Messages template rows

In this Article

• Three types of structure rows
  • Default rows
  • Empty rows
  • Saved rows
• Row properties
• Save a new row

Structure elements, or rows, are used to control how the email is laid out. Adding rows to your template or message is what gives your email a visually appealing look. Rows may have one or more columns, and you can customize these columns to achieve a unique look and feel for your message.

Three types of structure rows

There are 3 types of rows: Default, Empty, and Saved. These appear in a dropdown at the top of the Rows tab of the template editor. 

Default rows:

These rows are pre-set designs that already have the elements you need built in. Just drag and drop it into your template, then click on the elements to configure your images, text, and buttons. You can still add new elements or customize the columns as needed, though.

Empty rows:

Empty rows are different configurations of columns that don’t have any elements included. Drag and drop the row into your template, then use the elements from the Content tab to build out the row.

Saved rows:

Saved rows are ones that you have created and saved to the library for future use, including all your content and customizations. We’ll discuss how to save rows later in this article.

Row properties

Whichever type of row you start with, after you drag and drop it into place in your template, you can customize it with the Row Properties menu. Click on the row in question to pull up the properties menu.

Note: Be sure that you are not choosing an element or a column instead of a row. 

You can change the color of the entire row or just the content area using the color pickers or a hex code. By default, these are transparent and will take on the colors set in the Settings tab. You can also add a background image to the row using the Row background image toggle.

The other two toggles in this section let you decide what to do with the columns on smaller screens. Because these templates are responsive, they will usually stack on mobile, starting with the left-most column. You can override this, however, if you prefer that they don’t stack at all, or if you want to reverse the order of the columns because the most important content is on the right.

Customize columns

The row libraries contain many different configurations of columns, but if you want something even more customized, or you change your mind about how you want the columns to appear after you’ve added the row to your template, you can change the columns using the Customize columns feature within the Row Properties. You can also configure the appearance of each column separately in this section.

Note: A row can contain between 1 and 6 columns, each with a minimum of 2 units, adding up to a total of 12 units. Past that, the configuration is entirely up to you. Use the Add new and Delete links to add and remove columns from the row, and use the slider in between the columns to adjust the width of each column. 

Click on the representation of each column to adjust its properties. This includes the column padding, or the space around the column, as well as the borders. Toggle More options to change all four sides at once or customize each side individually. You can change the type of border, its color, as well as its weight.

Save a new row

After you’ve done all this work to configure your row, you may decide you want to reuse it in another message or another template. To save the row for future use, simply click the save icon located at the top of the Row Properties menu or on the row itself.

You’ll be prompted to give the row a name, and then it will be added to the Saved Rows library.

Learn more about setting up a messages template in our article Create a Messages template.