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Table of Contents

Creating an Email Client Using Froala Rich Text Editor

Email is still a meaningful way to communicate for business and pleasure in this digital world. There are a lot of email apps out there, so making your own that fits your needs can be fun and valuable. This guide uses the powerful WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor Froala to make a robust email client. It is known for being easy to use and having a lot of features.

The user interface of Froala Editor is smooth and easy to understand, which makes it a great choice for creating an email client that combines usefulness with a nice look. This guide will walk you through the process, from installation to integration and customization.

It doesn't matter if you're a worker who wants to improve your skills or an entrepreneur who wants to make a one-of-a-kind product. By the end of this ebook, you'll have a fully working email client that can edit text in complex ways and is ready to handle modern communication needs. Let's start with making a unique email answer that stands out in a crowded market.

Why Is Froala Editor Better for Email Clients?

It is essential to pick the right text editor for an email app to smooth the user experience. There are several strong reasons why Froala Editor is the best option:

  • User-Friendly Interface: The layout of Froala Editor is clean, simple, and easy to use, which makes writing emails easier. Its WYSIWYG design ensures that the email recipients see precisely what the user composes.
  • Many features: There are a lot of tools in Froala Editor that make it better than other email clients. It supports font styles, colors, bold, italic, underline, plus media insertion (images/videos).
  • Mobile- and Tablet-Friendly: Your email app must work well on all devices in today's mobile-first world. Froala is responsive out of the box.
  • Flexible and Easy to Customize: Because Froala Editor is very flexible, coders can add to and change its features to suit their needs. Its plugin system and robust API make it easy to extend.
  • Strong Support and Documentation: Froala Editor has extensive documentation and tutorials, plus a helpful community to ensure issues are resolved quickly.
  • Reliability and Performance: Froala Editor is designed to be quick and efficient, handling large amounts of data without lag.

How to Create Email Client Using Froala – A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide will walk you through setting up a basic email client with a rich text editor using Froala Editor. We'll install Froala Editor and its dependencies, then integrate the editor into your project. You'll learn how to initialize the project, install the necessary packages, and incorporate Froala Editor into your HTML.

Additionally, we'll demonstrate how to configure basic settings, such as setting the editor's height and customizing the toolbar. By the end of this guide, you'll have a functional email client that supports rich text formatting, making it easy to compose and send beautifully formatted emails. Whether a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide provides a straightforward approach to integrating a powerful text editor into your web application.

Step 1: Install Froala Editor and Dependencies

Before integrating Froala Editor into your project, ensure you have Node.js and npm installed on your machine. You can install Froala Editor using npm. Run the following commands in your terminal: 

# Initialize a new npm project if you haven't already
npm init -y
# Install Froala Editor
npm install froala-editor
# Install the required dependencies
npm install jquery
npm install font-awesome

Step 2: Basic Text Editor Setup

Here’s a simple example of how to do this. Create an HTML file (e.g., index.html), include the necessary CSS and JS files from Froala Editor and its dependencies, then initialize the Froala Editor on a div or textarea element. 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Email Client with Froala Editor</title>
  <!-- Include Font Awesome CSS -->
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/5.15.4/css/all.min.css">
  <!-- Include Froala Editor CSS -->
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="node_modules/froala-editor/css/froala_editor.pkgd.min.css">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="node_modules/froala-editor/css/froala_style.min.css">
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Email Client</h1>
  <div id="editor">Start typing your email...</div>

  <!-- Include jQuery -->
  <script src="node_modules/jquery/dist/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <!-- Include Froala Editor JS -->
  <script src="node_modules/froala-editor/js/froala_editor.pkgd.min.js"></script>

  <script>
    $(function() {
      $('#editor').froalaEditor()
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Step 3: Setting Up Dependencies and Imports

Install Froala Editor and its dependencies, and configure your project for dynamic module loading and SSR optimization (common in frameworks like Next.js or other server-side rendering environments). 

// Install necessary dependencies
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";
import dynamic from "next/dynamic";
import "froala-editor/css/froala_style.min.css";
import "froala-editor/css/froala_editor.pkgd.min.css";
import { useState } from "react";
import { FroalaOptions } from "froala-editor";

// Dynamic import for FroalaEditorComponent
const FroalaEditorComponent = dynamic(
  async () => {
    const results = await Promise.all([
      import("react-froala-wysiwyg"),
      import("froala-editor/js/plugins.pkgd.min.js"),
    ]);
    return results[0];
  },
  {
    ssr: false,
  }
);

Step 4: Integrating Froala Editor Component

Integrate Froala Editor dynamically into your React application, ensuring SSR is disabled to improve performance. Configure Froala Editor with essential settings such as minimum height, placeholder text, and toolbar customization. 

// pages/index.js
import dynamic from "next/dynamic";
import { useState } from "react";
import { FroalaOptions } from "froala-editor";

const FroalaEditorComponent = dynamic(
  async () => {
    const results = await Promise.all([
      import("react-froala-wysiwyg"),
      import("froala-editor/js/plugins.pkgd.min.js"),
    ]);
    return results[0];
  },
  {
    ssr: false,
  }
);

Step 5: Customizing Froala Editor for Email Composition

Customize Froala Editor for email composition features such as text formatting, image insertion, and link management: 

// pages/index.js
const froalaConfig: Partial<FroalaOptions> = {
  // Events handling
  events: {
    "image.inserted": function ($img) {
      const src = $img.attr("src");
      // Handle image insertion event
    },
  },
  // Editor settings
  heightMin: 150,
  placeholderText: "Compose an email...",
  charCounterCount: false,
  wordCounterCount: false,
  quickInsertEnabled: false,
  toolbarButtons: [
    ["fullscreen", "undo", "redo", "getPDF", "print"],
    ["bold", "italic", "underline", "textColor", "backgroundColor", "clearFormatting"],
    ["alignLeft", "alignCenter", "alignRight", "alignJustify"],
    ["formatOL", "formatUL", "indent", "outdent"],
    ["paragraphFormat"],
    ["fontFamily"],
    ["fontSize"],
    ["insertLink", "insertImage", "quote"],
  ],
  imageOutputSize: true,
  fontSize: ["14", "16", "18", "24", "36"],
  // Link list customization
  linkList: [
    {
      text: "Unsubscribe from this list",
      href: "{{UnsubscribeURL}}",
    },
    {
      text: "View this email in your browser",
      href: "{{WebVersionURL}}",
    },
    {
      text: "Powered by Froala",
      href: "{{RewardsURL}}",
    },
  ],
};

Step 6: Implementing Email Client Functionality

Implement basic email client functionality including recipient input, subject input, and email sending: 

// pages/index.js
export default function Home() {
  const [emailHtml, setEmailHtml] = useState("");
  
  const handleSendEmail = () => {
    // Implement sending email functionality
    console.log("Sending email with content:", emailHtml);
    // Add logic to send email via API or server-side integration
  };

  return (
    <main className="min-h-screen flex flex-col justify-center items-center">
      <div className="w-[850px] bg-white px-10 py-8 rounded border border-black/20">
        <div className="mb-5 space-y-1">
          <Input placeholder="To" />
          <Input placeholder="Subject" />
        </div>

        <FroalaEditorComponent
          tag="textarea"
          model={emailHtml}
          onModelChange={setEmailHtml}
          config={froalaConfig}
        />

        <Button className="mt-5" onClick={handleSendEmail}>Send email</Button>
      </div>
    </main>
  );
}

Step 7: Enhancing User Experience and Accessibility

Enhance user experience through responsive design and accessibility features: 

// pages/index.js
export default function Home() {
  const [emailHtml, setEmailHtml] = useState("");
  
  const handleSendEmail = () => {
    // Implement sending email functionality
    console.log("Sending email with content:", emailHtml);
    // Add logic to send email via API or server-side integration
  };

  return (
    <main className="min-h-screen flex flex-col justify-center items-center">
      <div className="w-[850px] bg-white px-10 py-8 rounded border border-black/20">
        <div className="mb-5 space-y-1">
          <Input placeholder="To" />
          <Input placeholder="Subject" />
        </div>

        <FroalaEditorComponent
          tag="textarea"
          model={emailHtml}
          onModelChange={setEmailHtml}
          config={froalaConfig}
        />

        <Button className="mt-5" onClick={handleSendEmail}>Send email</Button>
      </div>
    </main>
  );
}

Step 8: Enable TypeScript for Froala Config

Integrating TypeScript into your Froala Editor configuration enhances code clarity and reduces potential errors by enforcing strict typing.

FroalaOptions Interface

TypeScript interfaces help define the structure and types of objects. Define an interface that extends Partial<FroalaOptions> to specify the expected properties and their types. 

// types/froala.d.ts (Typings file)
import { FroalaOptions } from "froala-editor";

export interface CustomFroalaOptions extends Partial<FroalaOptions> {
  // Add any custom options here if needed
}

Modify Froala Config with TypeScript

Update froalaConfig to utilize the defined interface (e.g., CustomFroalaOptions). Ensure all properties align with the types specified in FroalaOptions. 

// pages/index.tsx (or .jsx if not using TypeScript)
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";
import dynamic from "next/dynamic";
import "froala-editor/css/froala_style.min.css";
import "froala-editor/css/froala_editor.pkgd.min.css";
import { useState } from "react";
import { CustomFroalaOptions } from "@/types/froala";

// Dynamic import for FroalaEditorComponent
const FroalaEditorComponent = dynamic(
  async () => {
    const results = await Promise.all([
      import("react-froala-wysiwyg"),
      import("froala-editor/js/plugins.pkgd.min.js"),
    ]);
    return results[0];
  },
  {
    ssr: false,
  }
);

const froalaConfig: CustomFroalaOptions = {
  // Events handling
  events: {
    "image.inserted": function ($img) {
      const src = $img.attr("src");
      // Handle image insertion event
    },
  },
  // Editor settings
  heightMin: 150,
  placeholderText: "Compose an email...",
  charCounterCount: false,
  wordCounterCount: false,
  quickInsertEnabled: false,
  toolbarButtons: [
    ["fullscreen", "undo", "redo", "getPDF", "print"],
    ["bold", "italic", "underline", "textColor", "backgroundColor", "clearFormatting"],
    ["alignLeft", "alignCenter", "alignRight", "alignJustify"],
    ["formatOL", "formatUL", "indent", "outdent"],
    ["paragraphFormat"],
    ["fontFamily"],
    ["fontSize"],
    ["insertLink", "insertImage", "quote"],
  ],
  imageOutputSize: true,
  fontSize: ["14", "16", "18", "24", "36"],
  // Link list customization
  linkList: [
    {
      text: "Unsubscribe from this list",
      href: "{{UnsubscribeURL}}",
    },
    {
      text: "View this email in your browser",
      href: "{{WebVersionURL}}",
    },
    {
      text: "Powered by Froala",
      href: "{{RewardsURL}}",
    },
  ],
};

export default function Home() {
  const [emailHtml, setEmailHtml] = useState("");

  const handleSendEmail = () => {
    // Implement sending email functionality
    console.log("Sending email with content:", emailHtml);
    // Add logic to send email via API or server-side integration
  };

  return (
    <main className="min-h-screen flex flex-col justify-center items-center">
      <div className="w-[850px] bg-white px-10 py-8 rounded border border-black/20">
        <div className="mb-5 space-y-1">
          <Input placeholder="To" />
          <Input placeholder="Subject" />
        </div>

        <FroalaEditorComponent
          tag="textarea"
          model={emailHtml}
          onModelChange={setEmailHtml}
          config={froalaConfig}
        />

        <Button className="mt-5">Send email</Button>
      </div>
    </main>
  );
}

Implement Typings

If TypeScript complains about type mismatches or missing definitions, ensure your typings ( CustomFroalaOptions in this case) cover all properties used in froalaConfig. Adjust or extend the interface based on configuration requirements and plugin integrations.

Sending the Email

While Froala Editor focuses on creating a rich text editing experience for your email client, sending the email itself involves a separate process. Here’s a quick glimpse of what’s involved:

  1. Grabbing the Content: Once your user finishes composing their email, you must extract the content from the Froala Editor (via the model property), which returns the complete HTML.
  2. SMTP Magic: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the workhorse behind email delivery. You’ll need valid SMTP server credentials or a service that provides a mail-sending API.
  3. Sending it Off: With the content ready and the connection established, your email client can leverage SMTP or a third-party email API to actually send the email.

Final Words

You've finished this guide on how to use Froala Editor to make an email app. We've looked at what Froala Editor can do and how it could be used for email client creation easier for everyone in this ebook.

We started by discussing the problems with plain text emails and how Froala Editor can help you make your email writing more interesting and rich. After that, we reviewed how to set up Froala Editor and the basic steps to set up a working text editor.

Next, we discussed customization and showed you how to change the editor's toolbar to fit your email client's needs and preferences. We also talked about adding files, different ways to format text, and important email features like unsubscribe links.

This ebook serves as a stepping stone for your email client development journey. Try out Froala Editor's features, make it work how you want it to, and use what you've learned here to create an amazing email client that goes above and beyond what was expected.

Don't forget that this is only the beginning! There are a lot of options in the world of web creation. Keep exploring, stay curious, and utilize your newfound skills to craft innovative, user-friendly email creation tools. We have no doubt you'll create something truly remarkable.