How to use Email Templates with Express.js?

Integrate it as middleware or in route handlers by creating an Email instance and calling send() with template paths and locals. The README shows basic usage with Node.js, which applies directly to Express setups.

Email Templates vs Nodemailer alone: which is better?

Email Templates adds templating, previewing, and CSS inlining on top of Nodemailer, so it's better for structured email systems. Use Nodemailer alone for simple, one-off sends without template management.

How to add attachments in Email Templates?

Follow Nodemailer's attachment documentation: set attachments in the message object, either as default options in the Email constructor or per send() call, as shown in the 'Attachments' section.

Can I use Email Templates with React for server-side rendering?

No, it's designed for Node.js server-side rendering with supported engines like Pug or EJS. For React, you'd need to render components to strings separately and pass them, which isn't native.

What template engines are supported besides Pug?

It supports EJS, Handlebars, Nunjucks, and others via Consolidate, with extension mapping for flexibility. The 'Custom Template Engine' section details how to configure alternatives.

How to preview emails in Firefox instead of default browser?

Set the preview option with open: { app: 'firefox' } in the Email constructor, as shown in the 'Open Email Previews in Firefox' example, overriding the default browser behavior.

Open-Awesome

email-templates

MITJavaScriptv13.0.1

A Node.js library to create, preview, and send custom email templates with support for multiple template engines and CSS inlining.

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3.7k stars333 forks0 contributors

What is email-templates?

Email Templates is a Node.js library that enables developers to create, preview, and send custom email templates. It solves the problem of managing email content and styling by providing a unified system that integrates with Nodemailer for delivery and supports various template engines for flexibility.

Target Audience

Node.js developers building applications that require sending transactional or marketing emails, such as SaaS platforms, e-commerce sites, or notification systems.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Email Templates for its comprehensive feature set, including built-in previewing, CSS inlining, and multi-engine support, which reduces boilerplate code and ensures emails render correctly across clients.

Overview

Create, preview (browser/iOS Simulator), and send custom email templates for Node.js. Made for @forwardemail, @ladjs, @cabinjs, @spamscanner, and @breejs.

Use Cases

Best For

Building transactional email systems in Node.js applications
Creating localized email campaigns with i18n support
Developing email templates with custom CSS and inline styling
Previewing email designs directly in the browser during development
Integrating email functionality with various template engines like Pug or EJS
Sending emails via Nodemailer with advanced transport plugins

Not Ideal For

Projects built with non-Node.js backends like Python Django or Ruby on Rails
Teams seeking drag-and-drop email builders without coding templates
Applications needing real-time email rendering in client-side JavaScript frameworks
Simple, one-off email sends where direct Nodemailer usage suffices

Pros & Cons

Pros

Multi-Engine Flexibility

Supports Pug, EJS, Handlebars, Nunjucks, and more via Consolidate, allowing developers to choose their preferred templating language without vendor lock-in.

Built-In Development Preview

Automatically opens email previews in the browser or iOS Simulator during development using preview-email, streamlining design and testing workflows.

Automatic CSS Inlining

Integrates Juice to inline CSS from stylesheets into HTML emails, ensuring compatibility across email clients with simple data-inline attributes.

Integrated Localization Support

Offers built-in i18n configuration for translating email content, with examples for Pug and Handlebars, reducing boilerplate for multilingual campaigns.

Cons

Complex Advanced Configuration

Setting up CSS inlining with custom asset paths (juiceResources) requires manual tweaking, as detailed in the 'Automatic Inline CSS via Stylesheets' section, adding overhead.

Frequent Breaking Changes

The README documents multiple major version breaks from v3.0.0 to v13.0.0, including API shifts and dependency updates, which can disrupt maintenance.

Optional Dependency Management

Features like email preview rely on optional dependencies (e.g., preview-email), needing separate installation and potentially causing errors if overlooked, as noted in v12.0.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

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