Shared Email Templates for Microsoft Outlook

Bind images to dropdowns

With the Shared Email Templates add-in, you're just a few mouse clicks away from adding an image to the message body automatically. All you need do is start creating or editing your template, select where to insert an image from (OneDrive, SharePoint, or a web address), and specify what image you'd like to use. The InsertPicture macro will do the trick making the desired image show up in the message body each time you insert the template.

You can also automatically add your profile photo from Azure AD. Feel free to learn more by visiting this help page: How to insert pictures into templates.

But what if you're not happy with such a solution? What if you'd rather have a few alternatives to choose from when inserting your template? Is it a problem? Definitely not ;)

Video: How to add a dropdown list with images to an email template

This video shows how to create a dropdown and select an image from it for your email message.

How to bind images to a dropdown

Suppose you want to send a seminar reminder that will contain a picture relevant to the seminar topic. The pictures you're going to use are stored on OneDrive. To create a list of options to choose from, you'll need a simple dataset and two macros: InsertPicture and WhatToEnter. Here are the steps to follow.

  1. Start creating a simple dataset that will consist of two columns.
  2. The first column will contain seminar titles. It will be a key column. The second column is for images. In each of its cells, click the Insert Macro icon, select the Insert Picture from OneDrive option, and then select the image itself.
    Inserting a macro into a dataset cell

  3. When your dataset is ready, save it.
    Saving a dataset
  4. In your template, select a place for a picture by putting the cursor there, and then click the Insert macro button on the template editor toolbar.
    The Insert macro button
  5. Select What to Enter.
    Selecting the WhatToEnter macro
  6. In the What to enter dialog, select Dataset. Specify a field name that will show up as a prompt when you insert the template into an email message. Choose which dataset and which column the data must be taken from. Then click OK.
    Inserting the WhatToEnter macro
  7. Don't forget to save your template.

From now on, when using the template, you'll be able to select an image by selecting a topic in the dialog that will show up.
A dropdown list with items to choose from

As a result, your template will be inserted along with the selected image.
A template inserted into an email message along with an image

If you select another topic when inserting the template, the image will change too.
Changes in an email message

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