Write Your First Template

Email templates in Synapse use NLT (Natural Language Template) syntax -- a plain-English way to personalize emails. Instead of writing code, you write something that reads like a sentence. This guide shows you how to create a simple personalized email template.

---

Step 1: Create a New Template

1. In the dashboard sidebar, click Templates.
2. Click Create Template in the top right corner.
3. Fill in the basic details:

---

Step 2: Write the Email Body

The editor has two panes: the HTML editor on the left and a live preview on the right. As you type, the preview updates in real time with sample data.

Here's a simple template to start with:

---

Step 3: Add Personalization

NLT expressions are wrapped in curly braces { }. Here are the most common patterns:

Pull in a Contact's Name

This inserts the contact's first name. If the contact doesn't have a first name on file, it will show as blank.

Add a Fallback Value

If the first name is missing, "there" is used instead. So the greeting becomes "Hi there," which is much better than "Hi ,".

Use Trigger Event Data

When your template is used in a flow, you can pull data from the event that triggered the flow:

---

Step 4: Add a Simple Conditional

You can show different content to different people. For example:

The conditional checks the contact's data, and only shows the matching section.

---

Step 5: Preview and Test

1. Click the Preview tab to see your template rendered with sample data.
2. Use the Test Data panel to change sample values and see how the template behaves with different inputs (missing names, different plans, etc.).
3. Click Send Test Email to send a real email to your own address and verify it looks right in your email client.

---

Step 6: Save and Publish

1. Click Save Draft to save your work without making it available to flows.
2. When you're satisfied, click Publish to make the template available for use in flows.
3. Published templates are versioned -- if you edit a published template later, a new version is created.

---

Common Patterns

Here are a few patterns you'll use often:

Greeting with Fallback

Required Data (Suppress Email if Missing)

If the reference number is missing, the email is not sent at all -- preventing incomplete or confusing messages from reaching the contact.

Formatting Numbers and Dates

---

Next Steps

Now that you have a template, you can:

• Create a flow that uses this template
• Explore Variables for all the ways to pull in data
• Learn about Conditionals for advanced personalization
• See Template Examples for real-world patterns

---

Looking for the API?

If you prefer to create and manage templates programmatically, see the Templates API Reference.