Goal​

To see how an email looks when the email program of the recipient suppresses images.

Background Information​

By default, many email programs suppress the display of images in received messages. When the email program of your contact is set to suppress images, the recipient sees only the text of your email. Images in your message display as empty frames and alternative text. Usually, the recipient can opt to display images manually.

If you enter alternative text for your images, some email programs display the text in the place of the image. Other email clients ignore the alternative text and display only an empty frame, even when alternative text is available.

The suppression of images can have a dramatic effect on the initial appearance of your email in the inbox of your recipient. Always preview your messages with images off and ensure that your message is clear, even when images are off.

To see how your message renders in over 30 popular email programs, initiate a Message Check from the ​Message Preview​ window. Message Check is an extra service in Mapp Engage that must be enabled for your system.

Prerequisites​

Create an email in Mapp Engage. You can save the email as a draft or as a prepared message.

Procedure​

  1. To preview a message during the message creation process, click ​Preview​ in steps 2–4 of the message creation wizard.
    ⇒ The ​Message Preview​ window opens.
  2. To preview a message that is displayed in an overview, click ​View​ in the ​Actions​ menu of the message.
    ⇒ The ​Message Preview​ window opens.
  3. In the ​Show Images​ area, select ​Off​.
    ⇒ A preview of the message with images suppressed displays. If available, the alternative text for each image is visible.


Add Alternative Text to an Image in the HTML Code​

  1. Create or edit an email message and navigate to step ​2. Content​ of the message creation wizard.
    ⇒ By default, step ​2. Content​ opens in the ​HTML Code​ view. Images in HTML code are marked with an <img> tag: <img src="[image name]">.
  2. Enter alternative text for the image. The ​alt​ attribute specifies the text that the email client displays when the image is unavailable or images are turned off. The alt text is important for contacts who use a screen reader.
    Example: <img src="imagename.gif" alt="Description of the image" style="width:125px;height:125px;">
  3. To save your changes, click ​Save as Draft​.


Add Alternative Text to an Image in the Graphical HTML Editor​

  1. Create or edit an email message and navigate to step ​2. Content​ of the message creation wizard.
    ⇒ By default, step ​2. Content​ opens in the ​HTML Code​ view.
  2. Click ​HTML Editor​.
    ⇒ The ​HTML Editor​ view opens.
  3. Right-click an image in the message and select ​Image Properties​ from the pop-up menu.
    ⇒ The ​Image Properties​ window opens.
  4. In the ​Alternative Text​ field, enter alternative text for the image. The ​alt​ attribute specifies the text that the email client displays when the image is unavailable or images are turned off. The alt text is important for contacts who use a screen reader.
  5. To save the alternative text and close the ​Image Properties​ window, click ​OK​.
    ⇒ You return to step​ 2.Content​ of the message creation wizard.