Custom Building Blocks and App Blocks can be used to save repeatable content or to add custom Spektrix content into your emails.
This article explains how to use the Spektrix-provided Custom Building Blocks and App Blocks in your Dotdigital emails. It also covers how to create your own Custom Building Blocks to save content you want to use again.
What are Custom Building Blocks?
You can create Custom Building Blocks to save and repeat elements in your Dotdigital emails.
For example, if you always add a Members Dynamic Content block to your newsletter, you may want to save it as a Custom Building Block to easily replicate it again in the future.
Other examples of ways you might use Custom Building blocks include:
- An unsubscribe and manage Contact Preferences section
- A branded header menu with links to your What’s On, Membership and Donate pages
- A Donation ask Dynamic Content block
What are Spektrix Custom Building Blocks?
Spektrix Custom Building Blocks are pre-made blocks provided by Spektrix to help you easily add extra functionality to your existing emails.
Spektrix Custom Building Blocks are editable; you can rearrange the content within them and apply your own styling.
What are Spektrix App Blocks?
Spektrix App Blocks are pre-made custom code blocks provided by Spektrix.
Using App Blocks, you can add powerful functionality to your Dotdigital emails by using the drag-and-drop building blocks within the Dotdigital EasyEditor.
You cannot edit the layout or styling within App Blocks. Any content within App Blocks will follow the email style settings.
To learn more about Spektrix App Blocks, jump to the Spektrix App Blocks section.
How to add a Custom Building Block to your email
To add a Custom Building Block to your email, follow the steps below.
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In the Dotdigital Easy Editor, go to the Build menu > Custom building blocks:
- Find the Custom Building Block you want to add. If your blocks are organised into folders, you may need to open the folder.
- Drag and drop the Custom Building Block into the body of your email:
Spektrix Custom Building Blocks
Spektrix pre-made Custom Building Blocks can be used to add custom content from Spektrix into your emails.
The available Spektrix Custom Building Blocks are:
Supplementary Events Upsell Block
The Supplementary Events Upsell Block can be added to your Pre-Event Email to direct your customers to a Subsite Supplementary Events page filtered by date.
To use this block in your Pre-Event Emails, you will need to:
- Use a Spektrix Subsite
- Set up Supplementary Events
- Use the Pre/Post Event Header in your Pre-Event Email
- Set up the Subsite Subdomain Data Field
- Create a new Instance Attribute as a checkbox and visible in the API, named exactly:
dotdigitalPreEventSupplementaryUpsell
- Apply this Attribute to Instances where you’d like to display the Upsell Block in the Pre-Event email.
- Add the Supplementary Events Upsell Block to your email and customise the block with your organisation’s Supplementary Event information.
To customise the Supplementary Events Upsell Block, you will need to replace the text and upload an image. You can also update the button text and apply any other content and styling elements.
When the customer clicks the button, they’ll be directed to Supplementary Events page on your Subsite which displays Supplementary Events with the same date as the Instance.
For more information about using the Supplementary Events Upsell Block, read the Building Post-Purchase Upsells recipe on the Community.
WARNING: The Pre-Event Liquid Header App Block must appear first in the email.
Hidden Preview Text
The Hidden Preview Text block can be added to any of your Dotdigital email campaigns to tailor the first line of text that appears under the subject line in your customers' inbox.
The Hidden Preview Text block can be found under the Build menu in a folder named Spektrix:
When you drag and drop the Hidden Preview Text block into your email campaign, you can enter 40-90 characters which will act as a subheading to your subject line. The preview text will appear in most inboxes and may appear within the email on some mobile devices.
How to create a Custom Building Block
To save content as a Custom Building Block, follow the steps below:
- Ensure that the content you want to save is contained within one block. You can use a column block to contain all of the elements in one block.
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Drag and drop the block into the Custom Building Blocks panel in the menu on the left.
- Enter a name for the block. This helps you, or your colleagues, to identify the block to use again in future.
- Click SAVE
Once saved, your block will be available under the Custom Building Blocks section.
TIP: We strongly recommend using folders for your Custom Building Blocks to keep them organised.
Editing a Custom Building Block
To edit a Custom Building Block:
- Select the block name and then click the Properties icon.
- To rename a block, enter a new value in the Block name field.
- To change where a block is stored, expand the Parent folder drop-down menu and select a folder.
- Click SAVE to confirm any changes.
Spektrix App Blocks
Spektrix pre-made App Blocks can be added to your emails to power extra functionality in your emails.
App Blocks can be found in the EasyEditor under the Build tab on the menu on the left and below the images dropdown.
To add an App Block into your email, drag and drop the block from the menu on the left into the body of your email.
The available Spektrix App Blocks are:
Pre/Post Event Header
The Pre/Post Event Header powers the Liquid Script for Pre- and Post-Event emails.
The Pre/Post Event Header is included by default in the Pre-Event Email Template or can be added to your existing Pre- and Post-Event email campaigns to enable Liquid Script and the preview function.
To learn more about how to add the Pre-Event Liquid Header to your Pre or Post-Event Email, read Custom Pre- and Post-Event Emails.
You will need to add a Liquid Script to the top of your email before adding the header.
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Drag and drop a Liquid Markup block into the top of your email:
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Paste in the following code:
{% assign spektrix_instance_id = '$INSTANCEID$' %}
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Click APPLY:
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Drag and drop the Pre/Post Event Header App Block directly below the Liquid Markup.
Once added to your email, you can click the block and enter an Instance ID to allow you to preview the email for a specific Instance.
If your existing email uses any legacy data fields (e.g @EVENTNAME@) these will not appear in the preview. However, they will still function once the email is delivered.
Entering a Test Instance ID will not affect your Pre- and Post- Event Emails when they are delivered.