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Code Editor: how to personalize by first name

This document will quickly show you how to personalize your emails by including a subscriber's first name. It also shows you how to dynamically create alternate content if the subscriber's first name is not found.

This tutorial assumes you have already uploaded a subscriber list. If not, you can learn how here: How to import subscribers.

The Code Editor can be opened for an existing template or by creating a new one. To do either, visit the Templates Manager Templates Manager. To create a new template in the code editor please click the "+" button at the top right of the Templates Manager. Or open an existing template by clicking the "Code" button.

  • Getting the subscriber's first name

    The subscriber's first name is easy to retreive. Simply add %%first_name%% to your html. If you've included a first name for the subscriber - it will display. 
    
Greetings %%first_name%%!
    It get's just a tiny bit more complicated when we realize we may not always have a first name.

  • Adding logic with JavaScript

    The following is a complete example including a function to determine if we have a first name and what to do if we don't. 
    <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "https://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>

  <title>Serious Email</title>

  <script>

    var greeting = function() {
	
      var subscriber_name = "%%first_name%%"; 
      var str = '';
      if (subscriber_name != '') {
          str = subscriber_name;
      } else {
          str = 'Friend';
      }
      return(str);

    };

  </script>

</head>

<body>

Greetings <script> greeting(); </script><comment data-msg="NAME"></comment>,
<br>
<br>
How are you?
<br>
<br>
Thank you,
<br>Serious.Email

</body></html>