> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://daisychain.gitbook.io/help/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://daisychain.gitbook.io/help/email/email-configuration.md).

# Email Configuration

To start sending email in Daisychain, you'll need to have do a bit of setup.

#### Senders

Navigate to *Settings > Channels > Email > Senders > Add* to begin the three step configuration wizard which will walk you through the following three steps:

1. Setup your identity by entering your display name and email address
2. Verify your domain by adding three CNAME records to your DNS provider. *If you're not sure what that means, ask your website administrator or IT department.*
3. Confirmation and completion!

{% hint style="success" %}
If you've already configured your domain in Daisychain and are just adding a new sender/name, you'll be able to automatically skip Step 2.
{% endhint %}

#### Layouts

A layout is the reusable "frame" that wraps the content of every email you send — the header, footer, fonts, colors, and spacing. The content you write for each individual email is dropped into the layout when the email is sent.

Your Daisychain account comes with a default **Basic** layout. It's simple and readable for recipients on a wide variety of email clients and devices, and it includes the things that are legally required for automated email:

* Account Name
* Mailing Address
* Unsubscribe Link

You can find your layouts under *Settings > Channels > Email > Layouts*.

#### Editing a layout

Open a layout to edit it. You'll see two tabs:

* **Templates** — where you edit the layout itself. There are two editors:
  * **MJML Markup** — the structure and content of the layout.
  * **CSS** — styling that applies across the layout.
* **Preview** — a live rendering of the email so you can check your changes before saving.

Layouts are written in [MJML](https://mjml.io/documentation/), a markup language designed specifically for email. MJML uses its own tags — like `<mj-section>`, `<mj-column>`, and `<mj-text>` — which are automatically converted into the kind of HTML that displays reliably across email clients. When you're done, switch to the **Preview** tab to confirm it looks right, then hit **Save**.

{% hint style="info" %}
The built-in **Basic** layout can't be edited in place. The first time you save changes to it, you'll see **Save as New Template** — this creates your own editable copy and leaves the original untouched. After that, you'll have a normal **Save** button for future edits. Be sure your campaigns and automations are set to use your new layout.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Because layouts are MJML, you can't simply paste raw HTML anywhere in the editor — HTML placed on its own will be dropped when the email is built. To include HTML, put it **inside** an MJML tag:

* Use `<mj-text>` for text and inline formatting (links, line breaks, bold, colored spans). This is the right choice for most content, including disclaimers.
* Use `<mj-raw>` when you need to pass a block of custom HTML through untouched.
  {% endhint %}

#### Anatomy of a layout

A Daisychain layout isn't a complete email on its own — it's the frame, and Daisychain drops two things into it when the email is built:

* The **content** of the individual email (what's written in the message editor).
* The **CSS** from the layout's CSS tab.

These are inserted at two special tags — `<mj-partial name="content" />` and `<mj-partial name="css" />`. `mj-partial` is a Daisychain-specific tag (not part of standard MJML), so **every layout must include both, or it won't work**: omit the content partial and the email body will be blank; omit the CSS partial and nothing from your CSS tab will apply.

Here's the minimal skeleton every layout needs:

```html
<mjml>
  <mj-head>
    <mj-style inline="inline">
      <mj-partial name="css" />   <!-- your CSS tab is injected and inlined here -->
    </mj-style>
  </mj-head>
  <mj-body>
    <mj-partial name="content" /> <!-- the message body is injected here -->

    <!-- Everything else — header, footer, disclaimer — is just normal MJML
         that you add around the content partial. -->
  </mj-body>
</mjml>
```

You can add as much as you like around the `content` partial (a header above it, a footer below it), style the whole thing with the CSS tab or MJML's own `<mj-attributes>`, and use the [MJML reference](https://mjml.io/documentation/) for the available tags. Just keep both partials in place.

{% hint style="info" %}
If a custom layout breaks — a blank body, missing styles, or it won't render — the quickest fix is to start from a known-good copy: open the built-in **Basic** layout, choose **Save as New Template**, and build your changes up from there. Basic always contains the correct structure.
{% endhint %}

#### Editing the footer or disclaimer

The footer lives near the bottom of the layout's MJML, in the `<mj-text>` block that contains the unsubscribe link and your mailing address. To add a compliance line such as a "Paid for by" disclaimer, add a text block in that area, for example:

```html
<mj-text align="center" font-size="12px" color="#888">
  Paid for by [Committee Name]. [Authorization or approval line, as required in your jurisdiction.]
</mj-text>
```

To set the disclaimer off in a bordered box, put it in its own column with a `border`. The border goes on the `<mj-column>` (the box) and the text stays inside `<mj-text>`:

```html
<mj-section padding="10px">
  <mj-column border="1px solid #000000" padding="12px">
    <mj-text align="center" font-size="12px" color="#888">
      Paid for by [Committee Name]. [Authorization or approval line, as required in your jurisdiction.]
    </mj-text>
  </mj-column>
</mj-section>
```

The `padding` on the column controls the space between the border and the text, and the `padding` on the section controls the space around the box.

#### Dynamic content with Liquid

Layouts can include [Liquid](https://shopify.github.io/liquid/) tags that are filled in for each recipient when the email is sent. The default layout uses a few of these:

* `{{ account.name }}` — your account/organization name
* `{{ account.customer_address }}` — your mailing address
* `{% unsubscribe_url %}` — the recipient's one-click unsubscribe link

{% hint style="info" %}
Your legal name and mailing address come from your account details and aren't edited in the layout itself. To change them, contact support and we'll update them for you — every layout that uses `{{ account.customer_address }}` will pick up the change automatically.
{% endhint %}