---
title: Editing an email template
description: Rewrite the subject, title, text and button of an email in each language, insert variables, send a test and restore an earlier version.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/emails-edit-a-template/"
updated: "2026-11-05"
category: Platform / Emails
---

# Editing an email template

Every automated email from Illizeo is built from a template you can rewrite: the subject, the title, the text, the button label and the note at the bottom of the message, in each of the four languages. This article describes the template editor, sending a test and the version history. It is for the administrators of your space.

## Before you start

- You need the “Email templates” permission at the **Execute** level (role matrix, Platform administration section, Emails group). At the **Access** level, the editor opens read-only: no variables, no saving, no test.
- The template catalogue and switching emails on and off are described in [Automated emails: catalogue and activation](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/emails-catalogue-and-activation/).

## Opening the editor

1. Open **Settings › Manage Illizeo › Email**, **Templates** tab.
2. Click the template card.

The editor takes the whole page: the form on the left, the email preview on the right. The top bar holds the back arrow to the catalogue, the template name, the **Active** switch, and the **History**, **Send a test** and **Save** buttons.

![The editor of the Demande d'absence à valider template: top bar with the Active switch and the History, Send a test and Save buttons; on the left the language tabs and the Subject, Title, Intro text, Button label and Secondary note fields; on the right the email preview](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/emails-edit-a-template-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
The editor: the form per language on the left, the preview on the right.

## The parts of the email

| Field | Where it appears |
| --- | --- |
| Subject | The subject of the message in the inbox (255 characters at most). |
| Title | The first line of the message, in bold (255 characters at most). |
| Intro text | The body of the message. A blank line separates two paragraphs. |
| Button label | The text of the button that leads to Illizeo (120 characters at most). The button only appears if the email carries a link; leave the field empty to show none. |
| Secondary note | A paragraph below the button, for a detail or an instruction. |

## Inserting a variable

When the email is sent, a variable is replaced by the value that concerns the recipient or the request: their first name, the company name, the date, the link to Illizeo, or a value specific to the template (the approver, the dates of a leave…).

1. Click in the field where the variable should go, at the right place.
2. Below the fields, under **Variables**, click the chip you need: **First name**, **Last name**, **Company**, **Date**, **Link**, then those of the template.

The variable is inserted as `{{prenom}}`. Keep the braces and the name intact, and only use the variables offered for that template.

## Working language by language

The **Français**, **English**, **Deutsch** and **Italiano** tabs each hold their own text. An orange dot flags a language to review: its text is still Illizeo's while the French or English has been rewritten. A banner says so at the top of the tab.

- **Save** saves the language displayed. Switch tabs and save each language you changed.
- On a language to review, **Save** is available even without a change: saving confirms the review and clears the flag.
- If artificial intelligence is enabled for your space and its cap has not been reached, the **Translate missing languages** button suggests a translation of the languages to review, based on the tab displayed. Review the suggestion, click **Fill the empty languages**, then save each language from its tab: nothing is saved without you.

## Checking the preview

The right-hand column shows the email as it will be laid out: your logo, the title, the text, the button and the note. It updates as you type, in the language of the tab. Variables take sample values (Alex Martin, “Your company”, today's date); a variable with no sample is shown in square brackets, for example `[dates]`.

## Sending a test

1. Save your changes first: the test uses the saved text.
2. Click **Send a test**.
3. Under **Recipients**, type an address and press Enter; add others the same way.
4. Check the **Language**: it is the one of the tab displayed.
5. Click **Send the test**.

![The Send a test window: empty Recipients field, Language list set to the tab's language, information box and the Cancel and Send the test buttons](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/emails-edit-a-template-02.en_.png?resize=480%2C360&quality=80&ssl=1)
Send a test: recipients and language.

The test subject starts with [TEST] and the variables are replaced with samples: your first and last name, your company name, today's date. Test sends do not appear in the sending history. You can send ten tests per minute at most.

## Going back to Illizeo's text

1. Below the fields, click **Reset to default text**.
2. Confirm with **Reset**.

The language displayed takes back the text supplied by Illizeo. The other languages, the **Active** switch and the Reminder block do not change.

## Viewing and restoring a version

The **History** button opens the **Change history** panel. Every save, reset or restore is listed with its kind (**Edit**, **Reset**, **Restore**), the language, the subject, the author and the date. The last 50 entries are shown.

![The Change history panel open on the right of the editor: list of versions with their kind, language, subject, author, date and the Restore button](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/emails-edit-a-template-03.en_.png?resize=384%2C515&quality=80&ssl=1)
History: each version can be restored.

Click **Restore** next to an entry: that language takes back the text of this version, together with the active state and the reminder settings saved at that time. The restore is itself added to the history. A **Reset** entry keeps the text as it was just before the reset: restoring it therefore undoes the reset.

## Good to know

- The template decides the text, not when the email is sent or to whom: those depend on the module and its settings.
- Emails that wait for an action also carry a **Reminder** block (see [Sending reminders until the action is done](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/emails-reminders/)).
- For **Always on** emails, the text can be edited but there is no switch.
- For some notices, the card shown in the Illizeo bell uses the subject and intro text of the template.

## FAQ

### The test still shows the old text.

The test uses the saved text. Click **Save** in the language tab, then send the test again.

### I reset a template by mistake. How do I get my text back?

Open **History**, find the **Reset** entry for that language and click **Restore**.

### The button does not appear in the email received.

The button only appears if the **Button label** is filled in and the email carries a link to Illizeo. Some information emails have none.

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