Templatical

Quick Start ​

1. Install packages ​

bash
npm install @templatical/editor @templatical/renderer
bash
pnpm add @templatical/editor @templatical/renderer
bash
yarn add @templatical/editor @templatical/renderer
bash
bun add @templatical/editor @templatical/renderer

2. Mount the editor ​

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
  <title>Templatical Editor</title>
  <style>
    body { margin: 0; }
    #editor { height: calc(100vh - 48px); }
    #toolbar { height: 48px; display: flex; align-items: center; padding: 0 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e7eb; }
    #toolbar button { padding: 8px 16px; background: #1a73e8; color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 6px; cursor: pointer; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="toolbar">
    <button onclick="save()">Save Template</button>
  </div>
  <div id="editor"></div>

  <script type="module">
    import { init } from '@templatical/editor';
    import '@templatical/editor/style.css';

    const editor = await init({
      container: '#editor',
    });

    window.save = async function () {
      // The JSON is the source of truth. The MJML is an optional cache —
      // worth keeping only because this example renders in the browser.
      // See "What to store" in How rendering works.
      const content = editor.getContent();
      const mjml = await editor.toMjml();

      await fetch('/api/templates', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ content, mjml }),
      });
    };
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Your backend receives both the JSON (store it to let users edit later) and the MJML. toMjml() does not produce HTML.

3. Compile MJML to HTML ​

On the server, compile the MJML you just posted with any MJML library — Node, PHP, Python, Ruby, and others. How Rendering Works lists them. The Node package is mjml:

bash
npm install mjml
bash
pnpm add mjml
bash
yarn add mjml
bash
bun add mjml
ts
import mjml2html from "mjml";

const { html } = mjml2html(mjml);
// html is ready to send

From a saved JSON file, without mounting the editor (also needs mjml):

bash
npx -y @templatical/template-tools render template.json --format html -o email.html
bash
pnpm dlx @templatical/template-tools render template.json --format html -o email.html
bash
yarn dlx @templatical/template-tools render template.json --format html -o email.html
bash
bunx @templatical/template-tools render template.json --format html -o email.html

See Template Tools.

Shadow DOM by default

The editor mounts inside a Shadow DOM, so host page CSS cannot cascade into editor elements. Use a <div> — or any shadow-host-eligible element — as the container; elements like <table>, <form>, or <input> cannot host a shadow root.

Pass shadowDom: false to opt out if you need an unusual container, target editor internals from document.querySelector, or support Firefox <101 / Safari <16.4. See the Shadow DOM guide for the full trade-off list and theming via :host.

Next steps ​