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HTML Email Boilerplate

htmlemailboilerplate.com

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91–100 of 113 posts

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#91

Post by petercooper »

Wickk wrote: post #74

Really we can stop saying HTML email sucks, we get it. I don't like it either but every other comment seems to be saying this. That said, in this day and age is an HTML email even, neccessary? An incredibly large amount of users these days don't even bother checking their email unless it's something specific they're looking for. Social Networking has made a large footprint in that market and a status update as to new…

Groupon might have a bone to pick with that. E-mail is still incredibly popular and people are still reading it. I've moved more of my attention to e-mail from blogging, even, because it gets far better engagement in my niche.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#92

Post by joshuacc »

barrkel wrote: post #90

I'm puzzled as to why this is upvoted so highly. It's just a very wide website with a picture and some code on it. "Boilerplate" to me means the legalese at the bottom mandated by corporate lawyers, but I don't see much in the way of boilerplate here. Is it a template for emails that look like the website? I'd ignore any emails that look like this website, but then I'd never see them, as I don't have HTML email enabl…

Boilerplate according to Wikipedia is "any text that is or can be reused in new contexts or applications without being changed much from the original."

Coding HTML emails is a very painful task since CSS support is spotty and there are a wide variety of email clients with strange quirks in almost all of them. In order to get things to render reasonably consistently you have to use some really ugly code with tables for layout and inline styles all over the place.

This project collects all (or most) of these hacks into one template that is pretty easy to modify.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#93

Post by joshuacc »

ez77 wrote: post #84
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of interest - do you paint/decorate the walls in your home. Do you wear coloured (ie dyed) clothing? Do you have a business card that has more than plain-text on it? When you return from a holiday and are telling friends about it, do you hand them a type written note that describes what other people would normally put in a photo? Do you eschew the use of typographical techniques that aid reading, both speed and c…

Do you eschew the use of typographical techniques that aid reading, both speed and comprehension, such as emboldening, headings, breaks, italics, font and colour changes? It is interesting to note that some of the most important works produced by mankind can be reproduced in essence without these aids [1]. Moreover, these well-meant aids are perceived as undue distractions and hence disabled by many [2], most of whic…

The question isn't whether important documents can be reasonably be represented as plain text. Clearly many can. The question is whether the typographical techniques listed are an aid in reading. And just as clearly, they are.

And just to note, Readability actually preserves bold, headings, breaks, and italics, while providing a different set of fonts and colors based on the user's preferences.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#94

Post by biot »

barrkel wrote: post #90

I'm puzzled as to why this is upvoted so highly. It's just a very wide website with a picture and some code on it. "Boilerplate" to me means the legalese at the bottom mandated by corporate lawyers, but I don't see much in the way of boilerplate here. Is it a template for emails that look like the website? I'd ignore any emails that look like this website, but then I'd never see them, as I don't have HTML email enabl…

Boilerplate may not be the best word... I would have called it "skeleton code" or something along those lines. And the answer to your question is right there in the big box on the site: "This website and its sample code creates a template of sorts, absent of design or layout ...". So, no, it doesn't look like the website or much of anything at all save for a sample line of text, a sample image, and a sample table... all of which you'd delete and replace with the style and content you wish your email to have.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#95

Post by barrkel »

biot wrote: post #94
barrkel wrote: post #90

I'm puzzled as to why this is upvoted so highly. It's just a very wide website with a picture and some code on it. "Boilerplate" to me means the legalese at the bottom mandated by corporate lawyers, but I don't see much in the way of boilerplate here. Is it a template for emails that look like the website? I'd ignore any emails that look like this website, but then I'd never see them, as I don't have HTML email enabl…

Boilerplate may not be the best word... I would have called it "skeleton code" or something along those lines. And the answer to your question is right there in the big box on the site: "This website and its sample code creates a template of sorts, absent of design or layout ...". So, no, it doesn't look like the website or much of anything at all save for a sample line of text, a sample image, and a sample table...…

Thanks for explaining that; I was genuinely missing the point, and frankly am still surprised that so many people are impressed with it.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#96

Post by brlewis »

bxr wrote: post #37
JonLim wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

multipart/alternative isn't automatic. I create one for OurDoings email updates, but almost every mail service mangles it on forwarding.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#97

Post by brlewis »

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.

Anything other than HTML email is rude if you're sending people your latest pictures.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#98

Post by brlewis »

st0p wrote: post #86

I'm really not understanding all the hate against HTML email. To me it seems like saying: "Ascii text is enough, who needs nicely designed word documents or websites" Also, all our communications (website, snail-mail letters) use our corporate branding. So why not use it in our emails?

Once upon a time HTML email was used exclusively for spam. The hate for it never subsided.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#99

Post by biot »

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.

I prefer HTML emails as they take me seconds to visually scan to see if anything is of interest. If the emails were a big wall of text, I would have to spend several minutes reading everything which is a huge waste of my time.

There's a reason why in the real world, brochures and flyers aren't done up on a typewriter. People are visual creatures and if you're running a startup and marketing products or services and you're not using HTML email, you're doing a disservice to your investors, shareholders, prospects, and customers because the vast majority of people would rather opt-in to receive emails that look good.

Re: HTML Email Boilerplate

#100

Post by hessenwolf »

SeanLuke wrote: post #87
hessenwolf wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll just pop upstairs to tell my bosses and upper managers that their waterfall charts of PnL for the quarter will be arriving as ascii art.

MIME handles inline attachments with aplomb. What does this have to do with HTML?

Erm, the emails also have tables?

edit: I am admitting I don't know how to put tables in a mime email. I also didn't realise I could embed images.

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