App blocks are additional blocks that can be added to EasyEditor. These blocks are added to your account as account-scoped insight data collections. They are automatically converted into drag-and-drop building blocks within EasyEditor.
App blocks get into your account in one of two ways:
From a partner integration
The process varies depending on the application you're using. In general, you add your Marketing API credentials to your account in the partner software.From your own developers
Developers can build custom App blocks and upload them to your account using the Insight data API. Once they're uploaded, the blocks appear in EasyEditor automatically.
Learn more
Learn more about API credentials in Create an API user.
Full details for each type of App block can be found in the corresponding articles.
Learn more about building your own App blocks in EasyEditor extensions in our developer documentation.
Before you start
EasyEditor extensions in Connect lists only the App block groups that have been added to your account. If no integration or developer has added App blocks yet, there's nothing to manage there and nothing new in EasyEditor.
You can't automatically generate a plain text version of a campaign that contains an App block. If you try, you see the message Plain text generation is disabled for this campaign as it contains either advanced personalisation or an app block. Write the plain text version yourself instead. Learn more about Creating the plain text version of your campaign.
Some App block settings are set by whoever built the block, and you can't change them in Marketing. These include the block's minimum width and whether it inherits your campaign styles.
Manage your App blocks
To manage your App blocks, go to Connect > EasyEditor extensions.
EasyEditor extensions displays the App block groups added to your account. Each extension shows the associated Insight data collection name, the number of blocks in each group, and indicates if any blocks contain errors.
App block errors
Errors with an App block normally need to be resolved by whoever created the block: the third-party provider of the integration, or your own developer.
View Insight data for a collection
To view an Insight data collection for an extension, select the collection name.
View App blocks in a group
To view the available App blocks in a group, select the group name.
The group page displays the block name, status (whether enabled or disabled), date of last modification, and any errors associated with the block. The page also indicates the editors in which the block can be utilised, such as email; Surveys, pages, and forms; or both.
View App block details
To view the details of an individual App block, select its name. This opens a side panel that displays information about the block and provides the option to enable or disable it.
To perform this action, toggle the Status switch to either Enabled or Disabled, and then select APPLY.
The side panel also displays an App block's description and links to any supplementary documentation, if available.
Enable or disable App blocks
To enable or disable multiple blocks, select the checkboxes for the blocks. Then, expand the More actions drop-down menu and choose the option to enable or disable the App block.
Disabled App blocks are not visible in EasyEditor.
Delete or disable App blocks
There are no data dependencies in place to prevent you from deleting or disabling an App block that's in use. If you delete or disable an App block that's in use:
You can't publish a page or form with a deleted or disabled App block added to it. A deleted or disabled App block in use on an already published page or form does not display.
A warning appears on the campaign summary page and campaign preview if you have included a deleted or disabled App block. Deleted or disabled App blocks no longer display in a recipient's inbox.
Deleted App blocks can't be restored
To get a deleted App block back, the provider or developer who created it must upload it to your account again. If you might need the block later, disable it instead.
To delete App blocks that belong to a group, select the checkbox of the App block, then select Delete.
A popover appears, asking you to confirm the action. Select Delete.
Invalid app block content
If EasyEditor shows Invalid app block content with the message This app block is deleted and will not appear here when you send this campaign, an App block in your campaign has been deleted or disabled.
If the block is disabled, enable it again in Connect > EasyEditor extensions.
If the block was deleted, ask the provider or developer who created it to upload it to your account again.
App blocks in EasyEditor
Enabled App blocks appear in EasyEditor on the Build tab of the left side menu. Each App block group that you have added to your account has its own drop-down in EasyEditor which contains the individual blocks within that group.
To add a block to your email campaign, page, or form, drag and drop it to the required position on the design canvas. A side panel opens with information about the block you have added.
For some blocks, you must complete some data input - for example, adding a data field placeholder to include a contact email address in the App block, or providing a product ID.
You can’t apply the App block and close the side panel until this data input is complete. Hover over the tooltip for more information on the data required. The individual documentation for different App blocks gives more information on any data inputs required.
Learn more in the EasyEditor extensions section of the Help Centre.
Once you’ve completed the setup for the block, select Apply.
Add App blocks to columns
You can use most App blocks within column blocks in EasyEditor. Whether a block fits in a column depends on its minimum width, which is set by whoever built the block:
An App block without a minimum width can't be added to columns.
An App block with a minimum width only fits in columns that are at least that wide.
If a block is too wide for where you've placed it, EasyEditor shows a message on the block saying its width can't be less than its minimum, and that it won't appear when you send the campaign. Move the block to a wider area of your design, or ask the block's provider or developer to change its minimum width.
App block styles
Some App blocks inherit the styles of your campaign, depending on how they were developed. This is set by whoever built the block, and the setting isn't shown in Dotdigital. What changes is where you style the block:
Blocks that inherit styles follow your campaign's styles automatically. You style them on the canvas, using Style content in the side panel.
Blocks that don't inherit styles contain their own styling. You can override their text styles in Manage all styles.
To check which type a block is, select it on the canvas. If Style content appears at the bottom of the side panel, the block inherits your campaign styles.
For app blocks that don’t inherit styles
Expand the Utilities drop-down menu.
Select Manage all styles.
Select Edit next to App block styles.
From here you can edit your App blocks text styles.
Learn more about using the Style manager in Choose and manage styles.
For App blocks that inherit styles
On the EasyEditor canvas, select the App block, to open the style options, then select Style content at the bottom of the side panel.
App block details
The styles side panel displays basic details that can be customised for each App block.
These details might include names, review counts, or colours used for App block elements. Follow the on-screen guidance to make changes to these details.
App block tracking
To help you track your App block performance, we apply your account-defined UTM parameters to any links within your App blocks.
Learn more about UTM parameters in Add UTM tags to email campaign links.