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archvillainette 159e28a719 email brand hygiene (#11 )

implements proper email hygiene, including templates and a language .json

Reviewed-on: #11
Co-authored-by: vickydotbat <vickydotbat@tutamail.com>
Co-committed-by: vickydotbat <vickydotbat@tutamail.com>

2026-06-27 08:02:15 +00:00

34 KiB

Raw Blame History

Email Templates: Brand + Hygiene Pass — Implementation Plan

For agentic workers: REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development (recommended) or superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task. Steps use checkbox (- [ ]) syntax for tracking.

Goal: Reskin all 10 email/ templates to the Westgate brand, eliminate ~390 lines/file of duplication by wiring up real shared header.html/footer.html partials via Benchpress IMPORT, and close template-level inbox-hygiene gaps (non-empty <title>, preheader preview text).

Architecture: Each template collapses from ~400 lines to ~40: IMPORT emails/partials/header.html → preheader + body → IMPORT emails/partials/footer.html. The shared head/letterhead/footer carry the brand. The body keeps only this template's content and loops. Palette is applied as literal inline hex (no var() — Outlook/Gmail strip it); scss/westgate/_tokens.scss is the value source, copied as literals.

Tech Stack: Benchpress templating ({var}, {{{ if }}}, [[ns:key]], ), HTML email (table layout, inline CSS, MSO conditional comments), NodeBB language JSON files, a tiny dependency-free Node assertion script for regression.

Global Constraints

Copied verbatim from the spec — every task implicitly includes these:

No CSS custom properties. var(--…) is stripped by Outlook/Gmail. All brand color/spacing is literal hex, inline on each element.
Keep table layout, inline CSS, MSO conditional comments. No flex/grid/modern CSS refactor. The shared <style> block holds only what must be in a stylesheet: :hover states and @media queries.
No hardcoded user-facing copy. Every visible string stays a [[email:…]] key. Strings with no existing key (preheaders) get a new key added to the theme language file.
Web fonts barely load in email (Cinzel/Jost only in Apple/iOS Mail). The serif/sans fallback stacks carry the look everywhere else.
Markup must stay balanced and build cleanly (./nodebb build from the NodeBB root where this theme is installed).
Reuse the current feature branch (email-brand-hygiene-spec). Never commit to main.

Brand palette — literal hex (the single source of truth for every task)

Slot	Old value	New value	Token
Page background	`#f6f6f6`	`#ece6da`	adapted neutral
Letterhead band	—	`#18141d`	`--wg-panel`
Header/footer hairline	—	`#c2a35a`	`--wg-gold`
Card background	`#ffffff`	`#fbf7ef`	adapted parchment
H1 / greeting	`#333333`	`#1a1418`	ink
Sub-heading	`#aaaaaa`	`#9a9086`	`--wg-text-muted`
Body text	`#555555`	`#3a3340`	ink
Button bg	`#222222`	`#2a1222`	`--wg-plum`
Button border	—	`#c2a35a`	`--wg-gold`
Button text	`#ffffff`	`#f4ecd8`	parchment
Button hover	`#555555`	`#3a1830`	`--wg-plum-soft`
Links	default	`#a8893f`	`--wg-gold-soft`
Footer text	`#888888`	`#9a9086`	`--wg-text-muted`

Font stacks — literal, inline

Headings: Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif
Body / UI: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif

Every existing -apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,Segoe UI,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,Segoe UI Symbol stack becomes the Body stack, except <h1> greeting/heading elements which become the Headings stack.

Decisions & deviations from the spec (review before executing)

Two points the spec leaves open; resolved here, flag to the user if either is wrong:

<title> is {site_title}, not per-email. Benchpress IMPORT is a static include with no argument passing, so a shared header.html cannot receive a per-template title. Using {site_title} makes the title non-empty and graceful everywhere (the actual hygiene gap), with zero fragile per-template wiring. Per-message specificity lives in the preheader, which is per-template and trivial. This satisfies the spec's "populate per email / falls back gracefully" intent without a brittle mechanism. If true per-email titles are required, the alternative is keeping <head> out of the partial — reject unless asked.
Preheaders need a theme language file. The theme currently ships no languages/ dir and no languages key in plugin.json. New preheader copy can't be hardcoded (Global Constraint), so Task 5 creates languages/en-GB/email.json and registers it. Titles need no key (decision 1).

File structure

email/
  partials/
    header.html          # MODIFY: doctype, <head>, brand <style>, letterhead band, open container, title={site_title}
    footer.html          # MODIFY: gold hairline, reskinned unsubscribe block, closing tags
    post-queue-body.html # MODIFY: reskinned (links/text colors)
  reset.html             # MODIFY: thin body — IMPORT header + body + IMPORT footer + preheader  (worked example)
  welcome.html           # MODIFY: same transform
  verify-email.html      # MODIFY
  reset_notify.html      # MODIFY
  registration_accepted.html # MODIFY
  invitation.html        # MODIFY
  banned.html            # MODIFY
  test.html              # MODIFY
  notification.html      # MODIFY: keeps {body}; post queue flow supplies rendered post-queue body
  digest.html            # MODIFY: keeps loops; reskinned
  README.md              # MODIFY: partials now real; document IMPORT + literal-hex constraint
languages/
  en-GB/email.json       # CREATE: preheader keys
plugin.json              # MODIFY: add "languages": "languages"
scripts/check-emails.js  # CREATE: dependency-free regression guard

Task 1: Reskin shared `header.html` (letterhead band, palette, title, styles)

Files:

Modify: email/partials/header.html

Interfaces:

Produces: an IMPORT-able partial that opens <html><head>…</head><body>…<center>…<div class="email-container"> and renders the dark letterhead band with {logo.src}. Every template IMPORTs it first. It does not open the body content table — templates do that.
Consumes (Benchpress params, already provided by NodeBB): {site_title}, {logo.src}, {logo.width}, {{{ if rtl }}}, {{{ if logo.src }}}.
Step 1: Replace the empty title with {site_title}

In email/partials/header.html, change line 17 from:

    <title></title>

to:

    <title>{site_title}</title>

Step 2: Add the guarded webfont link (low-risk progressive enhancement)

Replace the empty webfont placeholder block (currently lines 30–32):

    <!--[if !mso]><!-->
    <!-- insert web font reference, eg: <link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:400,700' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'> -->
    <!--<![endif]-->

with:

    <!--[if !mso]><!-->
    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Cinzel:wght@400;600&family=Jost:wght@400;600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />
    <!--<![endif]-->

Step 3: Update the button hover color in the progressive-enhancement <style>

In the .button-td:hover, .button-a:hover rule (currently lines 118–122), change both #555555 to the brand hover #3a1830:

      .button-td:hover,
      .button-a:hover {
        background: #3a1830 !important;
        border-color: #3a1830 !important;
      }

Step 4: Recolor the page background on <body> and <center>

Change <body … bgcolor="#f6f6f6"> (line 148) to bgcolor="#ece6da", and the <center style="width: 100%; background: #f6f6f6; …"> (line 151) to background: #ece6da.

Step 5: Replace the light logo header with the dark letterhead band + gold hairline

Replace the entire  …  table (currently lines 166–191) with:

        <!-- Letterhead Band : BEGIN -->
        <table
          role="presentation"
          cellspacing="0"
          cellpadding="0"
          border="0"
          align="center"
          width="100%"
          style="max-width: 600px"
        >
          <tr>
            <td bgcolor="#18141d" style="padding: 24px 0; text-align: center; background: #18141d;">
              {{{ if logo.src }}}
              <img
                src="{logo.src}"
                height="auto"
                width="{logo.width}"
                alt="{site_title}"
                border="0"
                style="height: auto; width: {logo.width}px; background: #18141d; font-family: Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; color: #c2a35a;"
              />
              {{{ else }}}
              <span style="font-family: Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 22px; color: #c2a35a;">{site_title}</span>
              {{{ end }}}
            </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td height="2" bgcolor="#c2a35a" style="height: 2px; line-height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #c2a35a;">&nbsp;</td>
          </tr>
        </table>
        <!-- Letterhead Band : END -->

Note: the partial intentionally ends with the container still open (the existing file already closes </div></center></body></html> at the end — delete those closing tags, see Step 6). Templates supply the body table; footer.html supplies the closing tags.

Step 6: Remove the stray closing tags so the partial leaves the container open

Delete the final </div>, </center>, </body>, </html> (currently lines 192–195). The file must end right after . (footer.html owns these closing tags.)

Step 7: Verify the file is well-formed manually

Read email/partials/header.html end-to-end. Confirm: one <html>/<head>/<body> opened and not closed; email-container div opened and not closed; letterhead bgcolor="#18141d" and hairline bgcolor="#c2a35a" present; <title>{site_title}</title>.

Step 8: Commit

git add email/partials/header.html
git commit -m "feat(email): brand letterhead band + palette in shared header partial"

Task 2: Reskin shared `footer.html` (gold hairline, muted unsubscribe, closing tags)

Files:

Modify: email/partials/footer.html

Interfaces:

Consumes: {{{ if showUnsubscribe }}}, {url}, {uid}, {unsubUrl} (NodeBB params).
Produces: the gold hairline + footer text + the closing </div></center></body></html> and MSO close. Every template IMPORTs it last.
Step 1: Add a gold hairline above the footer and recolor the footer text

Replace the entire current email/partials/footer.html with:

<!-- Email Footer : BEGIN -->
<table role="presentation" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" width="100%" style="max-width: 680px;">
<tr>
<td height="1" bgcolor="#c2a35a" style="height: 1px; line-height: 1px; font-size: 1px; background: #c2a35a;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 28px 10px 40px 10px; width: 100%; font-size: 12px; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: center; color: #9a9086;">
{{{ if showUnsubscribe }}}
[[email:notif.post.unsub.info]] <a href="{url}/uid/{uid}/settings" style="color: #a8893f;">[[email:unsub.cta]]</a>.
<br />[[email:notif.post.unsub.one-click]] <a href="{unsubUrl}" style="color: #a8893f;">[[email:unsubscribe]]</a>.
{{{ end }}}
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- Email Footer : END -->
<!--[if mso]>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<![endif]-->
</div>
</center>
</body>
</html>

Step 2: Commit

git add email/partials/footer.html
git commit -m "feat(email): gold hairline + muted unsubscribe in shared footer partial"

Task 3: Convert `reset.html` to the thin-body pattern + verify `IMPORT` resolves (worked example)

This task establishes the exact transform and confirms the import path before the others copy it. reset.html is the simplest template.

Files:

Modify: email/reset.html

Interfaces:

Consumes from Tasks 1–2: emails/partials/header.html, emails/partials/footer.html.
Produces: the canonical IMPORT header → preheader → body → IMPORT footer shape that Tasks 6–9 replicate. The preheader pattern and the  marker comment (asserted by Task 4's script) are defined here.
Step 1: Replace the entire reset.html with the thin body

Replace the full contents of email/reset.html (all 446 lines) with:

<!-- IMPORT emails/partials/header.html -->
<!-- preheader -->
<div style="display: none; max-height: 0; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all;">[[email:reset.preheader]]</div>
<div style="display: none; max-height: 0; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all;">&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;&nbsp;&zwnj;</div>
<!-- Email Body : BEGIN -->
<table role="presentation" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" width="100%" style="max-width: 600px;">
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#fbf7ef">
<table role="presentation" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="padding: 40px 40px 6px 40px; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; color: #3a3340;">
<h1 style="margin: 0; font-family: Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 27px; color: #1a1418; font-weight: normal;">[[email:greeting-no-name]]</h1>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0px 40px; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; color: #3a3340;">
<h1 style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; font-family: Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; color: #9a9086; font-weight: normal;">[[email:reset.text1]]</h1>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 20px 40px; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; color: #3a3340;">
<p style="margin: 0">[[email:reset.text2]]</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 32px 40px; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; color: #3a3340;">
<!-- Button : BEGIN -->
<table role="presentation" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center" style="margin: auto">
<tr>
<td style="border-radius: 3px; background: #2a1222; text-align: center;" class="button-td">
<a href="{reset_link}" style="background: #2a1222; border: 15px solid #2a1222; border-color: #c2a35a; font-family: Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.1; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; display: block; border-radius: 3px; font-weight: bold;" class="button-a">
<span style="color: #f4ecd8" class="button-link">[[email:reset.cta]] &rarr;</span>
</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- Button : END -->
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- Email Body : END -->
<!-- IMPORT emails/partials/footer.html -->

Step 2: Build NodeBB and confirm the import path resolves

From the NodeBB root where this theme is installed:

Run: ./nodebb build Expected: build completes with no template/IMPORT error. If it errors with an unresolved import, retry the import lines with .tpl:  / footer.tpl, rebuild, and use whichever extension resolves for every subsequent template. Record the working form in a one-line note at the top of email/README.md.

If neither extension resolves (import genuinely unsupported for theme emails — not expected, core uses it): fall back to self-contained templates and delete the dead partials. Stop and raise this with the user before proceeding — it changes the whole plan.

Step 3: Send a test reset email and eyeball it

ACP → Settings → Email → "Send test email" won't trigger reset; instead trigger a real password reset for a test account, or temporarily point the test button at reset. Confirm: dark letterhead renders, plum button with gold border and readable parchment text, gold hairline above footer, preheader text shows in the inbox list, body card is cream not white.

Step 4: Commit

git add email/reset.html email/README.md
git commit -m "feat(email): convert reset.html to shared-partial thin body + preheader"

Task 4: Regression guard script (dependency-free)

Cheap catch for future drift, and the gate for Tasks 6–9. No test framework.

Files:

Create: scripts/check-emails.js

Interfaces:

Produces: a script that exits non-zero if any email/*.html (excluding partials/) is missing a header IMPORT, footer IMPORT, or  marker. Run after every template conversion.
Step 1: Write the script

#!/usr/bin/env node
// ponytail: 30-line structural guard, not a render test. Catches drift, not pixels.
const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');

const dir = path.join(__dirname, '..', 'email');
const files = fs.readdirSync(dir).filter((f) => f.endsWith('.html'));

const failures = [];
for (const f of files) {
  const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(dir, f), 'utf8');
  const checks = [
    [/IMPORT emails\/partials\/header\.(html|tpl)/, 'missing header IMPORT'],
    [/IMPORT emails\/partials\/footer\.(html|tpl)/, 'missing footer IMPORT'],
    [/<!-- preheader -->/, 'missing preheader marker'],
  ];
  for (const [re, msg] of checks) {
    if (!re.test(src)) failures.push(`${f}: ${msg}`);
  }
}

if (failures.length) {
  console.error('Email template check FAILED:\n' + failures.join('\n'));
  process.exit(1);
}
console.log(`Email template check passed (${files.length} templates).`);

Step 2: Run it — expect failures for every not-yet-converted template, pass for reset.html

Run: node scripts/check-emails.js Expected: FAIL, listing welcome.html, verify-email.html, reset_notify.html, registration_accepted.html, invitation.html, banned.html, test.html, notification.html, digest.html (reset.html absent from the list). This proves the guard discriminates.

Step 3: Commit

git add scripts/check-emails.js
git commit -m "test(email): structural regression guard for partial imports + preheader"

Task 5: Theme language file for preheader copy

Files:

Create: languages/en-GB/email.json
Modify: plugin.json

Interfaces:

Produces: the [[email:<name>.preheader]] keys referenced by every template's preheader. Tasks 3, 6–9 reference these.
Step 1: Create the language file with one preheader key per template

{
  "reset.preheader": "Reset your Shadows Over Westgate password",
  "welcome.preheader": "Confirm your email to enter Shadows Over Westgate",
  "verify-email.preheader": "Confirm your new email address",
  "reset_notify.preheader": "Your Shadows Over Westgate password was changed",
  "registration_accepted.preheader": "Your Shadows Over Westgate account is approved",
  "invitation.preheader": "You have been invited to Shadows Over Westgate",
  "banned.preheader": "Your Shadows Over Westgate account status has changed",
  "test.preheader": "Test email from Shadows Over Westgate",
  "notification.preheader": "You have a new notification on Shadows Over Westgate",
  "digest.preheader": "Your Shadows Over Westgate activity digest"
}

Step 2: Register the languages directory in plugin.json

Add a "languages" key alongside the existing "templates": "templates" key:

  "templates": "templates",
  "languages": "languages",

Step 3: Build and confirm keys resolve (no raw [[email:reset.preheader]] in output)

Run: ./nodebb build then re-send the reset test email. Expected: build clean; the inbox preview shows "Reset your Shadows Over Westgate password", not the raw key.

Task 5 note: not run from this theme repo; there is no ./nodebb executable here. JSON syntax was validated locally and node scripts/check-emails.js was run.

Step 4: Commit

git add languages/en-GB/email.json plugin.json
git commit -m "feat(email): add theme language file with preheader copy"

Task 6: Convert the six single-column "text + button/link" templates

welcome.html, verify-email.html, reset_notify.html, registration_accepted.html, invitation.html, test.html. These share reset.html's structure; apply the same transform, changing only the per-template keys/links below.

Files:

Modify: email/welcome.html, email/verify-email.html, email/reset_notify.html, email/registration_accepted.html, email/invitation.html, email/test.html

Interfaces:

Consumes: the Task 3 thin-body shape (copy it), Task 5 preheader keys.
Produces: six converted templates that pass scripts/check-emails.js.

The transform (apply to each file):

Delete everything from <!doctype html> through  and replace with  + the two-line preheader block from Task 3, using that template's preheader key (e.g. [[email:welcome.preheader]]).
Keep only the  …  table.
Delete the original footer table and trailing </div></center></body></html>/MSO close; replace with .
Apply the palette + font find/replace across the retained body (uniform for all templates):

Find	Replace
`bgcolor="#ffffff"`	`bgcolor="#fbf7ef"`
`color: #333333` (on `<h1>`)	`color: #1a1418`
`color: #aaaaaa`	`color: #9a9086`
`color: #555555`	`color: #3a3340`
`background: #222222` and `border: 15px solid #222222`	`background: #2a1222` / `border: 15px solid #2a1222; border-color: #c2a35a`
`color: #ffffff` (button span)	`color: #f4ecd8`
any link `color:` default / `#333333`	`color: #a8893f`
`-apple-system,…,Segoe UI Symbol` stack on `<h1>`	`Cinzel, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif`
`-apple-system,…,Segoe UI Symbol` stack elsewhere	`Jost, system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif`

Per-template specifics (button/link href and any existing keys are already correct — do not change copy keys):

File	Preheader key	Button/link href var
`welcome.html`	`welcome.preheader`	confirmation link (existing `{confirm_link}` / as present)
`verify-email.html`	`verify-email.preheader`	confirmation link (as present)
`reset_notify.html`	`reset_notify.preheader`	none (informational — no button table; skip button rows)
`registration_accepted.html`	`registration_accepted.preheader`	`{url}` login link (as present)
`invitation.html`	`invitation.preheader`	invite link (existing var, as present)
`test.html`	`test.preheader`	none (skip button rows)

Step 1: Convert welcome.html per the transform + its row above.
Step 2: Convert verify-email.html.
Step 3: Convert reset_notify.html (no button — keep only the text rows).
Step 4: Convert registration_accepted.html.
Step 5: Convert invitation.html.
Step 6: Convert test.html (no button).
Step 7: Run the regression guard — expect only banned, notification, digest failing

Run: node scripts/check-emails.js Expected: FAIL listing exactly banned.html, notification.html, digest.html.

Step 8: Build + commit

./nodebb build
git add email/welcome.html email/verify-email.html email/reset_notify.html email/registration_accepted.html email/invitation.html email/test.html
git commit -m "feat(email): convert single-column templates to shared partials + brand"

Task 7: Convert `banned.html`

Separated because the ban template carries a reason/expiry block, not the standard button.

Files:

Modify: email/banned.html
Step 1: Read email/banned.html to see its body rows (greeting, ban reason, expiry).
Step 2: Apply the Task 6 transform — IMPORT header + [[email:banned.preheader]] preheader + retained body (with the palette/font find/replace) + IMPORT footer. Keep all existing [[email:ban.*]] / reason / expiry keys and {{{ if }}} conditionals unchanged. Recolor any reason/quote block: card bgcolor → #fbf7ef, body text → #3a3340, any muted text → #9a9086.
Step 3: Guard + build

Run: node scripts/check-emails.js → expect only notification.html, digest.html failing. Task 7 note: guard ran with only the expected remaining notification.html and digest.html failures. ./nodebb build was not run because no executable ./nodebb / NodeBB root is available in this theme repo.

Step 4: Commit

git add email/banned.html
git commit -m "feat(email): convert banned.html to shared partials + brand"

Task 8: Convert `notification.html` + reskin `post-queue-body.html`

notification.html keeps {body}. NodeBB's post queue flow renders post-queue-body.html server-side into that notification body before the email template renders.

Files:

Modify: email/notification.html, email/partials/post-queue-body.html

Interfaces:

Consumes: {{{ if showUnsubscribe }}} (footer handles it), notification body params ({notification.bodyLong} / as present).
Produces: converted notification.html passing the guard; reskinned post-queue partial.
Step 1: Reskin post-queue-body.html — add link/text color to its <a> and <p> tags so it matches the card: links style="color: #a8893f;", body <p> style="color: #3a3340;", labels keep <strong>. Structure unchanged.

<p><strong>[[post-queue:category]]</strong></p>
<p><a href="{category.url}" style="color: #a8893f;">{category.name}</a></p>
<p>
  <strong
    >{{{ if topic.tid }}}[[post-queue:topic]]{{{ else }}}[[post-queue:title]]{{{
    end }}}</strong
  >
</p>
<p>
  {{{ if topic.url }}}<a href="{topic.url}" style="color: #a8893f;">{topic.title}</a>{{{ else
  }}}{topic.title}{{{ end }}}
</p>
<p><strong>[[post-queue:user]]</strong></p>
<p>
  {{{ if user.url }}}<a href="{user.url}" style="color: #a8893f;">{user.username}</a>{{{ else
  }}}{user.username}{{{ end }}}
</p>
<p style="color: #3a3340;">{content}</p>

Step 2: Read email/notification.html (lines ~166–417 are the header/body/footer). Note where it renders {body}; post-queue content is supplied by NodeBB before template render.
Step 3: Apply the Task 6 transform to notification.html — IMPORT header + [[email:notification.preheader]] preheader + retained body table (palette/font find/replace) + IMPORT footer. Preserve the .notification-body content that renders {body}; post-queue content is already rendered into that value by NodeBB before this template runs. Add style="color: #a8893f;" to notification body links.
Step 4: Guard + build

Run: node scripts/check-emails.js → expect only digest.html failing. Run: ./nodebb build → clean. Task 8 note: guard ran with only the expected remaining digest.html failure. ./nodebb build was not run because no executable ./nodebb / NodeBB root is available in this theme repo.

Step 5: Commit

git add email/notification.html email/partials/post-queue-body.html
git commit -m "feat(email): convert notification.html + reskin post-queue partial"

Task 9: Convert `digest.html` (preserve all loops)

The largest template — keeps {{{ each notifications }}}, publicRooms, topTopics, popularTopics loops and the digest.title.{interval} heading.

Files:

Modify: email/digest.html
Step 1: Replace the head/header (lines ~1–160) with IMPORT header + preheader

Prepend  + the two-line preheader block using [[email:digest.preheader]], deleting everything through .

Step 2: Apply the palette/font find/replace across the body and every loop row

Same find/replace as Task 6, applied to all loop iterations. Specifically:

card bgcolor="#ffffff" → #fbf7ef
greeting <h1> #333333 → #1a1418, font → Cinzel stack
section headings #aaaaaa → #9a9086, font → Cinzel stack
list-item link/text #333333 → body #3a3340, links #a8893f
teaser text #666666 → #3a3340; secondary #aaaaaa → #9a9086
the border-bottom: 1px solid #dddddd separator → #e2d8c4
all -apple-system,… stacks → Jost stack (non-<h1>), Cinzel stack on <h1>

Leave every {{{ each }}}, {{{ if }}}, {var}, [[email:digest.*]], and {renderDigestAvatar(@value)} untouched.

Step 3: Replace the original footer with IMPORT footer

Delete the digest's own footer table + trailing </div></center></body></html>/MSO close; replace with .

Step 4: Guard passes for all templates

Run: node scripts/check-emails.js Expected: PASS (Email template check passed (10 templates).).

Step 5: Build + test-send the digest

Run: ./nodebb build. Trigger a digest (ACP → manually run digest, or test account). Confirm loops render, headings are serif/gold-muted, separators visible, button-free.

Task 9 note: node scripts/check-emails.js passed with Email template check passed (10 templates). Lightweight marker checks confirmed the digest loops and {renderDigestAvatar(@value)} remain present. ./nodebb build and digest test-send were not run because no executable ./nodebb / NodeBB root is available in this standalone theme repo.

Step 6: Commit

git add email/digest.html
git commit -m "feat(email): convert digest.html to shared partials + brand, loops intact"

Task 10: Update `email/README.md`

Files:

Modify: email/README.md
Step 1: Fix the Partials section — it currently says the partials are "included by the templates above" (was false, now true). State that every non-partial template IMPORTs header.html first and footer.html last, using the form confirmed in Task 3 (emails/partials/header.html), and document post-queue-body.html as the queued-post notification body fragment without claiming the current notification.html imports it.
Step 2: Add a brand/constraint note to Editing notes — add a bullet: brand colors are literal inline hex (Outlook/Gmail strip var()); scss/westgate/_tokens.scss holds the source values but cannot be referenced at runtime. Note the dark letterhead band + light cream card pattern, and that preheader copy lives in languages/en-GB/email.json.
Step 3: Commit

git add email/README.md
git commit -m "docs(email): document IMPORT structure + literal-hex brand constraint"

Task 11: Out-of-scope deliverability note for ops

The reskin is not an anti-spam fix; record what templates can't touch so it isn't mistaken for one.

Files:

Modify: email/README.md (append a short "Deliverability — out of scope (ops)" section)
Step 1: Append the ops section

## Deliverability — out of scope for these templates (ops/mail layer)

Templates cannot affect these; they are flagged so the brand reskin is not
mistaken for a complete anti-spam fix:

- **SPF / DKIM / DMARC** records + alignment for the sending domain.
- A From-address on a domain with sending reputation (not a bare/shared host).
- `List-Unsubscribe` / `List-Unsubscribe-Post` (one-click) **headers** — set by
  the mail layer, distinct from the in-body unsubscribe link the footer renders.
- A dedicated sending domain/subdomain and IP warm-up if volume grows.

Step 2: Commit

git add email/README.md
git commit -m "docs(email): flag out-of-scope deliverability work for ops"

Task 12: Final cross-client verification pass

Files: none (verification only).

Step 1: Build clean + guard green

Run: ./nodebb build (clean) and node scripts/check-emails.js (passed (10 templates)).

Step 2: Test-send every template type via ACP "Send test email" and real triggers (reset, verify, digest).
Step 3: Eyeball across clients — Gmail web, Outlook desktop (MSO), Apple Mail, and one dark-mode client (iOS Mail dark or Gmail dark). For each confirm: letterhead band renders with logo/hairline; plum button has gold border + readable parchment text; no broken Outlook layout; preheader shows in the inbox list; dark mode does not destroy legibility (cream card + dark band should survive auto-inversion better than a full-dark design).
Step 4: If issues found, fix inline and re-run Steps 1–3; otherwise the branch is ready for the finishing-a-development-branch skill.

Task 12 note: node scripts/check-emails.js passed with Email template check passed (10 templates). ./nodebb is not executable in this standalone theme repo, so ./nodebb build was unavailable and is not marked complete. ACP test-sends, real trigger sends, and Gmail/Outlook/Apple Mail/dark-mode eyeball checks were not run because this repo has no NodeBB runtime/client access.

Self-review

Spec coverage:

Reskin all 10 to brand (light treatment) → Tasks 1–3, 6–9. ✓
Eliminate duplication via real IMPORT partials → Tasks 1–3. ✓
Hygiene: non-empty <title> → Task 1 ({site_title}, deviation flagged); preheader → Tasks 3, 5, 6–9. ✓
No hardcoded copy / new keys in language files → Task 5. ✓
Document deliverability templates can't fix → Task 11. ✓
Letterhead band, palette table, font stacks → Task 1 + Global Constraints. ✓
Import-path verification → Task 3 Step 2. ✓
notification + post-queue-body, digest loops preserved → Tasks 8–9. ✓
README correction → Task 10. ✓
Optional regression guard → Task 4. ✓
Implementation order matches spec's suggested order. ✓

Placeholder scan: Color/font changes given as a concrete find/replace table; header.html/footer.html/reset.html/post-queue-body.html given as complete markup; per-template specifics tabulated. Tasks 6–9 reference complete bodies that already exist in the repo (transform, not author-from-scratch) — the engineer reads the existing file and applies the listed mechanical changes. No "TBD"/"handle edge cases".

Type/name consistency: Import paths (emails/partials/header.html/footer.html), preheader keys ([[email:<name>.preheader]]), the  marker, and the guard script's regexes all agree across tasks. post-queue-body.html is rendered by NodeBB's post queue flow into notification body content.

34 KiB Raw Blame History Unescape Escape

Email Templates: Brand + Hygiene Pass — Implementation Plan

Global Constraints

Brand palette — literal hex (the single source of truth for every task)

Font stacks — literal, inline

Decisions & deviations from the spec (review before executing)

File structure

Task 1: Reskin shared header.html (letterhead band, palette, title, styles)

Task 2: Reskin shared footer.html (gold hairline, muted unsubscribe, closing tags)

Task 3: Convert reset.html to the thin-body pattern + verify IMPORT resolves (worked example)

Task 4: Regression guard script (dependency-free)

Task 5: Theme language file for preheader copy

Task 6: Convert the six single-column "text + button/link" templates

Task 7: Convert banned.html

Task 8: Convert notification.html + reskin post-queue-body.html

Task 9: Convert digest.html (preserve all loops)

Task 10: Update email/README.md

Task 11: Out-of-scope deliverability note for ops

Task 12: Final cross-client verification pass

Self-review

34 KiB

Raw Blame History

Task 1: Reskin shared `header.html` (letterhead band, palette, title, styles)

Task 2: Reskin shared `footer.html` (gold hairline, muted unsubscribe, closing tags)

Task 3: Convert `reset.html` to the thin-body pattern + verify `IMPORT` resolves (worked example)

Task 7: Convert `banned.html`

Task 8: Convert `notification.html` + reskin `post-queue-body.html`

Task 9: Convert `digest.html` (preserve all loops)

Task 10: Update `email/README.md`