Template development
In template development, Betty helps template authors work on modules, settings, metadata, and code with better context about the current template.
Betty can do everything the user can do through the UI. That means she can help with actual changes, but she can also be useful when you want to understand how to do something or what is possible in the editor.
What Betty can help with
From an end-user point of view, Betty can help with things like:
- reading the current template structure
- looking at the current module or template base
- adding and updating modules
- adding, updating, or removing settings
- adding, updating, or removing inputs
- editing HTML and Liquid code
- making targeted code changes instead of rewriting a full module
- updating module settings like names, hidden status, content-zone restrictions, and AI metadata
- bringing in images from a URL
- reviewing the visual rendering of a template base or module
TODO: Add a screenshot of Betty inside the Template Editor with module-aware assistance visible.
Capability breakdown
These are Betty's main capabilities in template development from an end-user point of view.
| Capability | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Read the template overview | Inspect the template structure, template-level settings, and module list before making changes. |
| Read the current module | Understand the module you are currently working on. |
| Read module or template settings | Inspect detailed settings and inputs for a module or for the template base. |
| Read module or template code | Inspect HTML and Liquid code before editing it. |
| Create a module | Add a new module to the template. |
| Update module metadata | Change a module's name, hidden status, and related metadata. |
| Manage content zones | Add named module drop areas to the template base and restrict modules to the zones where they fit. |
| Inspect the preview visually | Take a screenshot of the template base or a module in context to review layout, spacing, hierarchy, and responsive behavior. |
| Update code | Change template or module code directly. |
| Apply targeted code edits | Make smaller code edits without rewriting the full module or template. |
| Add a setting | Create a new setting group in the template base or in a module. |
| Update a setting | Change an existing setting. |
| Remove a setting | Remove a setting and the inputs inside it. |
| Add an input | Add a new input field inside a setting. |
| Update an input | Change how an existing input is configured. |
| Remove an input | Delete an input from a setting. |
| Upload an image from a URL | Bring an image into Better Email storage for template work. |
| Fetch content from a website | Read content from a webpage when it is useful for template or content work. |
Visual review in the Template Editor
Betty can inspect the Template Editor preview when visual context matters. She can review:
- the template base on its own
- a specific module rendered inside the template base
- desktop and mobile preview modes
When Betty reviews a module, the module is shown inside the real template context and highlighted so it is clear which part she should focus on. This helps her distinguish the module from surrounding header, footer, or wrapper content.
Use visual review for prompts like:
- "Give me feedback on this module."
- "Does this module work on mobile?"
- "Check the spacing in the footer module."
- "Does the template base feel balanced?"
Visual review is best for what Betty can see. Use AI metadata for rules and intent that are not obvious from appearance, such as when a module should be used, which settings should be combined, or special behavior that is hidden in the final email.
The most important setup work: AI metadata
The biggest long-term lever for Betty in template development is the metadata you define on the template base and on individual modules.
That metadata is not mainly about teaching Betty how to build the template itself. It is about teaching her how to use the design system well when she is helping build emails.
Template-base AI metadata
Template-base AI metadata should focus on guidance that is specific to the overall Email Design System, not on one individual module.
Good examples include:
- which modules fit well together
- which modules usually follow each other
- how global settings should usually be configured
- how brand, BU, or language choices should affect the email
- what writing patterns work especially well in this template
- what layout or pacing rules Betty should keep in mind across the full email
Module AI metadata
Module AI metadata should focus on how to use one specific module well.
Good examples include:
- the kinds of content the module is best for
- how settings should be combined
- what alignments or color combinations work well
- rules like "when this module is used for blog articles, always left align the text"
- constraints or special behaviors that are not obvious from the module preview alone
If that knowledge normally lives in comments, Slack threads, or a designer's head, it is usually a good candidate for AI metadata.
Read more in AI metadata.
Recommended setup order
If you want Betty to perform well consistently from the template side, this is a good order:
- Set a clear Tone of voice for the organization.
- Add a few high-value Skills for repeatable tasks.
- Add template-base AI metadata for composition and design-system guidance.
- Add module AI metadata for module-specific instructions and constraints.
- Test Betty inside real emails and refine the guidance where the output is too vague or too generic.