Content templates

Use content templates to personalize messages with information specific to each member of your audience, like first name, flight number, or order status. You can even pass complicated variables to your template.

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About content templates

You can create content templates for all messaging channels: app, web, SMS/MMS, email, and open channel.

Apply a template to a message by selecting it in the Content step of a Message, Automation, or Sequence in the dashboard, or by referencing it with the template property in the API.

For app, web, SMS/MMS, and open channel templates, the template content becomes the message content directly and cannot be edited in the composer. For Message Center, In-App Automation, and email templates, you can edit the content in the composer after selecting the template.

Scene templates work differently from other content templates. Rather than supplying the message content, a Scene template is the destination of a push notification’s Scene action. The Scene opens when a user taps the notification.

Message Center templates can also be used for landing page content.

For reusable message designs for ScenesA mobile app or web experience of one or more screens displayed with fully native UI components in real time, providing immediate, contextual responses to user behaviors. Scenes can be presented in full-screen, modal, or embedded format using the default swipe/click mode or as a story. They can also contain survey questions., see Custom content layouts.

Content template format

Each template type has a name, optional description, and fields that make up the viewable content in a message.

These templates are available for the app channel:

Template type	Fields
App (For push notification content)	- Message text — The text that will display in your push notification. - Title — A heading that appears above the notification text when applicable. - Summary — Supplemental text displayed with the notification. iOS: The summary appears below the push notification title. Android and Fire OS: The summary appears below the main notification text in most cases. This is the only visible text other than the title when Android Picture is visible in expanded mode, as the main notification text is suppressed.
Message Center	- Title — A heading that appears above the message and in the Message Center inbox. - Message body — The HTML body of your message, created using the Interactive editor.
Scene (For opening a Scene from a push notification)	- Title — For reference only. The title does not appear in the Scene. - Message body — The native-format body of your message, created using the Scenes editor.
In-App Automation	- Message body — The HTML body of your message, created using the Interactive editor.

These templates are available for all other channels:

Template type	Fields
Web	- Alert — The text that will display in your web push notification. - Title — A heading that appears above the message.
SMS	- Message text — The text that will display in your SMS message.
MMS	- Subject — A meaningful subject to summarize your MMS message. - Message text — The text that will display in your MMS message. - Fallback SMS text — Fallback text version of your message, for use when MMS is unavailable.
Email	- Subject — A meaningful subject to summarize your email. - HTML body — The HTML body of your email, created using the Interactive editor. - Plain text body — The plain-text version of your message, for use when HTML is unavailable.
Open channel	- Alert — The text that will display in your open channel message. - Summary — Supplemental text displayed with the notification. - Title — A heading that appears above the notification text when applicable. - Media attachment URL — The URL for media you want to include in your message.

Using the Interactive editor

When adding the email HTML body, or In-App Automation or Message Center Message body, you can use the Interactive editor to:

Paste or upload your own HTML.
Design using drag-and-drop. You can start from a blank layout or select an Airship default layout or a layout you saved. The Interactive editor supports merge fieldsA variable in your message or template that you want to populate with a personalized value for each member of the audience. Merge fields use Handlebars syntax: {{merge_field}}., so you can personalize your message for your audience.

Personalizing content templates

You can use our built-in tool to insert merge fields and logic statements for the attributesMetadata used for audience segmentation and personalization. Attributes extend the concept of tags by adding comparison operators and values to determine whether or not to target a user, helping you better evaluate your audience. in your project. Simplifying Handlebars expressions. You can also manually enter HandlebarsHandlebars is Airship’s templating language for personalization. Handlebars expressions use double curly braces wrapped around a content template, ranging from a simple variable, e.g., {{first_name}}, to complex evaluations of personalization data.. Both methods are available for all text fields in a template, including when you paste or upload HTML using the Interactive editor.

Important

When using Handlebars to reference variables, you should define default values for your fields with {{ $def field_name "default value" }}. The template preview renders variables without default values as blank spaces, mimicking the behavior your audience will experience if they receive messages with unpopulated variables.

When personalizing messages in the Interactive editor, you must define merge fields before you can use them to personalize blocks of content unless you write your own custom HTML blocks. You can personalize custom HTML blocks using HandlebarsHandlebars is Airship’s templating language for personalization. Handlebars expressions use double curly braces wrapped around a content template, ranging from a simple variable, e.g., {{first_name}}, to complex evaluations of personalization data. like you would any other message. See Merge fields in the Interactive editor.

Tip

You can also take advantage of looping (#each), conditional if/else statements, and other advanced HandlebarsHandlebars is Airship’s templating language for personalization. Handlebars expressions use double curly braces wrapped around a content template, ranging from a simple variable, e.g., {{first_name}}, to complex evaluations of personalization data. inside custom HTML blocks. However, you cannot apply conditional or looping logic to block-level elements in your template without defining merge fields in the layout first.

Create a template

You can create templates in the dashboard or using the API.

Dashboard

Follow these steps to create a template in the dashboard:

Go to Content, then Templates
Select Create template.
Enter a name and a brief description to help you identify the template in lists (for example, “Holiday 2020”), and select the template type for the channel.
(Optional) Add keywords to help organize your templates. Enter a term in the search field and select from results, or select Add keyword: . You can add up to 10 keywords.
Select Save and continue.
Select Add and add content for each field, then select Done. The preview updates as you type. Open channel templates do not have a preview.
- For email HTML body and for Message Center and In-App Automation Message body, provide your HTML or design using drag-and-drop:
  - For HTML, select the paste or upload option and add your HTML.
  - For drag-and-drop, select a default or saved layout, or select Blank Layout to design your own. Then you can design your content. See Styling and formatting in the Interactive editor. You can edit any layout after selecting.
  For the email HTML body, you have additional options when using the drag-and-drop method:
  - To reduce the HTML size, select Settings in the sidebar, and then enable Minify HTML.
  - After selecting Done, choose whether to save the HTML body only or also generate the plain text body.
- For Scene templates, see Scenes editor for information about configuring your content.
(Optional, for email only) Preview your email in different clients:
Warning
Inbox renderings are generated using Litmus . To protect the privacy of your contacts, do not include personal information in your email content when generating previews.
1. Select Inbox preview.
2. Select from the lists of browser, desktop, and mobile clients, then click Generate previews.
3. Select a thumbnail to see the full version. Select the close icon () to close and choose another preview.
4. (Optional) To add/remove clients, Select Reselect and generate previews and start over.
5. When you are finished with inbox previews, select the close icon () to close the modal.
Select Save template when you are done adding content.

API

Use the Content API to create, list, retrieve, update, and delete content templates. For supported template type values and fields, see the Content template object schema in the API reference.

The Content API does not support creating Scene or In-App Automation templates. Create these templates in the dashboard.

OAuth client credentials can include the Content scope for these endpoints. See Content in the Airship API authorization reference.

When you create or update a template, Airship validates it using the same rules as the dashboard, including HandlebarsHandlebars is Airship’s templating language for personalization. Handlebars expressions use double curly braces wrapped around a content template, ranging from a simple variable, e.g., {{first_name}}, to complex evaluations of personalization data. syntax and reference checks. Invalid templates are not saved.

You can set an optional external_id on a template. The ID is a customer-defined string that is unique within a project. You can use it to look up or update a template using dedicated endpoints and to reference the template in send and push payloads where supported, as an alternative to the template UUID.

Using templates

After you create a template, you can apply it to a message in the dashboard or reference it in an API payload. The available options depend on the channel.

Dashboard

In the dashboard, you can select a template in a composer’s Content step:

For In-App Automation, you must select Modal or Fullscreen in the Style step, then you will see the option to use a template in the Content step.
For Message Center, In-App Automation, and email, you can edit the HTML or drag-and-drop design in the Interactive editor after selecting a template.

For email templates, you can create a new message directly from your templates list. Go to Content and select Templates, then select the more menu icon () for an email template and then Use template. This will open the Message composer with the email channel enabled and the template preselected.

API

In the API, include a template object to use a content template or to personalize your message with HandlebarsHandlebars is Airship’s templating language for personalization. Handlebars expressions use double curly braces wrapped around a content template, ranging from a simple variable, e.g., {{first_name}}, to complex evaluations of personalization data.. See Platform Overrides with Templates for exact property names and formats for your channel and operation.

Reference a content template by its ID, or by external ID when your payload and endpoint support it:

For templates created using the Content API, it is a UUID returned in a response.
For templates created in the dashboard, you can get the ID in your list of templates. Go to Content, then Templates, select the more menu icon () for a template, then Copy ID to clipboard.

For push, specify the template on the Notification object.

Scene templates

iOS SDK 20.9+Android SDK 20.8.2+

When configuring a push in the dashboard, select the Scene action, select Scenes Editor, then select a Scene template.

Using the API, reference a Scene template by its template_id in the open action of a push notification. When the user taps the notification, the Scene opens.

To get a Scene template’s ID, go to Content, then Templates, select the more menu icon () for a template, then Copy ID to clipboard.

Referencing a Scene template in an Android push notification

{
  "notification": {
    "android": {
      "alert": "hello",
      "actions": {
        "open": {
          "type": "scene",
          "content": {
            "template": {
              "template_id": "b295e180-bdf1-4d57-b375-f3SAMPLE7fa7"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Managing content templates

Go to Content and select Templates to view the list of templates in your project. The list displays templates created in the dashboard or with the Content API.

You can search by name, ID, or keyword. Templates without message content are labeled “Empty” and cannot be used until you add content.

For each template in the list, the more menu icon () provides these actions:

Edit opens the template for editing.
Duplicate makes a copy of the template in the current project or in a different project. You can only duplicate to projects that are configured for the template’s channel. MMS templates are not supported.
Note
When duplicating content to a different project, Airship does not copy segments, attributes, custom events, deep links, subscription lists, Preference Centers, brand guidelines, or Scene settings from the source project. Configure them independently in each project.

Selecting a template name opens its drawer with the same actions, plus the ability to change the name, description, and keywords directly. The drawer also displays any snippetsA reusable piece of content that you can define in Airship for later use in your messages and templates. Snippets support text or HTML content and can be used for commonly used elements such as a copyright, header image, or custom CSS. and external data feedsA connection to an external API. When you send a message, Airship uses a response from that API to personalize messages. used in the template.

To delete a template from your project, select the more menu icon () in the list, then Delete. Deleting a template that is in use may impact messaging.