Overview
The Compose Framework page is used to define the structural foundation for CMS email templates.
A framework contains the global HTML structure, styling definitions, layout logic, and default variables that templates and blocks inherit.
For conceptual explanations of how frameworks relate to templates and blocks, refer to the System Basics documentation.
Navigation Path
Content > Email > Frameworks
You reach this page when creating a new framework or editing an existing one.
Information
The Information section defines the metadata and configuration of the framework.
You can manage:
Name – Internal framework name
Description – Optional internal description
Tags – For organization and filtering
Character Encoding – Defines how characters are encoded
These settings describe the framework and control its behavior in CMS.
Code Editor
Use the code editor to define the HTML structure and logic of the framework.
A framework typically contains:
The global HTML structure for email templates
CSS definitions and style rules
Responsive layout behavior
Block areas that define where templates can insert CMS blocks
Framework-level variables and default values
Variables
Variables can be declared in the framework to control layout or styling across templates and blocks.
Templates and blocks that use this framework inherit these variable values unless they override them at block level.
This allows consistent defaults, such as table width, background colors, or layout behavior.
Personalization and Variables
The framework supports:
Mapp Engage Variables
Personalization placeholders
Velocity directives and conditional logic
These elements are evaluated during rendering and apply to all templates based on the framework.
Templates and blocks can reference framework-level variables and logic.
Changes to a framework can affect all templates that use it.