Drag & Drop Editor - Part 2: Differences between sections and content blocks

The Drag & Drop Editor makes it easy to design professional-looking emails. It provides more options to customize your email and also ensures that your email looks perfect on any email client and device.

In this article, we will show you how to use the sections and content blocks to start designing your email.

We've divided the Drag & Drop Editor articles into the following parts:

What is a section?

A section is a structural block consisting of one or more columns to which content blocks can be added.

In the example below, the section (in green) contains 2 content blocks (in pink) in 2 different columns: 2 images and 2 text blocks.DDE_style-content-block_EN-US.jpg

In the email editor, there are two types of sections:

  • Custom sections
    Custom sections are the sections you create yourself by dragging and dropping content blocks. 
  • Pre-designed sections
    Pre-designed sections are pre-made layouts of different content blocks and allow you to easily create email designs without the need for design skills. 

You can always add, remove or resize columns by clicking the section and using the sliders to move them and the +/- buttons to add columns:

DDE_remove-resize-columns_EN-US.gif

Section settings

You can rename your section by clicking on the pen icon next to the title.

DDE_style-settings_EN-US.gif

Select a section to display the following settings in the left navigation panel: 

Background Block Settings Spacing
DDE_background-style-block_EN-US.jpg With this setting, you can set the background color and Apply background on full width.
You can also click Add a background image to display the Content library and use your files or stock images as a background.
If you want to use an image directly from the internet, paste the link to this image in the Insert image from URL field.

Section actions

You can move a section vertically: Hover over the section and hold it while you move it to the desired location. The blue line will show you where the block will be moved to.

There are certain actions available on the bottom-left corner of the section when selected:

DDE_style-actions_EN-US.jpg

  1. Move
    Drag and drop the section wherever you want in your email.
  2. Move up and Move down
    Move your section up or down in your email. 
  3. Duplicate (⌘ or Ctrl + D) 
    Once you have chosen all the settings for your section, you can duplicate it. This is a real-time saver when designing your email.
  4. Save
    Save a section to reuse it in other emails. Your saved sections will appear in the tab My Content in the left panel. To learn more, check our dedicated article Save content to reuse in your emails.
  5. Delete (⌫ + ↵)
    Use this option to delete a section.
  6. Content visibility (Show or hide)
    Hide or show a section by adding conditions or based on your recipient's device. To learn more, check our dedicated articles Show or hide content based on contact attributes and Show or hide content based on device type
  7. Repeatable content
    You can repeat sections in your receipts or abandoned cart emails. To learn more, check our dedicated article Repeat a series of contents in your emails.

What is a content block?

Content blocks are different content types that you can add to your email. You can drag & drop the content blocks into sections.

The available content blocks are: 

DDE_title-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Title

DDE_text-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Text

DDE_image-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Image
DDE_video-block_EN-US.png
Video
DDE_button-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Button
DDE_logo-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Logo
DDE_social-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Social
DDE_html-content-block_EN-US.jpg
HTML
DDE_divider-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Divider
DDE_product-block_EN-US.png
Product
DDE_navigation-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Navigation
DDE_spacer-content-block_EN-US.jpg
Spacer

Each content block has its own setting that can be customized as needed which will override the default template settings. You can move content blocks in the same way as Sections and you can also hide or show, duplicate, save, and delete content blocks. To learn more, check our dedicated article How to use content blocks?.

The extra actions (link, preview, replace image, etc.) will differ according to the type of block you're editing. See the example below with the actions for Image block (in pink) and a Text block (in green):

Image content block
dde_image-actions_EN-US.png
Text content block
dde_text-actions_EN-US.png

⏩ What's next?

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If you’re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo expert partner.

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