Inline images with markdown - Signature in email automation

[Esfandiar_Khora]

Hi

Any idea when Airtable will update its markdown syntax to accept inline images?
I love to send emails with Airtable automation, but I can’t find a way to integrate my signature to emails !

[ScottWorld · Accepted solution]

I’ve spoken with Airtable about this, and they specifically told me that they are NOT planning on making any changes to the email markdown syntax anytime soon, which is a real bummer because it doesn’t even support line breaks properly. They told me that this is NOT on their product roadmap. So, I wouldn’t hold your breath on this getting improved or fixed — their answer could potentially mean “never”. And I can tell you from personal experience that Airtable is EXCELLENT about “never” improving things that we need improved. :winking_face:

You might be able to do this with a custom JavaScript script that you automate with Airtable’s automations, but I’m not 100% sure about this.

You could also do this with the SendGrid app, which supports HTML email messages (as long as you enable its HTML option). So you could add an <img> tag into the body of your email message, and have it reference any image URL that you want. It could be the URL of an attachment within Airtable, or it could simply be an external URL as well.

However, the gigantic problem here is that the SendGrid app can’t be automated within Airtable. It is a manual process to send emails via SendGrid, although you can make it slightly easier by using a button field to send your current record to the SendGrip app, and then you can manually go through the email sending process from there.

So ultimately, for a no-code way of easily automating this process, you would need to use an external app like Integromat, which can automatically send HTML emails for you via SendGrid (or many other email sending providers).

p.s. If you have a budget for your project & you need help with Airtable or Integromat, I am a professional Airtable consultant and a Registered Integromat Partner. Feel free to contact me through my website at scottworld.com. (The Integromat link above contains my personal referral code.)

[Bill_French]

ScottWorld:

they are NOT planning on making any changes to the email markdown syntax anytime soon

… and the fact they – THEMSELVES – pollute YOUR messages with their advertising by including – WAIT FOR IT … – embedded images, demonstrates a special degree of hubris.

Shame on you Airtable.

I make a lot of money with some of my clients by hosting webhook servers on their gmail accounts that fully embrace all aspects of markdown and HTML formatting with proper line breaks.

ps - you can overcome the line break issue by constructing the message in script, passing the entire message body to the email step and refraining from any editing in the email message control.

[ScottWorld]

Bill.French:

ps - you can overcome the line break issue by constructing the message in script, passing the entire message body to the email step and refraining from any editing in the email message control.

Nice! I didn’t know about this!

Bill.French:

… and the fact they – THEMSELVES – pollute YOUR messages with their advertising by including – WAIT FOR IT … – embedded images , demonstrates a special degree of hubris.

Wow. Unreal. Lol.

p.s. This is unrelated to embedded images, but they also pollute your “From” line of the email by adding “via Airtable” to it.

[Esfandiar_Khora]

Good to know :slightly_smiling_face: !
I guess sooner or later I have to start learning Java Scripts.

The thing is that I’m trying to become less dependent on Zapier (or Integromat for that matter) to have less steps and platforms to joggle, also I have A LOT of contacts and am paying quite a hefty monthly fee to Zapier which I’m trying to cut by benefiting from native solutions inside Airtable (I already have a SendGrid account, which I need regardless).
Thanks so much for your time and input, I would definitely keep you in mind for future more complex projects.

[Bill_French]

ScottWorld:

Wow. Unreal. Lol.

It is, and don’t get me started on the copyright indicator. This makes your private messages with your private data look like they are copyrighted by Airtable, complete and misleading fiction.

[ScottWorld]

Wow, didn’t notice that before. Airtable is a very misguided company, propped up by VC funding.

[Bill_French]

ScottWorld:

Airtable is a very misguided company, propped up by VC funding.

Well, all companies are propped up by money. :winking_face: The funding attributes are a little deep given Airtable is a Unicorn. But, on the misguided angle, there are certainly behaviors that are incongruent and largely not from the customer’s perspective. This degree of obvious disconnect makes it [seemingly] difficult and sometimes a lost cause for having rational debates about what is good and what is bad in the product.

[Dimitris_Goudis · Accepted solution]

Hey All, 

I tried to add the signature in Gmail action by adding html piece of code in body text and it worked.

Feel free to check it here. Very curious for your feedback @Esfandiar_Khora 

[Esfandiar_Khora]

Hey y'all,

I've created this thread in 2020, since then they've added some html coding on top of the markdown syntax and we can add images (ie signature)

So I'd consider the issue solved. Thanks @Dimitris_Goudis for the input, certainly helpful is someone visits this thread!

Cheers