Using templates

In this guide, you will learn the basics of working with templates in Cakemail.

Create a template

Let's create your first template to get started. To do this, you can call the Create a template endpoint. Review the full API reference for a list of all the parameters you can pass.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.cakemail.dev/templates \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer [access token]' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{"name":"[template name]","content":{"type":"html","html":"[HTML content]"}}'

from cakemail.models import Template, TemplateContent

my_template = api.template.create(
    Template(
        name='<template name>',
        content=TemplateContent(
            type='html',
            html='<HTML content>'
        )
    )
)

<?php

$myTemplate = $api->template->create([
    'template' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\Template([
        'name' => '<template name>',
        'content' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\TemplateContent([
            'type' => 'html',
            'html' => '<HTML content>'
        ])
    ])
]);

You now have an html template you can use as a starting point for your next campaigns or for sending your transactional emails.

Update a template

Once you have a template, you can update it from time to time by using the Update a template endpoint.

curl --request PATCH \
  --url https://api.cakemail.dev/templates/[template ID] \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer [access token]' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{"name":"[new template name]"}'

from cakemail.models import PatchTemplate

my_template = api.template.update(
    template_id=my_template.id,
    patch_template=PatchTemplate(
        name='<new template name>',
    )
)

<?php

$myTemplate = $api->template->update([
    'template_id' => $myTemplate['id'],
    'patch_template' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\PatchTemplate([
        'name' => '<new template name>'
    ])
])

Next, let's try to use our template in a campaign.

Using a template in a campaign

Now that you have a template, you can use it when creating a new campaign.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.cakemail.dev/campaigns \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer [access token]' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{"name":"<new tempalte name>","content":{"type":"html","template":{"id":[template ID]}}}'

from cakemail.models import CreateCampaign, CampaignContent, TemplateId

my_campaign = api.campaign.create(
    CreateCampaign(
        name='<template name>',
        content=CampaignContent(
            type='html',
            template=TemplateId(id=my_template.id)
        )
    )
)

<?php

$myCampaign = $api->campaign->create([
    'create_campaign' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\CreateCampaign([
        'name' => '<template name>',
        'content' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\CampaignContent([
            'type' => 'html',
            'template' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\TemplateId([
                'id' => $myTemplate['id']
            ])
        ])
    ])
]);

You just created a new campaign using your template.

Using a template with transactional emails

You can also use templates to send transactional emails. Since a template can contain personalization tags, it is possible to also specify custom attributes to be used with the template.

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.cakemail.dev/emails \
  --header 'Accept: application/json' \
  --header 'authorization: Bearer [access token]' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{...,"content":{"template":{"id":[template ID],"custom_attributes":[{"name":"name","value":"[contact name]"}]}}}'

from cakemail.models import Email, EmailContent, TemplateInfo, TemplateCustomAttributes

api.transactional_email.send(
    email=Email(
        ...,
      	content=EmailContent(
            template=TemplateInfo(
                id=my_template.id,
                custom_attributes=[TemplateCustomAttributes(
                		name='name',
                    value='<contact name>'
                )]
            )
        )
    )
)...,

<?php

$api->transactional_email->send([
    'email' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\Email([
        ...,
        'content' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\EmailContent([
            'template' => new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\TemplateInfo([
                'id' => $myTemplate['id'],
                'custom_attributes' => [
                    new \Cakemail\Lib\Model\TemplateCustomAttributes([
                        'name' => 'name',
                        'value' => '<contact name>'
                    ])
                ]
            ])
        ])
    ])
]);

You can explore the full API reference for more advanced features in the Asset API.