HTML Email Boilerplate • Hacker News Board

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#31

Post by esdott » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:12 PM UTC

ryanwatkins wrote: post #26

esdott wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey SamColes - The table itself was just an example to show setting up a table properly (not necessarily a view on how wide it should be). The whole width question is a more of a design call than anything else. I am trying to keep it as design-free as possible. There are however many interesting uses for wider than normal emails. In any case, I updated the example table to be 600px wide.

600px may be fine for Hotmail, but I think the bigger question is how to deal with people reading this HTML mail on mobile clients with smaller screens. People are reading alot of email on mobile devices and its increasing. A table 600 px wide is still to wide for most devices.

hey ryanwatkins - one great way is to @media queries to set specific design for mobile and tablets. it is something i am working on for next release.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#32

Post by donbronson » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:15 PM UTC

the templates that mailchimp put on github seem much more useful https://github.com/mailchimp/Email-Blueprints

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#33

Post by systemtrigger » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:16 PM UTC

ItsTrueYouKnow wrote: post #13

Please don't send HTML email, there is almost never a scenario when it is necessary. All it does is create larger emails, have redundant information (most HTML emails also send a plain text counterpart), make reading email more difficult (especially if you are using a terminal mail client or are visually impaired), and allow for obnoxious email styling. HTML Email, just say NO.

Your argument is valid for standard correspondence. It is not valid for commercial marketing. A well-designed HTML email will look stunning in the vast majority of email clients. If marketing ROI is the goal, it is best to ignore the edge cases you mention.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#34

Post by yock » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:18 PM UTC

yock wrote: post #28

Please get rid of your browser evangelism, no matter how clever it might be. I know very well that I shouldn't be using Internet Explorer. If I had any choice in the matter, I wouldn't

Can I safely assume the downvotes are from those who think blocking the user's site interaction with a full screen lightbox is good UX?

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#35

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:23 PM UTC

systemtrigger wrote: post #33

ItsTrueYouKnow wrote: post #13

Please don't send HTML email, there is almost never a scenario when it is necessary. All it does is create larger emails, have redundant information (most HTML emails also send a plain text counterpart), make reading email more difficult (especially if you are using a terminal mail client or are visually impaired), and allow for obnoxious email styling. HTML Email, just say NO.

Your argument is valid for standard correspondence. It is not valid for commercial marketing. A well-designed HTML email will look stunning in the vast majority of email clients. If marketing ROI is the goal, it is best to ignore the edge cases you mention.

[deleted]

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#36

Post by ItsTrueYouKnow » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:24 PM UTC

systemtrigger wrote: post #33

ItsTrueYouKnow wrote: post #13

Please don't send HTML email, there is almost never a scenario when it is necessary. All it does is create larger emails, have redundant information (most HTML emails also send a plain text counterpart), make reading email more difficult (especially if you are using a terminal mail client or are visually impaired), and allow for obnoxious email styling. HTML Email, just say NO.

Your argument is valid for standard correspondence. It is not valid for commercial marketing. A well-designed HTML email will look stunning in the vast majority of email clients. If marketing ROI is the goal, it is best to ignore the edge cases you mention.

If you're sending spam and marketing ROI is the goal, then you're part of the problem. Email was once useful for communicating with people but as the tide shifts from correspondence to commercialism it has completely lost its point. Nowadays an email address is little more than a way for people who got it to shove advertising down your throat.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#37

Post by bxr » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:25 PM UTC

JonLim wrote: post #14

davidcollantes wrote: post #7

HTML and email are two things that do not go together well(IMHO). I prefer plain text.

Why not offer both? A well made HTML email will make it easier for your recipients to actually read your email.

HTML emails already offer both, hidden in the mime message is a plain text version. Clients just usually don't show the plain text one when there is an html version.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#38

Post by ItsTrueYouKnow » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:27 PM UTC

alain94040 wrote: post #17

ItsTrueYouKnow wrote: post #13

Please don't send HTML email, there is almost never a scenario when it is necessary. All it does is create larger emails, have redundant information (most HTML emails also send a plain text counterpart), make reading email more difficult (especially if you are using a terminal mail client or are visually impaired), and allow for obnoxious email styling. HTML Email, just say NO.

That boat sailed a long time ago. I do like pleasant stuff. Please, if you want me to read your email, don't send me plain text emails.

If you care more about how the email looks than the content, then odds are that the people who you are sending the email to do not want to receive it.

It's only when I don't know you and you're trying to sell me something that you need to make the email visually appealing.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#39

Post by initself » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:30 PM UTC

systemtrigger wrote: post #16

davidcollantes wrote: post #7

HTML and email are two things that do not go together well(IMHO). I prefer plain text.

You and I are in the minority. Imagine if Groupon sent their daily flyer in plain text: Click-through would plummet.

I used to get Slashdot sent to me as plain text. It was a sheer delight to read and I really miss having it formatted that way. I would pay a premium for it.

Maybe it is just that most people have never been exposed to properly formatted text emails?

I'm sure people find most of the websites they visit and the emails they read, filled with columns of extra garbage, to be cumbersome and difficult to read. Executives think that's what people want, but I doubt there has ever been an thorough examination of all the formats and their effects on people.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#40

Post by JonLim » Tue, Jun 07, 2011, 3:32 PM UTC

esdott wrote: post #22

JonLim wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alright, took a second look, I guess the issues with those browsers aren't so mission critical, but probably still best not to use a 900px width.

hey JonLim - I am definitely open to any input. For email I see people take a two pronged width approach a lot. Setting the width like "width=XXX" and style="width:XXXpx." Thanks for checking it out.

As the others have been saying, you probably want to limit the width to 600px, just because many email clients will have trouble with larger than that.

However, we actually don't use tables when it comes to our templates; we apply styles to divs and ps when we flatten the HTML and CSS.

Happy to chat further if you're interested!