How to use Rows in Email Templates

In Alto, to save you time and to help ensure your communication to your customers is on brand, you can now select a template to use when sending an ad hoc email. This article will help you understand and use the Settings tab in Email Templates.

This article will help you understand and use Rows in your email templates.

This article includes:

• How to use rows
• Locking rows
• Managing columns within rows
• Adding a column
• Deleting a column
• Resizing a column
• Other column settings

How to use rows

The Rows tab includes different types of structural elements and they allow you to create different sections of your email message. Rows with different structures allow you to organise content in a way that is different from preceding and following rows.

For example, you may need...

• a single-column row with a hero image to introduce your main point
• a three-column row below it to display some of the key selling points of your agency
• to have different rows with the same structure, so they can have different row or content background colours

1. To add rows, click the Rows tab 
2. Drag the required type of row on to the message editing area (the stage) on the left  
3. Click on the row to open the Row Properties

• To switch to a different number of columns for an existing row, scroll down the Row Properties and use the Customize Columns option
  
• With a row selected, you can scroll down the Row Properties and switch between the row and column settings. The editor provides great flexibility and customization at both the row and column level
  

Locking rows

1. To create a row that cannot be edited by users when sending an email, you can lock the row by sliding the toggle to Locked

Certain amendments will still be possible by the user sending the template, such as changing the image used in an image block, but the structure of the row and the majority of the content cannot be altered.

Managing columns within rows

When you select a row, the Row Properties will have a Customize Columns section, where you can manage the columns inside that row, and apply additional settings.

Adding a column

To add a new column inside a row:

1. Within the Row Properties, click on + Add new

• The new column is always added to the far right, with default size 2. It will automatically find the best resize option to adapt to the addition of a new column. 
• The minimum column width is 2, and rows can have a maximum of 6 columns
• When the maximum number of columns is reached, the + Add new action disappears

Deleting a column

To remove a column:

1. Click Delete in the top-right of that Columns' properties

• When a column is deleted, the nearest column on the left gets its width
• If the deleted column is the first on the left, the right column will take the width
• If there is just one column, the Delete action is not visible

Resizing a column

To resize a column:

1. Drag the divider icon between two columns to the left or to the right
2. The stage will reflect the change in real-time as you resize the column and you can preview the result before letting go of the divider

Other column settings

Additional options at the column level within a row allow control on background colour, padding and borders for the selected column.