The File Manager and Images 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 File manager and edit images in Email Templates.

This article includes:

• The File manager
• Image editing
• Dynamic images

The File manager

The Email Template editor includes a built-in File manager.  The File manager is what you use to browse, search and select the images and documents that you wish to use in your email message.

With the File manager you can:

• Browse, search, and sort existing files
• Switch between list and grid view
• Import new files
• Create new folders
• Preview and insert images into your message

How it looks

The File manager will open over the editor, covering the entire working area.  This allows you to browse your files without worrying about your screen size or resolution.

You will find a top section with actions and navigation helpers, with most of the space used to list your files and the information you need to work with them.  By default, folders and images are shown in Grid view.  If you switch to List view, it will be used next time you open the File manager.

Here is a visual example of images within a folder, in Grid view:

Here is the same folder, in List view:

How to access the File manager

The File manager will load in several scenarios:

• When you click on the Browse button in an image placeholder, which displays when you drag and drop an Image content block into an email message
  
• When you click the Change image button in the Image Properties panel

• When you click on Link file when working with Images and Buttons
  
  

How to upload files

1. To upload a file into the File manager, drag it from your computer to the File manager window, and drop it anywhere on the page

You can also:

• Browse and Upload from your computer with the Upload button
• Import from an external application with the Import button 
• Search and Import free stock photos using the Search free photos button

How to import files from other applications

1. If you click Import, you can connect external applications like DropBox, Google Drive, Instagram and more

How to browse or search files

1. Click on the sort labels on top of the list to browse your folders and order their content by Name, Date, Size or Type to locate your desired image or document. An arrow icon next to a label means that it is the current filter, and its orientation will tell you the order, ascending or descending
2. Click on the lens icon to run a search. Results will be filtered on the fly

How to use files

1. Move your cursor over a file or folder, the row will be highlighted and the available action icons will be shown on the right side:
   1. Preview for files
   2. Delete for both files and folders
2. If an action is not available, you will be notified by the tooltip text of the icon, for example when you try to delete a folder that contains files, because only empty folders can be deleted
3. If you want to delete multiple files or folders, select them with the checkboxes; the delete action is shown on top of the list. Only elements that can be deleted will have a selectable checkbox

How to organise folders

1. To add new folders, use the Add folder icon. You can create the folder structure you prefer to organise your files
2. For your folder names, you can use letters (upper and lower case), numbers, spaces, periods (.), hyphens (-), or underscores (_)
3. To navigate to the parent folder, use the top breadcrumb. Click the home icon to go to your root folder

Image editing

The email editor includes an image editor that allows you to easily crop, rotate, resize, apply filters/frames, add stickers... and much more - to any image, without leaving the editor.

Accessing the image editor

• When you select an image in the editor, an Apply effects & more button is shown. Click on it to have access to a tool that allows you to edit the image in a variety of ways

• The editor has a lot of cool features, from filters to resizing & cropping tools

• You can quickly and easily change the image size

• apply some cool Stickers

• You can use a number of predefined filters to very quickly change the look of the image
  
  

Dynamic images

When you insert an image in the editor, you can flag it as “dynamic”. Dynamic images are images that change depending on one or more values that are "passed" to the system that delivers them.

• The link to the image is no longer a static URL but rather a URL that contains some variables, such as an email, a customer ID, a date, etc

• The variables are merge tags in the URL and are replaced with actual values (e.g. a customer ID, a recipient email, the person's name) when you send the email, or render the landing page
• Some great use case examples of dynamic images include:
  
  • personalized cards
  • countdown timers
  • dynamic ads
  • product recommendations