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Tools

Template Editor Tool

With the Template Editor Tool, you can create beautiful, responsive email and text message templates without HTML!

Highlights of the tool include:
  • Responsive email design
  • Robust styling options
  • Drag-and-drop sections and formatting
  • Drag-and-drop images
  • AI-assisted content

When you create a template in the Template Editor Tool, MinistryPlatform creates a Template record. You can give templates an internal Name (that only Platform users can see) and an external Subject (that recipients can see). After you save, you can reopen your template with the Template Editor Tool for future edits. When you're ready to send it to contacts, you can select your template in the New Message Tool.

Note:
  • You can only view and edit templates created with the Template Editor Tool.
  • Do not edit the Template record for any templates made with the Template Editor Tool. To change the HTML directly, you must use the tool. Changes made directly in the record may produce unexpected results and prevent future use of the tool.

Watch & Learn

Tip: Want to learn more about the Template Editor Tool? Check out the Communications Part 1 webinar in the MinistrySmart Academy!

Create a Template with the Template Editor Tool

Create professional, responsive templates with the Template Editor Tool.

  1. In the navigation menu, click Communications > Templates.
  2. From the Tools menu, select Template Editor.
  3. Select the Type of template you're creating.
  4. Enter the required information. For details on these fields, see Template Editor Tool Fields.
  5. Build your template by dragging and dropping content boxes from the right side into the template previewer. You can choose any of the following:
    • Columns: Use this content box to add columns to your template.
    • Button: Use this content box to insert an image. Use columns to add side-by-side buttons.
    • Divider: Add dividers to break up your content to be more visually appealing and easier to read.
    • Heading: Use this content box to insert a heading.
    • Text: Use this content box to add a text box to your template.
    • Image: Use this content box to insert an image.
    • Video: Use this content box to insert a video into your template.
    • Menu: Add a drop-down menu with multiple items to your template.
    • HTML: Use this content box to insert your own HTML code. You can preview what it looks like on desktop and mobile.
    Tip: You can use AI to generate text and images! The content boxes that display with green stars in the tool have an AI component that can assist you. To see the AI in action, check out the video in the Watch & Learn section.
  6. Click each content box to open the side panel. There, you can add and format the necessary information.
    Note: See Template Editor Content Tips for helpful information about using images, videos, buttons, and footers.
  7. When you're finished building your template, click Save.

Template Editor Tool Fields

Email TemplateText Template
Template Editor tool with the Email type selected; displaying numbers for each part of the toolTemplate Editor tool with the SMS Text type selected; displaying numbers for each part of the tool
1 - Template
A list of active templates you can access. Templates are grouped according to supported merge fields that display under either associated pages or Contact merge Fields. A message informs you if the selected template was not created using the Template Editor Tool.
2 - Type
Select the type of template depending on whether you're sending an email or text message.
3 - Name
A name to identify the template. This is for internal use only and doesn't show to recipients.
4 - Subject
The Subject line for this Template in the New Message tool. If the template is for a text message, this is the message itself. This is for external use and shows to recipients.
5 - Body
In Email templates, drag and drop content to build the template. Drag existing content to reorder.
6 - Preview
In Email templates, see how it will look on desktop and mobile before you save.
7 - Editor Panel
In Email templates, displays relevant editing options based on the selected content or tab. Once you add content, the editor panel supports specific styling and behavior.
8 - Navigation Tabs
In Email templates, these tabs represent the levels of editing:
  • Content: Displays all available content types you can drag and drop into the template body, including text blocks, buttons, and images.
  • Blocks: Defines content areas. Template may contain one or multiple blocks.
  • Body: Determines the overall look of the template, including background color and link styling.
  • Images: When enabled by a SPoC, stock images display here.
9 - Pertains to Page
The page ID related to this template. The New Message Tool uses this ID to filter and group templates.
  • If you select a page ID, this page corresponds to any Data Merge Fields in the message.
  • Templates without a page ID are available on all pages and should only contain Contact Fields.
  • Populate this field to restrict templates to the specific page and groups them together using the page Name header in the New Message Tool.
    Note: If you associate your template with a specific page, there must be a template associated with the page it's sent from. For example, if you want a template associated with a group, assign it to the Group Participant page. The message sends to people in the group. If you want it associated with a publication, assign it to the All Subscriptions page. If you want it associated with an Event, choose the Event Participants page.

    Also: If you want to send a template from the Households page, you must select Contacts as the Pertains to Page. Only Templates with this value set to Contacts will be available from the Households page.

10 - Active
Indicates if the template is active and currently available in the New Message Tool.
11 - From Contact and Reply to Contact
If used outside of the New Message Tool (for example, as the Care Case Notification), the From and Reply To contacts might be sourced from these values. Refer to the documentation for those features for more information.

When you select a template in the New Message tool, you can specify the From contact for emails or the From SMS Number for texts. Select this in the New Message Tool - it is not defined at the Template level. For more information, see Sending Emails and Sending Text Messages.

12 - User and User Group
These fields can use this template in the New Message Tool and the Template Editor. However, setting this value restricts access inside of those tools. All users can view the Template record on the Templates page.
Note: With the Template Editor tool, you can't impersonate someone in the assigned user group to access the template.
13 - Close and Save
Close or save the Template Editor Tool at any time. If you close before saving, you must Proceed or Cancel. If you click Proceed, the template doesn't save. If you click Cancel, this takes you back where you can then Save.

Template Editor Content Tips

When you create an email template, there are several content blocks you can add, such as text and images. Here's some helpful information to know about certain types of content.

Images

  • Images (JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF) have a size limit of 1 MB.
  • Uploaded images are stored in AWS, however you can't navigate to AWS. If using the same image for multiple templates, you'll need to upload the image to each template.
  • If enabled by a SPoC, the Template Editor Tool offers a collection of royalty-free stock images that are available for use in any template. This feature has images from a handful of Creative Commons licensed sources.
    Note: The stock image feature is offered "as is". We don't maintain, generate, or review this content. SPoCs who enable this feature understand the content is not filtered or limited and something inappropriate could show up.
  • The template body has a default width of 500 pixels. For example, a width of 480 pixels with a default padding of 10 pixels could be used. The designs are responsive, meaning larger images are scaled down to fit smaller screen sizes. Files, however, can load slower if this is used on a smaller device, such as a mobile device.

Videos

You can link videos hosted by Vimeo or Youtube within a template. Vimeo videos must be public for the preview image to display. The URL you provide generates a preview image. You can use the editor panel to adjust the play icon.

An example video with a preview of the video on the left and the editor panel on the right.

Buttons

Love including buttons in your emails? Us too! But note that Outlook Desktop uses Word to put HTML in emails. This might make your buttons display without text when they're opened in Outlook Desktop.

While we can't control Microsoft, one smart church included text with a link under buttons in their Templates: "If the button does not display as it should, click here to...". Have another creative way to handle this? Let the MinistryPlatform Community know!

Footers

Depending on the message type, your organization may need to include certain information in the footer of an email. One thing you might want to include is an option for recipients to unsubscribe. We recommend you compose a template with a footer that links to the My Subscriptions widget. Or, if you're using publications to send messages, you can insert Unsubscribe snippets in your template. For more on that, see Use Publications for Unsubscriptions.

Template Editor User Saved Blocks

  • User Saved Blocks are pieces of content saved into one "block" and organized by category and tags. The block of content can contain one or multiple elements. For example, one saved block can contain a text block, image, and button.
  • Individuals can search for a block by tag.
  • Use the drag-and-drop feature to add a block to a template. This is helpful when you want templates to look the same, such as using the same block for a header or footer in multiple templates.

Create a User Saved Block

  1. Add the elements to the block.
  2. Select Row in the bottom right corner of the screen, then select Save.
  3. After the Save Block dialog displays, add a category name (required) and tags for future searches.
An example block to join Bible Study. A red arrow points to the Row button in the bottom right corner.

Add a User Saved Block

  1. Click the Blocks icon in the Navigation tab.
  2. Use the Search box to search by tag.
  3. Drag and drop the block into the body of the template.

Edit or Delete a User Saved Block

  1. Hover over the ellipsis and choose to Delete or Edit the block.
  2. Click Edit to change the category or tags, then Save.
  3. Click Delete to permanently remove the block.
  4. To delete a category of blocks, delete each block within the category. When you delete all blocks, you can remove the Category.
    Note: Saved blocks are limited by user. Template User or User Group owners don't affect who can access a saved block.
Image with the ellipsis outline in red. A red arrow points to the Blocks section on the right side.

Template Editor Merge Fields

When you edit a text block, Contact Fields are always available, related to both the Recipient and Sender. If you defined the template's Pertains to Page value, Data Fields also display. If you change the Pertains to Page value when you're editing a template, you'll need to refresh the data fields. To do this, click away from a text block, then return back to it for refreshed data.
Note: Data fields used on a main page when you create a template could be unavailable on the related sub-page. Data fields are based on the default field list, which varies between pages and sub-pages.
A template with the example Nickname merge field.
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Last updated: November 26, 2024