Code Editor

The Code Editor is the full control option for building email content in Dengage. You write or paste your own HTML, watch a live preview as you type, and enrich the code with personalization tags, hosted images, dynamic content, unsubscribe links, and AMP interactivity. It is the right choice when your team already has coded templates or needs pixel level control that a drag and drop tool cannot give.

If you prefer designing without code, use the Email Builder or the Rich Text Editor instead.

This guide walks through creating an email with the Code Editor, every element of the screen, personalization, Gmail annotations, multi language versions, AMP emails, draft recovery, and the preview, test and publish flow.

Create a New Email with the Code Editor

1. Go to Content > Marketing > Email. For transactional content, go to Content > Transactional > Email.
2. Click New and choose Code Editor as the editor type.
3. In the General step, enter a Name (required). The page title updates as you type.
4. Optionally pick a Folder (default is Email Content; click Change Folder to move it) and add a Description.
5. Click Next. The Content section unlocks and the Code Editor screen opens.

Get to Know the Screen

The screen has three areas: the action bar at the top, the content settings in the middle, and the code editor with its live preview at the bottom.

Action bar

Before the first save the bar shows Cancel, Preview & Test (inactive until a draft is saved), Save Draft and Publish.

After the first save the header gains more controls:

Content Size

The Content Size bar shows the current size of your email as a colored badge (for example 0KB when empty).

Use the arrow control at the right of the bar to collapse or expand the panel.

Set Sender and Inbox Details

Sender Profiles

Choose which verified address the email is sent from. The dropdown is searchable and lists each profile as an email address with its display name. Click New to create a profile without leaving the editor. The New Sender Profile window asks for:

• Sender Domain: one of your verified sending domains.
• From Email: the local part; the domain is appended automatically.
• From Name: the display name recipients see next to the address.

From Name

Required. Prefilled from the sender profile, but you can override it. The note under the field is important: "This name change will only be shown in this send." The override does not change the sender profile itself. The </> icon lets you insert a customization tag, so the from name itself can be personalized.

Reply To

Optional address that receives replies. Also accepts customization tags via the </> icon.

Subject and Pre-header

Subject is required. Pre-header is the small line of text that appears after the subject line in the recipient's inbox; leaving it empty lets inbox providers pull random body text, so filling it is recommended. Both fields carry the same three icons:

Write Your HTML

The Code Editor section is where the actual coding happens. The HTML tab starts with a minimal XHTML skeleton; type or paste your full email HTML over it.

• Live preview: the rendered email appears next to the code and refreshes as you type.
• Editor comforts: line numbers, HTML syntax coloring, and code folding arrows for html, head and body blocks.
• View toggle: the split view icon switches between the default side by side layout and a horizontal layout with code above and preview below.
• Full Screen: expands the editor and preview to the whole window; the same icon returns to the normal layout.
• Size awareness: keep an eye on the Content Size badge while you work so the final email stays under the 102KB Gmail clipping limit.

The Insert Menu

Click + Insert in the editor toolbar to drop Dengage elements into your code. Position the cursor where the element should land before you insert; everything is inserted at the cursor.

Personalize with Customization Tags

The Customization Selector opens from Insert > Customization Tags or from any </> icon (From Name, Reply To, Subject, Pre-header and the annotation fields). It has eight tabs; every tab has a search bar, and clicking a value inserts its tag at the cursor.

Gmail Annotations

Turn on the Annotation toggle ("Activate e-mail annotation") to enrich how the email appears in the Gmail Promotions tab, with deal badges, images or a product carousel.

The Annotation window first lists the prerequisites: the email should appear at the top of the promotion tab, and the official Gmail application must be used. A details link in the window leads to Google's documentation.

Pick one of four annotation types and fill its fields. Every field accepts customization tags through the </> icon, and dates can be picked from a calendar or supplied by a tag.

Click Apply to attach the annotation to the email.

Create Multi Language Versions

Click Add Languages above Sender Profiles and choose how the new version starts:

• Copy from Content: start the new language from an existing content.
• Create Blank Email Content: start it empty.

The Select Language window then lists your account languages as checkboxes (English is the default variant). Tick the languages you need and click Apply; each language becomes its own variant with its own subject, pre-header and HTML. The available languages are managed under Settings > Campaign Configurations > Content Languages.

Preview, Test and Publish

1. Save Draft. Preview & Test stays inactive until the system has a saved template.
2. Click Preview & Test. Step 1, Preview, renders the email as an inbox would: subject line, from name with sender address, and the body. The Detailed Preview button opens a full page preview in a new browser tab.
3. Click Next for step 2, Send Test. Choose Predefined Audience to send to one of your Testing Lists (managed under Audience > Testing Lists) or Type-in Addresses to enter recipients manually, then click Send Test Email.
4. If your organization reviews content before sending, use Send for Approval; approvers are defined under Settings > Approval Workflows.
5. When everything checks out, click Publish to make the content available to campaigns and flows.

Tips for Better Coded Emails

• Email clients render HTML very differently from browsers: prefer table based layouts and inline CSS, and always test in real inboxes through a Testing List before publishing.
• Keep the content under 102KB so Gmail does not clip it; the Content Size badge tells you where you stand.
• Marketing emails should always carry the unsubscribe link, and long emails benefit from a View as Webpage link at the top.
• Move repeated blocks (headers, footers, product boxes) into Dynamic Contents so one edit updates every email that uses them.
• Host images through the Image Library (Insert > Image URL) instead of linking external files, so URLs stay stable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Preview & Test disabled?
The content has no saved template yet. Name the content and click Save Draft; the button becomes active immediately after.

Can I use both Flow and Targeting customizations in one content?
No. A content carries one family of customizations; to switch, remove the existing customizations first.

Why do some recipients not get my AMP version?
Their email client does not support AMP, so they automatically receive the standard HTML fallback. Also make sure the AMP code passed validation on save.

Can I personalize the subject line?
Yes. Use the </> icon next to the subject field to insert customization tags, or the AI sparkle to generate subject ideas with Zeki AI.

Where do the images, dynamic contents and coupons come from?
From your account assets: Image Library, Content > Assets > Dynamic Contents and Content > Assets > Coupons. The Insert menu only references them, so keep the assets themselves up to date.

AMP Email Editor

AMP email is a dynamic email format that lets recipients interact with content directly inside the message: filling out forms, answering surveys, browsing product carousels, or seeing live data, all without leaving their inbox (see AMP for Email). The Code Editor supports this through two tabs, HTML and AMP, so a single content carries both a standard version and an interactive AMP version, and each recipient automatically gets the version their inbox can display.

Prerequisites

• The AMP Email feature flag must be enabled for your account. Contact your account manager if the AMP tab is not active.
• Every AMP email needs a standard HTML version as a fallback. Build it first in the HTML tab; clients that do not support AMP receive it automatically. A fallback version is also a requirement of Google's approval program.
• To display AMP content to Gmail recipients, your sender address must first be approved by Google. This is a one-time registration per sender address; see Get Your Sender Address Approved by Google below. Until approval, Gmail recipients simply see the HTML fallback. Other providers that support AMP (Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail, Mail.ru) run their own separate approval programs; see Other Email Providers.

Build the AMP Version

1. Build the standard version in the HTML tab first. As the banner in the AMP tab says, "In email clients that do not support AMP content, the standard HTML content will be used as a fallback." A View documentation button in that banner leads to further reading.

2. Switch to the AMP tab and write the AMP-compatible version. The AMP tab has its own Insert menu with Customization Tags, Unsubscribe Link, Image URL and Dynamic Content.
3. Click Save Draft. The system validates the AMP code and shows validation messages that must be fixed before the AMP version is usable.
4. At send time each recipient automatically gets the right version: AMP where the client supports it (and, for Gmail, once your sender address is approved), HTML everywhere else.

Test Your AMP Email

You do not need to wait for Google's approval to test AMP content on your own accounts:

1. In Gmail, go to Settings > General > Dynamic email > Developer settings and whitelist your sender address for testing. This lets you verify that the AMP email renders correctly in your own inbox without waiting for approval.
2. Send the test through your live (production) sending infrastructure; this also confirms that the production environment meets all of Google's requirements.
3. In the editor, use Preview & Test to send to a Testing List or typed-in addresses, and check both versions: the AMP rendering in a whitelisted Gmail account, and the HTML fallback everywhere else.

Get Your Sender Address Approved by Google

To send AMP-powered emails to Gmail users, senders must complete Google's approval (whitelist) process. It is a one-time application per sender address, and Google typically concludes its review within 5 business days. The process consists of the following steps.

Step 1: Define the sender address

Google grants approval on a per-sender-email-address basis, not per domain. Define a fixed sender address to be used for AMP sends (e.g. [email protected]). If emails will be sent from multiple addresses, a separate application is required for each one. In addition, the root domain of the sender address must serve a valid, accessible website belonging to your brand.

Step 2: Meet the technical prerequisites

The following conditions must be in place before applying for approval:

• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication fully configured for the sender address
• Emails sent through production (live) servers consistent with these authentication records
• An HTML or plain-text fallback version included alongside the AMP content for clients that do not support AMP
• A low spam/complaint rate for the sender address

Step 3: Send a sample email to Google

As part of the application, send a real, production-quality AMP email to [email protected]. This email must not be a demo or "Hello World"-style example: it should reflect the content that will be used in real campaigns, work without bugs, and be sent from your production servers.

Step 4: Complete the registration form

After the sample email is sent, complete Google's sender registration form (see also Google's Register with Google page). Google's review is typically concluded within 5 business days. Once approved, AMP-powered emails can be sent from the registered address to all Gmail users.

Step 5: Keep your approval

Whitelist approval is not a permanent right: keep spam rates low and maintain compliance with Google's sending policies. Google may revoke the approval in the event of policy violations or abuse.

Other Email Providers

The registration process above applies to Gmail only, and the resulting approval covers Gmail recipients only. Beyond Gmail, AMP for Email is also supported by providers such as Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail, and Mail.ru, but each of these providers has its own independent sender registration process, and being approved by Google does not enable AMP content on the others. A separate application must be made for each provider; if providers other than Gmail make up a significant share of your audience, we recommend planning their registration processes as well.

On email clients that do not support AMP, or where the sender address has not yet been approved, recipients always see the HTML/plain-text fallback version of the email, so delivery to the recipient is never disrupted.

Use Case

An online store promotes a product line: AMP-capable inboxes get an interactive email where recipients browse product details inside the message, while all other inboxes receive the standard HTML promotion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some recipients not get my AMP version?

There are three usual reasons: their email client does not support AMP; the AMP code did not pass validation on save; or, for Gmail and similar providers, your sender address is not yet approved. In every case recipients receive the standard HTML fallback instead.

Can I test AMP emails before Google's approval?

Yes. Whitelist your sender address in your own Gmail account under Settings > General > Dynamic email > Developer settings, and send the test through your production infrastructure.

Do I need a separate approval for every sender address?

Yes. Google approves individual sender addresses, not domains, so submit a separate application for each address you will use for AMP sends. Other providers (Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail, Mail.ru) each require their own registration as well.