There are e-mail builders all world wide with just a few further grey hairs and wrinkles because of challenges that Microsoft Outlook causes us. However take coronary heart my pals! There could also be an finish to the nightmare of coding emails for desktop variations of Outlook.
Final 12 months, Microsoft introduced it plans to launch a brand new Outlook for Home windows. The announcement was primarily geared towards Outlook customers, and it invited beta testers to begin enjoying round with the up to date model. Nevertheless, there was a line added to the article that was music to the ears of e-mail geeks:
“In the present day, we’re taking our subsequent step by sharing a preview of the brand new Outlook for Home windows, designed to deliver consistency throughout our Home windows and net codebases…”
Margie Clinton, Microsoft 365 Insider article
The important thing phrase in that citation above is “consistency.” So, why is that such a giant deal? We’ll clarify.
Why Outlook for Home windows is a large headache
In case you’ve been within the e-mail advertising and marketing world for some time, you’re in all probability conscious of the most important problem for individuals who code campaigns: e-mail purchasers don’t render HTML and CSS constantly.
There are various ranges of assist for sure types of HTML and CSS. Meaning the way in which one thing appears on Gmail might look fairly completely different in Yahoo Mail. To see simply how sophisticated this could get for e-mail builders, take a look at the web site CanIEmail.com and examine assist amongst e-mail purchasers.
The greatest wrongdoer of all has been the desktop variations of Outlook (for Home windows 2003 – 2019). That’s why our tongue-in-cheek article on e-mail shopper stereotypes labeled Outlook “The Troublemaker.”
The primary cause for all that hassle is that Outlook for Home windows has been utilizing Microsoft Phrase as its rendering engine for years. And for those who assume it appears odd to make use of a phrase processor to render e-mail code, you’re not improper. To study extra about this, take a look at Rémi Parmentier’s publish on the present Outlook rendering engine.
It’s doubtless that Outlook customers make up a a lot smaller share of your listing compared to mailbox suppliers like Gmail and Apple Mail. However it’s an vital e-mail shopper for B2B manufacturers and sufficiently big that B2C senders can’t ignore it both.
Outlook coding points are such a giant drawback that they majorly affect the way in which we develop emails. Hussein Al Hammad defined why in a publish for the E mail Markup Consortium (EMC):
“Given the broad use of Outlook for Home windows globally, e-mail builders caught with patterns solely wanted to make sure their HTML emails render properly on Outlook for Home windows. As a result of these patterns are usually not wanted for emails to render properly elsewhere, it’s an Outlook-first method and never a user-first one.”
~ Hussein Al Hammad, E mail Markup Consortium
The truth that we’ve usually needed to code what works for in Outlook relatively than what’s finest for subscribers has been a bummer – to say the least. However that would change as folks and companies undertake the brand new Outlook for home windows.
What to anticipate from the brand new Outlook for Home windows
When Microsoft acknowledged that it was going to “deliver consistency throughout our Home windows and net codebases,” it signaled that the brand new desktop model of Outlook would render code in the identical manner as web-based variations of Outlook.
Meaning the brand new Outlook for Home windows would use a web-based rendering engine similar to most different purchasers do. So, there shall be extra assist for HTML and CSS, which is able to resolve fairly just a few issues for e-mail builders. Listed below are a few of the greatest modifications to anticipate:
1. No extra utilizing tables to code emails
As soon as the desktop variations of Outlook are lastly laid to relaxation, the necessity to use tables to code e-mail layouts will not be a necessity. The first cause e-mail builders have been doing that’s due to Outlook and its Phrase rendering engine.
Tables supplied the easiest way to successfully measurement and place e-mail parts in Outlook for Home windows. However additionally they created lots of further work for e-mail coders who might choose to make use of <div>s as a substitute. Sadly, since Outlook ignores inline styling, we are able to’t fashion <div>s with CSS.
The excellent news is, with the brand new Outlook for Home windows and its web-based rendering engine, we are able to anticipate fewer damaged layouts and the flexibility to make use of extra CSS. It could additionally imply the tip of utilizing ghost tables to repair Outlook alignment points.
2. Coding margin and padding will get simpler
Among the many many issues Outlook prompted for e-mail coding, points with spacing had been a few of the most irritating.
For starters, except for Outlook 2003, builders are unable to make use of CSS properties like “margin” or “padding” in code for the opposite desktop variations. Outlook removes padding in some conditions. That may embody picture padding, which when ignored might trigger textual content to look flush towards an e-mail graphic.
For the reason that margin and padding CSS properties have higher assist in Outlook net and cell functions, it’s protected to imagine that we’ll be capable to use them for the brand new Outlook for Home windows.
3. Assist for CSS background pictures
As a result of Outlook.com and Outlook 365 use a web-based rendering engine, CSS background pictures aren’t any drawback in any respect. However it’s been a special story for the desktop variations. Whereas Outlook does assist the background-color property, e-mail builders have been pressured to make use of desk background picture attributes as a substitute of the CSS property background-image.
The opposite choice has been to make use of vector markup language (VML) for background pictures in Outlook emails.
As soon as the brand new Outlook for Home windows replaces its outdated ancestors, we’ll be capable to measurement and place e-mail backgrounds and use bigger pictures for retina shows.
4. Fewer conditional statements in emails
When e-mail builders need to embody code that’s just for sure variations of Outlook, or they need to disguise content material from Outlook subscribers (as a result of it received’t work), conditional statements have finished the trick.
As the present desktop variations fade away and make room for a brand new Outlook for home windows, e-mail coding received’t require as lots of these <!--if [mso]> statements. The truth is, that is one thing to bear in mind as issues progress, since you’ll need to take away these MSO conditional statements to simplify your code and scale back bloat.
What does this imply for the way forward for e-mail coding and testing?
There are numerous different rendering points which will disappear together with adoption of the brand new Outlook for Home windows. However don’t get too excited simply but. First, companies and e-mail customers might want to replace their variations of Outlook. And it ought to come as no shock that this received’t occur robotically. In spite of everything, that’s why we’re nonetheless ensuring emails look okay in Outlook 2010 proper now.
The date to mark in your calendars is October 2026. That’s when Microsoft says it’ll formally finish its assist for desktop variations that use the Phrase rendering engine. As soon as that occurs, those that are sluggish to undertake must begin utilizing the brand new Outlook for Home windows.
Since its earliest days, E mail on Acid by Sinch has taken on the mission of simplifying the complexities of e-mail growth. We’ve finished that by offering e-mail testing instruments together with e-mail previews that present you ways your campaigns render on dozens of purchasers and dwell gadgets.
In fact, discovering and fixing Outlook points earlier than hitting “ship” are among the many greatest causes folks use our platform. However the reality is, we’re excited that this alteration is coming. Similar to everybody concerned with the EMC, we imagine that the e-mail business wants outlined requirements, and this can be a massive step in the appropriate route.
Within the meantime, desktop variations of Outlook will dwell on, and different e-mail coding and design challenges similar to darkish mode and accessibility will nonetheless must be addressed. So, for those who’re prepared to begin placing your finest e-mail ahead, give E mail on Acid a strive.
Writer: Megan Boshuyzen
Megan is a graphic designer turned e-mail developer who’s labored on all points of e-mail advertising and marketing. She believes good emails for good causes make a constructive distinction on the planet. Megan is presently working as an e-mail developer for Sinch E mail. Go to her web site and study extra at megbosh.com.
Writer: Megan Boshuyzen
Megan is a graphic designer turned e-mail developer who’s labored on all points of e-mail advertising and marketing. She believes good emails for good causes make a constructive distinction on the planet. Megan is presently working as an e-mail developer for Sinch E mail. Go to her web site and study extra at megbosh.com.
