Templates
Reusable email designs shared by campaigns, workflows, and API sends
A template lives in the Bitelio dashboard and can power any kind of send: campaigns, workflow steps, or transactional emails dispatched through /v1/send.
Anatomy of a template
Content, sender identity, and sending behaviour are all packaged together in the template:
Prop
Type
When /v1/send references a template, any of subject, body, from, fromName, and replyTo can be overridden per request — the values stored on the template serve only as defaults.
Sender domain verification
A template's from address has to belong to a verified domain; a create or update using an unverified one is rejected with 403. See Verifying domains.
Designing templates
You can build templates in the built-in editor or paste in HTML you've authored elsewhere.
Personalization
Templates are personalized with handlebars-style placeholders — write {{ key }} and it resolves to the contact's data value for that key.
Always Available Variables
Whatever custom data a contact has, these variables can always be used:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{{id}} | The contact's unique identifier |
{{email}} | The contact's email address |
{{unsubscribeUrl}} | URL to the unsubscribe page |
{{subscribeUrl}} | URL to the subscribe/resubscribe page |
{{manageUrl}} | URL to the preferences management page |
Fallback Values
A variable that may be missing can carry a fallback:
Hello {{firstName ?? 'there'}}!When firstName is absent, the output becomes "Hello there!"
Special Fields
These fields are managed by Bitelio, yet remain usable in templates.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{{subscribed}} | Contact's subscription status (true/false) |
{{locale}} | Contact's preferred locale (e.g., 'en', 'fr', 'es') |
Previewing templates
Pick a contact in the preview window to render the template with that contact's real data filled in — a quick way to check exactly what an individual recipient would see.
Duplicating and finding usage
POST /templates/:id/duplicate— makes an editable copy, handy for A/B variants or as a base for a related email.GET /templates/:id/usage— returns every campaign, workflow step, and other reference pointing at the template. Run it before editing ("what depends on this?") or before deleting ("any stragglers left?").
Templates types
Bitelio has three template types. All three are sent with equal priority — deliverability and performance are not reasons to choose one over another.
| Type | Respects opt-out | Bitelio unsubscribe footer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Yes | Yes | A Bitelio-hosted unsubscribe footer is appended automatically, and unsubscribed contacts never receive it |
| Transactional | No | No | Carries no unsubscribe option and reaches every contact, whatever their subscription state |
| Headless | Yes | No | Honours opt-out exactly like marketing, but Bitelio appends no footer — supplying an unsubscribe path in the body is on you. Link to Bitelio's managed unsubscribe page with {{unsubscribeUrl}} or {{manageUrl}} |