Email Templates

Create and customize email templates for invoices, booking confirmations, payment receipts, and more.

Overview

The email template editor lets you design the content of outgoing emails sent from the system. Each template type is used in a specific context — when sending an invoice, confirming a booking, or welcoming a guest. Templates support dynamic variables that are replaced with real data at send time.

Template Types

The system supports the following template types:

Type	Used For
invoice	Sending invoices via email (with PDF attachment)
booking_confirmation	Confirming a reservation to the guest
payment_receipt	Acknowledging a payment received
quote	Sending quotations or estimates
welcome_guest	Welcome message sent at check-in
checkout_summary	Summary email sent at check-out
custom	User-defined templates for any purpose

Each type (except custom) has a specific trigger point in the system where it can be used automatically or manually.

Template Variables

Templates use double-curly-brace syntax for dynamic content. Variables are automatically replaced with actual values when the email is sent.

Guest Variables

Variable	Output
	Guest's full name
	Guest's first name
	Guest's last name
	Guest's email address
	Guest's phone number
	Guest's company name

Booking Variables

Variable	Output
	Booking reference code
	Check-in date (formatted)
	Check-out date (formatted)
	Room name or number
	Room type name
	Total nights
	Number of guests
	Current booking status
	Total booking amount

Invoice Variables

Variable	Output
	Invoice code (e.g., INV-00042)
	Date of invoice
	Payment due date
	Invoice grand total
	Outstanding balance
	Subtotal before tax
	Total tax amount

Payment Variables

Variable	Output
	Payment amount received
	Date of payment
	Payment method (Cash, UPI, etc.)
	Transaction reference number

Organization Variables

Variable	Output
	Organization name
	Organization full address
	Organization phone number
	Organization email
	Organization website
	Organization GSTIN

Creating a Template

Step-by-Step

1. Navigate to Settings → Email Templates
2. Click New Template (or the + card)
3. Fill in the template details in the Config tab:

Field	Description
Name	Internal name for identification (e.g., "Standard Invoice Email")
Type	Select from the available types (Invoice, Booking Confirmation, etc.)
Subject	Email subject line — supports
Header Text	Text shown in the email header section
Footer Text	Text shown at the bottom of the email
Set as Default	Toggle to make this the default template for its type
Editor Mode	Switch between Visual (drag-and-drop) and HTML (raw code)

4. Use the Variables tab to see all available variables for the selected type
5. Build the email body using the Visual Editor or write HTML directly
6. Preview the template to verify formatting
7. Save the template

Visual Editor

The visual editor provides a Canva-like drag-and-drop experience for building email templates without writing HTML.

Editor Layout

Panel	Description
Left Sidebar — Elements	Add new content blocks to the email (text, heading, image, button, etc.)
Left Sidebar — Layers	View and reorder all sections in the template
Center Canvas	Live preview of the email — click any element to select and edit it
Right Sidebar — Properties	Edit the selected element's styles, content, and attributes

Available Elements

Element	Description
Text	Paragraph text block
Heading	Large heading text (H1)
Divider	Horizontal rule separator
Spacer	Empty spacing block
Button	Call-to-action button with customizable colors
Image	Image element — upload from local or set URL
Logo	Organization logo (auto-uses your org logo URL)
Info Row	Label-value pair row (e.g., "Invoice Date: ")
Card	Styled container card with shadow and padding
HTML	Raw HTML block for advanced content

Element Properties

When you click an element on the canvas, the Properties panel shows context-aware controls:

Text Elements (<p>, <h1>–<h6>, <span>, <a>, <button>, etc.)

• Text Content — Edit the text directly, insert
• Typography — Font family, font size, bold, italic, underline, line height
• Alignment — Left, center, right
• Colors — Text color, background color (with color picker)

Image Elements (<img>)

• Image Source — Enter a URL or upload from local (converts to base64 data URL)
• No text content section shown

Link Elements (<a>)

• Link URL — Set the href attribute

All Elements

• Size — Width, height
• Spacing — Padding, margin
• Border — Border width, border style (none / solid / dashed / dotted / double), border color, border radius
• Element Actions — Move up/down, clone, delete

Section Actions

Each section on the canvas has a floating action bar with:

• Move Up / Move Down — Reorder among sections
• Duplicate — Clone the entire section
• Delete — Remove the section

Toolbar

Action	Description
Template Name	Click to rename the template inline
Undo / Redo	Full undo/redo history (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z)
Zoom	Zoom in/out of the canvas
Preview Toggle	Switch between editor and preview mode

Preview Mode

Click the Eye icon in the toolbar to toggle preview mode. Preview renders the email exactly as it will appear in the recipient's inbox, including:

• Body padding applied to content sections
• Header and footer sections rendered without extra padding
• All styles preserved (borders, colors, fonts)

TIP

You can switch between Visual and HTML mode at any time. The Visual editor generates clean inline-styled HTML compatible with all major email clients.

Subject Line Example

Invoice {{invoice_number}} from {{org_name}}

Renders as: Invoice INV-00042 from Grand Hotel

Body Example

<p>Dear {{guest_name}},</p>

<p>Thank you for choosing {{org_name}}. Please find your invoice
<strong>{{invoice_number}}</strong> attached to this email.</p>

<p><strong>Invoice Details:</strong></p>
<ul>
  <li>Invoice Date: {{invoice_date}}</li>
  <li>Total Amount: {{invoice_total}}</li>
  <li>Due Date: {{invoice_due_date}}</li>
  <li>Balance Due: {{invoice_balance}}</li>
</ul>

<p>If you have any questions, please contact us at {{org_email}}
or {{org_phone}}.</p>

<p>Thank you,<br>{{org_name}}</p>

Custom Templates

The custom template type allows you to create templates for any email purpose not covered by the built-in types. Custom templates:

• Can use all available variables
• Are not tied to any automatic trigger
• Can be selected manually when composing an email
• Useful for marketing emails, special offers, seasonal greetings, etc.

Setting Defaults

Each template type can have one default template that is automatically used when sending that type of email.

Setting a Default

1. Open the template you want to set as default
2. Toggle Set as Default in the Config panel
3. The template is now marked with a default badge

If no default is set for a type, the system will prompt you to select a template each time.

TIP

You can have multiple templates of the same type (e.g., several invoice templates for different scenarios) but only one can be the default.

Preview Functionality

The template editor includes a Preview mode that shows how the email will look with sample data:

1. Open a template in the editor
2. Click Preview
3. The system fills in all variables with sample data:
   • Guest name: "John Doe"
   • Invoice number: "INV-00001"
   • Organization name: Your actual org name
   • Dates: Current date
   • Amounts: Sample amounts
4. Review the rendered HTML output
5. Switch back to Edit mode to make changes

Preview uses your actual organization details but placeholder data for guest and transaction fields.

Integration with Gmail Sending

Email templates integrate directly with the Gmail sending flow:

Sending Flow

1. Trigger: User clicks "Send" on an invoice, booking, or other record
2. Template Selection: System loads the default template for that type (or prompts user to choose)
3. Variable Replacement: All are replaced with actual data from the record
4. Compose: The rendered email is shown in a compose dialog for review
5. Attachments: Relevant attachments (e.g., invoice PDF) are added automatically
6. Send: Email is sent via the connected Gmail account using OAuth2

Customization at Send Time

Even after template rendering, you can customize the email before sending:

• Edit the subject line
• Modify the body text
• Add or remove recipients (To, CC, BCC)
• Add additional attachments

Prerequisites

Gmail sending requires a connected Gmail account. See Integrations → Gmail OAuth2 Setup for configuration.

Best Practices

• Keep templates concise — guests prefer short, clear emails
• Always include key information — invoice number, amounts, dates
• Use your organization variables — ensures branding stays consistent even if details change
• Test with Preview before setting a template as default
• Create type-specific templates — a booking confirmation has different needs than an invoice email
• Include contact information — use and so guests can reach you

Permissions

Email template management is controlled by the Email Templates RBAC module:

Permission	Access
View	Browse and preview templates
Create	Create new templates
Update	Edit existing templates, set defaults
Delete	Remove templates
Manage	Full access to all template operations