Email Templates
Email templates are used to help increase productivity and ensure consistent email messaging. Email templates permits usage of merge fields which lets you send emails that include a related field value from Salesforce records.
Types
Within Salesforce there are 2 User-Interface experiences (Lightning and Classic). The email templates too can be broadly categorized into these two categories, which then are further drilled down one level.
Experience:
- Lightning Email Templates (UI Type: SFX and SFX_Sample)
- Classic Email Templates (UI Type: Aloha)
Lightning Email Templates
Lightning Email Templates are the modern way to create Email Templates which can be leveraged while composing emails prior to sending them. Lightning Email Templates are of type HTML. They can contain merge fields and be put into folders just like Classic Email Templates.
Key Considerations:
- Lightning Email Templates can have merged fields on the Templates based on the Organization Details, Recipient, Sender and a Related Entity/Object
- Email Templates cannot be packaged i.e. they cannot be retrieved/deployed via ANT/SFDX/Change-Set
- Lightning Email Templates are migrated between Salesforce Instances via Data-Loader
- Permission creating and modifying Email Templates can be provided at Profile/Permission Set level.
- Lightning Email Alerts can not be used in Email Alerts
Classic Email Templates
There are 4 types of Classic Email Templates:
- Text
- HTML with Classic Letterhead
- Custom HTML
- Visualforce
Classic Email Templates are old yet powerful way to consider all cases. While Lightning Email Templates gives power to the user to generate and control email Templates the Classic Email Templates are more controlled.
- They can be used in Business Automation Email Alerts
- They can be packaged and deployed through ANT/SFDX/Change-Set (DevOps)
- Branding and Customization can be leveraged
- Complex Data can be displayed leveraging Visualforce Templates
Key Takeaway
Leverage Lightning Email Templates to give more control to user to make changes as needed. E.g Email templates where user needs to manually select email templates for correspondence. For scenarios where the Administrator wants to keep more of a control then go for Classic Email Templates.