Overview of the Email Template Editor: Structures & Columns

Equipme’s email editor lets you build beautiful notification emails without writing any HTML. You access it whenever you create or edit a template for a notification. This article gives a general overview of the editor interface and explains the core concept of structures, which are the scaffolding for every email design.

Editor layout

When you open the editor by clicking New template in the notification settings, you see three main areas:

• Top bar – The upper‑right corner includes a preview eye icon, Cancel and Save. Use these buttons to preview, discard or save your work.
• Left panel – This panel has three tabs: Content, Structure and Settings. The Content tab lists all available content blocks such as text, images, GIFs, buttons, dividers, spacers, social icons, videos and HTML. The Structure tab provides predefined layout sections (described below). The Settings tab lets you adjust global colours, fonts and other template‑wide settings.
• Canvas – The central area is where you build your template. It initially shows a blue rectangle with a plus icon indicating an empty structure. This area grows as you add sections and content.

What are structures?

Structures (also called sections) are the fundamental building blocks of every template. According to the official documentation, a structure defines the layout framework for arranging content and helps organise different parts of an email. Each structure consists of one to four columns, and each column can hold a single type of content such as text, images or buttons. In other words:

• Structures determine the layout – They let you arrange content in rows and columns. A structure can have one, two, three or four columns, giving you flexibility to align elements side‑by‑side or stack them.
• Columns hold content blocks – Within each column you can place one content block (text, image, button, etc.). If you need multiple pieces of content underneath each other, you can add another structure below or stack blocks vertically in the same column.
• Grid‑based layout – Structures are designed to be responsive; columns stack on top of each other on mobile devices when the “stack columns on mobile” option is enabled. This ensures your email looks good on both desktop and mobile.

Adding and organising structures

To start designing, switch to the Structure tab in the left panel. You will see several pre‑defined layouts, each showing a different number and arrangement of columns. Drag a layout onto the canvas or click the plus icon on the existing blue rectangle to insert a new structure. You can then drag the structure up or down to reorder it. In the Equipme editor, you primarily use drag‑and‑drop to add and rearrange sections; there is no dedicated duplicate or delete button for entire structures.

Common actions when working with structures include:

1. Adding a structure – Drag a layout (e.g., three‑column) from the Structure tab into the canvas or click the plus icon on an existing blank area. You can add as many structures as you need and arrange them in the order you prefer.
2. Reordering structures – Use drag‑and‑drop to move a structure up or down within your template. This allows you to rearrange sections without rebuilding the layout.

Filling structures with content

Once you have added a structure, you need to populate each column with content. Here’s how:

• Drag content blocks – Switch back to the Content tab and drag a block (such as Text, Image or Button) into the blue area within a column. You can also click the blue plus icon in a column to choose the content type from a modal window.
• One block per column – Each column can contain only one block at a time. If you need to stack multiple blocks (for example, a heading and a paragraph), add a new structure below the current one or use the same column to stack blocks vertically.
• Pre‑made structures – For faster design, the Premade section of the Content tab offers ready‑made header, content, e‑commerce and footer sections. Drag these into your template and customise them.

Tips for building templates

• Plan your layout – Start by adding structures that match the layout you envision: single‑column for full‑width text or images, two‑column for side‑by‑side elements, and multi‑column for complex sections.
• Use responsive structures – Enable the option to stack columns on mobile to ensure your email looks good on smaller screens.
• Add and remove safely – You can add as many structures as you need and rearrange them. If you delete a structure, all its content will be removed, so duplicate before experimenting.

By understanding structures and columns, you lay a strong foundation for designing effective email templates in Equipme. Once you are comfortable adding and organising structures, you can explore the next topic on content blocks and learn how to insert text, images and buttons.