write your text

While writing your text, you will be using a rich text editor, where you will be able to apply the conventional formatting, such as modifying styles, alignment, the color and the size of your text, inserting lists or adding links (as explained above).

This is a WYSIWYG editor, which means that you will directly see any modification in your text without the display of formatting tags.

While you email, you also have the opportunity to add customizations, which means using data from your profile table, or related data, in order to adapt the content to your contact. This can range from simply addressing them with their first name to advanced customizations.
For further information on this subject, we invite you to read the 'Customizing or Conditioning an email' chapter.

Add logos and images

Whenever the small 'Select image' icon appears, it is possible to customize your message with an image of your choice.

This includes large banners, side images, logos but also icons specific to some blocks, such as icons specific to some blocks, such as the 'speakers' icon for an event, or the social networks icons. If you do not modify these icons, they will be displayed with their default appearance, but you might want, for instance, to replace the black default facebook button by a facebook button with the color of your company.

tip

Thanks to the integrated image editor, you can easily modify the images you wish to add to your communications, thanks to a wide choice of options. To access this editor, click on 'Edit image'.

The expected size of banners and side images is displayed on their grey background. If you add an image that does not match the expected size, it will be automatically resized to the proper width, all while keeping proportions when it comes to height. Consequently, distortions will be avoided but the layout of your email might be affected.

You can select images directly from your files, either by clicking the 'Upload an image' button, or with a 'drag and drop'. You can also paste the URL address of an online image.

This screen also allows you to define the image title and an alternative text. This alternative text will be displayed instead of the image should it be blocked or not downloaded, so it is good practice not to overlook it.

note

An image cannot exceed 1,5 MB.

Add links

Whenever the small 'Add a new link' icon appears, it is possible to add a link to your email.

This includes:

• Images
• Small icons
• 'Call to action' buttons
• Directly in the text

The link update window will let you enter towards which URL address the link must direct. You can also add a customization ($ followed by the customization name between curly brackets), for example if the link directs towards an Actito form or an 'unsubscribe' page.

You also have the possibility to give a title and a name to the link.

• The title is a HTML concept (corresponding to the title tag): it appears when you hovers over the link with your mouse.
• The name will be displayed in the campaign reports: it simplifies the analysis of the clicks in your emails.

Session history

Sometimes you may feel the need to rewind and undo the latest changes you've applied to your email. That's where the session history comes in handy.

You can access the session history in the top right corner of the editor, next to the 'Saved' and 'Exit editor' buttons.

The session history will track (up to) the 10 latest changes you've made in your email content.

Historicized changes

The following actions are recorded in the session history:

• Changes made to text
• Changes made to images
• Changes made to a button's color
• Removal of a condition variable
• Addition of a condition variable
• Change of a loop variable
• Removal of a loop variable
• Removal of a link to an image
• Import of content from another language
• Import of content from another version
• Import of content from a ZIP file
• Import of a product from catalog
• Import of an RSS article
• Import of all RSS articles
• Changes made to global styles
• Moving a module
• Adding a module
• Removal of a module
• Changes made to module style
• Removing all modules
• Restoring a previous version

Restoring a previous version

Click on any of the recorded versions of the history to preview it.

tip

The title of each history item is the action that resulted in this recorded version. This means that if you want to preview your content as it was before this specific action, you need to select the previous version.

If you want to go back to a previous version of your content, select its preview, then click on 'Restore' above the side panel.

This will exit the session history and take you back to the editor... as it was before!

Restoring a previous version is a recorded change. This means you can revert it as well.

As its name suggests, the session history records the work session of a user. It is not saved when a session ends. This means that logging out of Actito or exiting the editor will reset the session history.

Only one session can be recorded at a time: switching the language or the version (for AB tests) will reset the history.

Options

At the top of the page, the task-bar lets you reach various additional options.

Previewing the rendition on smartphone

It is possible at any time to display a preview of how your message will appear on a smartphone, by clicking on the 'smartphone' icon at the top of the page, in the middle.

After that, you can go back to the computer preview by clicking on the 'computer screen' icon.

Import content

When creating a campaign, you also have the possibility to import HTML content.

The file can either be an HTML file or a zip file (containing one or more HTML files).

tip

For a multilingual campaign, you can import a zip file containing an HTML file for each language. The name of this file must end with an underscore followed by the two-letter code for the language. For example: DocTemplate_EN.html

Import content from another language

If your campaign is multilingual, you have the possibility of importing the content from another language of the campaign.

In this way, you will not have to upload each image twice if, for instance, they stay the same, or to edit styles again. You will be able to focus on translating your text and defining potential links.

This action will replace the current content by the content from the selected language version, without any possibility to undo it.

Remove all modules

This button allows you to delete everything and start over with an empty page.

This action cannot be undone.

Modify edition language

If your campaign is multilingual, the current edition language is displayed next to the "Options" and "Personalizations" buttons.

You can change the language in the drop-down menu. Changing the language is only possible when the email has been saved, and not when the email is in the process of being saved after a change.

When outside the editor, you can still change the language on the right of the screen. You can also go back to the edit mode any time by clicking on the "Editor" button on the left of the screen.

Create a new message

From the definition screen, it is also possible to delete all the content of your email in order to create a new one from scratch.

For that, click on "More" and "Delete existing message".

You will then go back to the template selection page so that you can choose a different template.

danger

This action will delete all your progress related to the content of your email. It cannot be undone.

Campaign templates

Campaign templates provide you with a sending configuration model. In contrary to the two other types of templates, they are not selected during the third step of the creation of your email, but at the very beginning, right after clicking on 'Create campaign'. This is the screen where you are invited to select the type of email you want to send.

As a matter of fact, this kind of template does not only relate to the email content in itself, but it also gives the opportunity to save the general data, the targeting and all other parameters.

It allows you to save the definition of a campaign and to reuse it every time you need to send a similar campaign.

To learn how to save this kind of configuration, we invite you to read the 'Saving a Campaign Template' page.