Templates

Templates are reusable content wrappers that give your emails, pages, and resources a consistent layout. Instead of rebuilding shared elements (headers, footers, navigation, branding) for every piece of content, you design them once in a template and assign it wherever needed.

Templates can be assigned to Messages, Auto Responders, Pages, and Resources.

Navigate to Administration > Templates

Need help building responsive, production-ready templates? OptiPub provides white-glove support for template creation. Reach out to our team and we'll work with you to design and build templates tailored to your brand.

Templates Table

The templates list shows all templates in your account. Available columns:

Column	Description
ID	Unique identifier
Name	The template name
All Publications	Whether the template is available to every publication
Publications	The specific publications the template is associated with
Category	The template category (e.g. Auto Responder, Free Style, Page)
Template Type	Message, Content, or Resource
Message Type	The message type, if applicable (organizational only)
Tags	Tags applied to the template

Templates can be copied from the action menu to use an existing template as a starting point. The table also supports export for bulk data extraction.

Creating a Template

Click Create to open the template form. The form is split into three steps: General, Content, and Preview.

Step 1 — General

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	A descriptive name for the template
Category	Yes	The template category — determines which content types can use this template (see Template Categories)
Available for All Publications	—	Toggle on to make the template available to every publication
Associated Publications	When not "all"	Select which publications can use this template
Tags	No	Optional tags for organizing and filtering templates

Step 2 — Content

Build your template content using the GrapesJS drag-and-drop visual editor. The editor provides a full suite of layout and design tools for building responsive HTML content without writing code.

For Message and Content type templates, a Template Content block is available — this inserts the {$sys_email.content} macro that defines where the assigned resource's content will be rendered inside the template.

Importing Content

Click the Import button in the editor toolbar to bring in content from several sources:

Source	Description
Browse Templates	Load content from an existing template in your account. Search, filter by publication, and filter by tags to find the right one
Google Docs	Paste a public Google Docs URL to import the document's content directly into the editor
ActiveCampaign	Import HTML from an ActiveCampaign campaign message (requires ActiveCampaign integration to be configured under Settings > Integrations)
Upload HTML File	Upload an `.html` file from your computer
Paste HTML/CSS	Open a code editor to paste or write raw HTML and CSS

Step 3 — Preview

Preview the final rendered template with macros resolved. This shows how the template will look when applied to content. Use this step to verify the layout before saving.

Template Categories

Template categories organize your templates and control which content types can use them. Manage categories under Administration > System Settings > Categories > Template Categories.

Category Types

The category type determines where templates in that category can be assigned:

Type	Available For
Message	Messages, Auto Responders, and other email content
Content	Pages and other website content
Resource	Resource templates

Message Types

Categories with the Message type can optionally be associated with a specific message type (e.g. Article Mailing, Promo Mailing). This is for organizational purposes only — messages can use templates from any Message type category regardless of the message type label.

Default Categories

OptiPub comes with these built-in template categories:

Auto Responder
Article Mailing
Promo Mailing
Renewal Mailing
Linkfest
Free Style
Page

Creating a Category

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	The category name (must be unique)
Template Type	Yes	Message, Content, or Resource
Message Type	No	Optional message type association
Parent Category	No	Optional parent for hierarchical organization

Macros in Templates

Templates support the full range of OptiPub macros — System Macros, Custom Content, and Variables.

Key Template Macros

Macro	Description
`{$sys_email.content}`	Template-specific. Marks where the resource content is placed inside the template
`{$sys_email.subject}`	The message subject line
`{$email}`	The recipient's email address
`{$sys_email_unsubscribe}`	A unique unsubscribe URL for the recipient

Publication Macros

{$sys_division.[setting]} — values defined in publication settings
{$sys_publication.[setting]} — values defined when creating a publication

Configure these in Administration > Publications.

Smarty Template Engine

Messages and Auto Responders can render Smarty values in templates. Landing Pages and Pages cannot.

A useful Smarty value for message templates is {$smarty.now|date_format} for dynamic dates. See the Smarty documentation for custom format strings.

Format	Output
`{$smarty.now\|date_format}`	`Dec 31, 2024`
`{$smarty.now\|date_format:"%b %e, %Y"}`	`Dec 31, 2024`
`{$smarty.now\|date_format:"%A, %B %e, %Y"}`	`Tuesday, December 31, 2024`

Where Templates Are Used

Templates are referenced across multiple content types:

Messages — wrap email content in a branded layout
Auto Responders — apply consistent formatting to automated email sequences
Pages — provide a shared page shell (header, footer, navigation) for website pages
Resources — standardize the layout of resource content

When creating or editing any of these content types, select a template in the form options. The Confirm or Preview step shows the content rendered inside the chosen template.