The Benefits of Properly Formatted Email Code

When developing email code, there are many things to consider. First, you should start with a solid code foundation, which will help your email display correctly on different devices and email clients. And of course, email testing with a tool like Email on Acid is another crucial step.

Now, it’s time to talk about how to format email code. Properly formatting your code will help make your email development process a lot smoother – trust us!

Why Should I Format My Email Code?

Easy Code Debugging

When you use a consistent code format, it enables you to debug errors in the code efficiently. For example, if you spot a mistake while testing your email, you can go back and find the bug in your code easily. If you haven’t formatted the code correctly, it will take longer to sift through the HTML and find the bug.

See the code below. Can you spot the two mistakes? Which is easier to debug?

The first section is formatted properly. See how nice and easy it is to read? The errors to spot are the misplaced </h2> and the missing </td>.

Add and Remove Code Sections with Ease

Whether you’re creating emails from scratch or using a free template, you will probably find yourself re-using elements across multiple emails. When emails have properly formatted source code, you can easily scan the email and copy sections for other emails.

Streamline Team Collaboration

Formatting code is essential when you’re working as part of a development team. If everyone on the team is using the same code format, developers will be able to easily jump in and out of each other’s code and help each other without having to adjust to their colleague’s coding style.

How Should I Format My Email Code?

Email developers, and developers in general, all have a unique way of writing their code. One of the most important parts of writing code is consistency, which means coding in a uniform style across all emails.

How Should I Indent My Code?

Indenting code is the first and most important step to creating beautifully formatted email code. Look at the example below – it shows how even a simple table structure can look daunting without indentation.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" role="presentation">
<tr>
<td>
<h1>
Newsletter edition one.
</h1>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="20">
&nbsp;
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>
In this edition we cover why it's so important to format your code properly
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

The same code example with proper indentation looks a lot more approachable as a code block.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" role="presentation">
        <tr>
                <td>
                        <h1>
                                Newsletter edition one.
                        </h1>
                </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td height="20">
                        &nbsp;
                </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>
                        <p>
                                In this edition we cover why it's so important to format your code properly
                        </p>
                </td>
        </tr>
</table>

Another development style decision is what size to make the indentation, which comes down to personal preference. Our advice is to do what works for you, but remember: consistency is key.

For Email on Acid customers, our robust Email Editor will automatically indent code, making your email code beautiful and easy to read every time.

Should I Include Comments in My Email Code?

It’s generally safe to use comments in your email code. They help remember the purpose for specific bits of code and can also mark the end of sections. However, there are a few things to consider.

If you include too many comments in the email code, it can drive up the file size. Gmail, in its ever problematic self, will clip messages that exceed 102kB in file size.

Another consideration is that email code isn’t hidden; anyone can access the code with just a few clicks. Keep this in mind when writing your code and make sure your comments won’t offend anyone.

Even with the Right Code Format, You Still Need to Test!

If you’re starting with a solid code foundation and proper formatting, you’re on your way to a great email. However, testing that email is still a crucial step – even the slightest code change can affect how your email displays. With Email on Acid, you can test your code across more than 70 clients and devices, so you can have the confidence that you’ll be sending a beautiful email every time.

START TESTING TODAY!