Creating a New JoomlaMail Template

joomlamailer version: 1.7.2
Joomla! version: 2.5.6
PHP version:5
MySQL version: Not sure.

Creating a JoomlaMailer template from an exisiting JoomlaMailer template.
Getting started
Download and install JoomlaMailer in your Joomla website
www.joomlamailer.com/

You then need to create a MailChimp account at www.mailchimp.com and verify the email address associated with the account.

Once you have created and verified your MailChimp account you will then need your API key to link JoomlaMailer in your
website to your MailChimp account. Log into your MailChimp account and go to:
Account / API Keys and Authorized Apps
Click 'Add a Key'. Copy that key code.

Now log into your Joomla website and go to:
Components / Newsletter
Click 'Options'
Paste the API key code in the relevant field and complete the Default Campaign settings while you're there.

It is now time to create your own JoomlaMailer Template. Lets keep it simple!

Login into your hosting account with your FTP program or use cPanels files manager and browse this location:
public_html / administrator / components / joomlamailermailchimpintegration / templates

To create a nice simple single column template copy the folder 'jsinglecolumn' to your desktop.
Duplicate that folder and rename it with your template name. Remember no spaces in the name or funny characters.

Open up jsinglecolumn and look at the contents. Your new template will need to retain the same content items.

Open up template.html in Dreamweaver and take a good look at it.

It's basically a HTML page.
The body tag has some formatting.
Then there are some CSS styles set.
Then beneath the styles you have a series of tables that contain the information.

When I created my own template I changed the body tag styling, removed the existing CSS styles and replaced
them with my own styles for the tags: H1, H2, H3, p, p img, a.

I then created 3 tables at 600px wide.
My top table holds my header image.
My middle table holds the main content and
my third table holds the footer info.

In regards to styling you need to apply inline styles on your tables and table td's

Table 01
The header table is pretty easy and the header image is stored in the root of the template folder.

Table 02
For my main content area I only need the basics which doesn't include Discussions or Subscription Plans so I only kept
the following tags as used in the original template file:
<#intro_content#>
<#repeater#>
<#title#>
<#content#>
<#/repeater#>

While you are creating your styles these tags don't really give you much to look at so I used some formatted
dummy copy while I was playing around. i.e.:

<h1>My title here</h1>
<h2>Heading two copy here</h2>
<p>Some copy here etc…</p>

Table 03
For my footer table I copied the exact same text which is in the original template file:

*|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* <br>
<br>
<a href="*|UNSUB|*">Unsubscribe</a> *|EMAIL|* from this list.<br>
<br>
Our mailing address is:<br>
*|LIST:ADDRESS|*<br>
<br>
Our telephone:<br>
*|LIST:PHONE|*<br>
<br>
Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|* All rights reserved.<br>
<br>
<a href="*|FORWARD|*">Forward</a> this email to a friend

Once I was happy with the way it looked I copied my newly named template folder to:
administrator / components / com_joomailermailchimpintegration / templates

Once you have copied your template to the server log into your Joomla website and navigate to:
Components / Newsletter
Click Campaigns
Click 'Create Campaign' top right
Choose your template form the drop down
Add some text etc and press Preview.

I haven't created a template with 2 columns yet because I just prefer the simple single column templates for HTML email.

Good luck,
Neil.

I tried importing a Text File into a Template on mailchimp.com server and deleted my Joomla Mailer templates. Now when I try to import some Content I get a blank HTML page. Should I uninstall and re-install the file com_joomlamailermailchimpintegration_v1.7.2.zip ? Re-install and choose "Upgrade"? I have the Joomla Mailer installed on two related domains which access the same MailChimp account.

Thanks!

Hi Greasemonkey,

What you are trying to do is beyond my skills in JoomlaMailer. My skills are basic

As I understand it you have deleted your Joomlamailer templates from your Joomla installations which you shouldn't do. You need those JoomlaMailer templates installed so that JoomlaMailer can access them to implement the html design for your mailers.

You may have 3 Joomla websites accessing the one MailChimp account but each site refers to the JoomlaMailer templates intsalled on the system for the design of the html mailer. The fact you access one MailChimp account just means that you are using your allocated free MailChimp credits across three sites.

As I see it, if you can't put back the files you deleted it would be best to perform a clean install of JoomlaMailer.

Good luck,
Neil.