Email editor 2.0: variables in the text version

Email editor 2.0: variables in the text version

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

29 Comments
Ulf_Deeg
Level 3

Indeed, please fix this.

Grégoire_Miche2
Level 10

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

-Greg

Anonymous
Not applicable

Is there any update on when this will be fixed? 

Anonymous
Not applicable

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

Anonymous
Not applicable

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
Level 10 - Community Moderator

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

Anonymous
Not applicable

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

Justin_Cooperm2
Level 10

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

Erik_Heldebro2
Level 8

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

Grégoire_Miche2
Level 10

Fully concurring with Eric on this, it's key that titles, texts and links are carried over to the text version.

-Greg