What are Placeholders?

Placeholders are one of the multiple tools available within the Mailbutler Message Template feature. For instructions on how to create Message Templates, please see here. To learn how to insert Message Templates into your emails, please see here.

Placeholders enable you to automatically fill in certain types of information from various sources. Your email client, if you've sent an email to the person before, or the Mailbutler Contacts feature, if you have a business subscription. Your own information comes from the Mailbutler extended profile page. 

They work for both the sender and the recipient of the email.

This way, you will have Message Templates which will automatically fill certain fields, depending on your information or that of the recipient.

Please select the software you are using for your emails.

Placeholders in Apple Mail

1. Open Apple Mail and in the Mailbutler sidebar click on the Account Settings (⚙) button, then Account & Preferences.


2. A new window will open. Select Templates under Manage Features in the sidebar on the left.

3. In the upper right corner, click the plus sign to make a new Message Template (a). 
Name your template (b) and enter the Subject of your message. Click on the Editor icon (c)to open the rich text editor.

4. Create your Message Template.

5. Click inside the Message Template in the place you want to insert a Placeholder.

6. Select a Placeholder from the selection of Placeholders at the bottom of the Message Template editor.

7. You can see the inserted Placeholders in your Message Template.

8. Your changes will be saved automatically.

9. You can now compose an email using your new Message Template.

10. To insert your Message Template, click on the Message Template button and select your Template.

11. Hover your mouse over the green marked Placeholders to reveal the content of the Placeholders.

12. Or click on the preview button to reveal the content of the Placeholders.

 

Placeholders in Gmail

1. Open Gmail and in the Mailbutler sidebar click on the Account Settings (⚙) button, then Account & Preferences.



2. A new window will open. Select Templates under Manage Features in the sidebar on the left.

3. In the upper right corner, click the plus sign to make a new Message Template (a). 
Name your template (b) and enter the Subject of your message. Click on the Editor icon (c)to open the rich text editor.

4. Create your Message Template.

5. Click inside the Message Template in the place you want to insert a Placeholder.

6. Select a Placeholder from the selection of Placeholders at the bottom of the Message Template editor.

7. You can see the inserted Placeholders in your Message Template.

8. Your changes will be saved automatically.

9. You can now compose an email using your new Message Template.

10. To insert your Message Template, click on the Message Template button and select your Template.

11. Hover your mouse over the green marked Placeholders to reveal the content of the Placeholders.

12. Or click on the preview button to reveal the content of the Placeholders.


Placeholders in Outlook

1. Open Outlook and in the Mailbutler sidebar click on the Account Settings (⚙) button, then Account & Preferences.


2. A new window will pop up. Select Templates under Manage Features in the sidebar on the left.


3. In the upper right corner, click the plus sign to make a new Message Template (a). 
Name your template (b) and enter the Subject of your message. Click on the Editor icon (c)to open the rich text editor.

4. Create your Message Template.

5. Click inside the Message Template in the place you want to insert a Placeholder.

6. Select a Placeholder from the selection of Placeholders at the bottom of the Message Template editor.

7. You can see the inserted Placeholders in your Message Template.

8. Your changes will be saved automatically.

9. You can now compose an email using your new Message Template.

10. To insert your Message Template, select a Message Template in the Mailbutler Sidebar.

 

This is how you use Placeholders. There is a last step that has to be done for it to work at its best potential.

Configure your contacts and extended profile

Placeholders take information from your Contacts application and also from your Mailbutler’s extended profile.

Make sure that all of the information you have is well placed in the correct fields in your Mailbutler extended profile and in your Contacts application. This will ensure that the Placeholders work properly.