Email editor 2.0: variables in the text version | Community
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Grégoire_Miche2
Grégoire_Miche2
Level 10
June 14, 2016
New

Email editor 2.0: variables in the text version

  • June 14, 2016
  • 12 replies
  • 13589 views

One limitation of the new text editor; variables are only supported in the HTML version, not is the text one.

So let's say you want to use a variable for the title of the email:

<p style="font-weight: bold; font-size:16px;">${EmailTitle}</p>

This paragraph would just not show up in the text version, meaning that the title you have set in the variable will not shown up in the text version.

-Greg

    12 replies

    Ulf_Deeg
    Ulf_Deeg
    Level 3
    June 20, 2016

    Indeed, please fix this.

      Grégoire_Miche2
      Grégoire_Miche2Author
      Level 10
      September 22, 2016

      This is now the next frontier, since the new module levl variables will foster the usage of variables.

      -Greg

      A
      Anonymous
      November 29, 2016

      Is there any update on when this will be fixed? 

      A
      Anonymous
      February 6, 2017

      Bump, going on a few months now. Is there a workaround to this?

      A
      Anonymous
      February 22, 2017

      Bumping up again.... This is a major issue, Marketo. I thought variables was the whole point of 2.0. Please work on this ASAP.

        SanfordWhiteman
        SanfordWhiteman
        Level 10
        February 22, 2017

        It's craziness, eh?  This is why I sigh when a client has upgraded to 2.0 without asking first...

        A
        Anonymous
        July 20, 2017

        Hi @Justin Cooperman​ - any update on this?  Is it on the roadmap?

        Justin_Cooperm2
        Justin_Cooperm2
        Level 10
        July 25, 2017

        This is not currently on the roadmap.

        In Email 1.0, customers would edit the HTML and TEXT versions of each individual rich-text region, which would build out the content seen in the TEXT version of the email. This is no different in Email 2.0, other than we auto-copy all of the contents of each individual rich-text section over to the TEXT side for easier editing. If there are regions of your email outside of rich-text editable elements that you want copied over to TEXT (this is also commonly the case with content statically defined in the template or tokens outside of editable elements), then you must do it manually.

        We understand that it would be convenient at times to have certain variables copy over, but there aren't currently plans to implement this. I do think this would be extremely tricky to build correctly. How would we know what "variables" to copy over to Text? Also, where would we insert the variable contents into the text? You may say what ever is "above" the other...what if things are side-by-side? Should all variables copy over or only certain ones (would you really want a "list" variable copying over the font-family you selected for a piece of text?)? Should you be able to "tag" certain ones?

        Anyway, lots of questions about how this would work? I am 100% open to hearing suggestions for how we could build something straightforward that would make life easier here. Please keep voting + post ideas of how you think this would work best! Also available, as always, via email jcooperman@marketo.com

        Justin

        E
        ErikHe1
        Level 5
        July 26, 2017

        Hi Justin,

        I understand this is complicated. If it is a question of what to copy over, would it be possible to add an attribute to string variables similar to mktoModuleScope or mktoAddByDefault?

        This way if you are using string variables for Titles, Text, Labels and Links you would define those variables to write the value to the text version by adding e.g. "mktoAddToTxt=True".

        I don't know what kind of backend changes need to be made for this but since you asked for ideas, that's the best applicable solution I see without having to make a ton of changes

        /Erik

          A
          Anonymous
          November 20, 2017

          @Justin Cooperman​

          Has there been any change in stance on this? Still not on the road map? Seems as though other users have a seemingly reasonable path forward re this challenge?

          Justin_Cooperm2
          Justin_Cooperm2
          Level 10
          November 21, 2017

          It's still not on the roadmap, only because we don't have any changes planned to the email editor (due to the team's 100% focus on the new UX). Once we get parts of that rolled out, we'll be able to get back into the editors and make some of these improvements.

          Justin

          Dan_Stevens_
          Dan_Stevens_
          Level 10
          February 9, 2018

          Now that we have officially deployed our new "all-in-one" template in Marketo, I'm now finally realizing what an issue this is.  The template uses variables extensively for things like editable hero banners, call-to-action buttons and URLs.  For example:

          Produces a text version that will require manually editing every time:

          Would really like to see Marketo address this and add it to the roadmap of "things that just don't work like they should".

            Grégoire_Miche2
            Grégoire_Miche2Author
            Level 10
            February 9, 2018

            Hi Dan

            Welcome to the fan club

            -Greg

              Matt_Ondo
              Matt_Ondo
              Level 1
              April 2, 2018

              @Justin Cooperman​, string variables are something we rely on heavily for CTA buttons since buttons are such an unstable element in email development. I totally understand this may be difficult to implement, could I ask for this to be added to the Email Editor 2.0 Overview nor Email Template Syntax documentation? Maybe one of those "Caution" callouts on the docs that states: "Only content within mktoText and mktoEditable regions will be translated into the Text-Only Version."

              SanfordWhiteman
              SanfordWhiteman
              Level 10
              April 2, 2018

              Tokens work fine as well.

              It's specifically a thing with variables (which didn't exist -- in Emails -- before 2.0)

              SanfordWhiteman
              SanfordWhiteman
              Level 10
              April 12, 2018

              Also see here: http://blog.teknkl.com/icymi-variables-text-version-break-links/

              Dan_Stevens_
              Dan_Stevens_
              Level 10
              April 12, 2018

              Sandy, we're using variables for all of our call-to-action buttons, for example:

              <meta mktoModuleScope="true" class="mktoString" id="Two-col-CTA-url" mktoName="CTA URL" default="#">

              ....

              a href="${Two-col-CTA-url}

              And aren't experiencing the issues that you mention in your blog post (or the error that Jared received when trying to save his template).  And your fix isn't included anywhere in our template.  Wonder why this works for some and not for others?

              BTW, is it me or is the Advanced editor not available here in the Ideas section - so that we can format/highlight code properly in our comments?

              Grégoire_Miche2
              Grégoire_Miche2Author
              Level 10
              April 12, 2018

              Hi Dan

              It's not you The editor does not provide code highlighting on ideas.

              -Greg

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