Saving Custom Components and Templates
Want to build your own library of reusable email assets? Email Love's Figma plugin makes it super easy to save your customized components and templates for future use. This feature is perfect for maintaining brand consistency and speeding up your design workflow.
Saving Custom Components
Custom components are your go-to email building blocks - think branded headers, styled CTAs, or perfectly crafted content sections that you'll want to use again and again.
Here's how to save them:
- Design your component exactly how you want it to look
- Select the component in your Figma frame
- Open the Email Love plugin and navigate to the appropriate section (Two Column, Buttons, Reviews, etc.)
- Click the blue "Add Custom Component" button
- Wait a moment while the plugin saves your component
- Voila! Your component now appears at the top of that section
Component Linking — Stay in Sync with Figma
When you save a Figma Component or Instance, the plugin automatically links the saved version to its source component. You'll see a small blue chain icon on the thumbnail, confirming the link is active.
This means:
- Native instances on the canvas. When you click a linked component to place it in your email, the plugin creates a real Figma instance (not a static copy). Changes to the parent component instantly propagate to every instance — that's Figma's native behavior, no extra steps needed.
- Auto-syncing thumbnails. When you open an asset folder with linked components, the plugin automatically checks each one against its Figma source. If anything changed (colors, text, spacing, images), the thumbnail and JSON update silently in the background.
- Cross-file support. If your source component is published to a Figma Team Library, the link works from any Figma file. For local (unpublished) components, the link only works within the same file — you'll see a notification about this at save time.
- Backward compatible. Components saved before this feature still work exactly as before. They just won't have a link badge or auto-sync behavior.
Visual Badges
Look for these indicators on your saved component thumbnails:
- Blue chain icon — Component is linked to a Figma source
- Orange refresh icon — Update available (click to sync manually if auto-sync didn't catch it)
- Red warning icon — Source component was deleted or can't be found
- Spinning gray icon — Currently checking for updates
A small refresh icon next to the "Upload Component" button lets you manually trigger an update check for all linked components in that folder.
Using your saved components is just as easy:
- Create a new email frame
- Navigate to the plugin section where you saved your component
- Click on your custom component to instantly add it to your email
- Linked components are placed as native Figma instances that stay connected to the source
Managing your component library:
- Remove any component by clicking the small "X" icon next to it
- Save as many components as you like - there's no limit!
- Custom components work across all plugin sections (Four Column, Buttons, Reviews, and more)
Saving Full Email Templates
Got a killer email design that you want to reuse? Save the entire template and create a personal library of email designs that perfectly match your brand.
Here's the step-by-step process:
- Complete your email design - make sure everything looks perfect
- Select the entire template in your Figma frame
- Open the plugin and click on the "Customs" tab in the top left
- Create a category to keep things organized:
- Click "Create Category"
- Give it a descriptive name (like "Newsletters," "Sales," or "Transactional")
- Your new category is ready to go!
- Save your template:
- Click "Add New Template"
- Select the right category
- Click "Add Template"
- Done! Your template is now saved and ready for future campaigns
Using your saved templates:
- Create a new email frame
- Go to the Customs tab in the plugin
- Browse your categories to find the perfect template
- Click on it and watch as the plugin builds out each section automatically
- Customize the images, text, and links for your new campaign
Organizing Your Template Library
Smart organization makes finding the right template a breeze. Here are some category ideas:
- Newsletters - For your regular email communications
- Promotions - Sales, discounts, and special offers
- Transactional - Order confirmations, welcome emails, password resets
- Seasonal - Holiday campaigns and event-specific designs
- Product Updates - Feature announcements and company news
Pro Tips for Success
For Components:
- Save your most-used elements like branded headers, footers, and signature CTAs
- Test components in different email contexts to ensure they work perfectly
- Keep your component names clear and descriptive
For Templates:
- Use specific category names that make sense for your workflow
- Save template variations for different campaign types
- Regularly update your saved templates to reflect current brand guidelines
Troubleshooting
Component not saving? Make sure you have the component selected before clicking "Add Custom Component" and verify you're in the correct plugin section.
Template not appearing? Double-check that you selected the entire template before saving and confirm you're looking in the right category.
Need to update a saved component? If it's linked (blue chain icon), just update the source Figma component — the saved version in the plugin will auto-sync the next time you open that folder. No need to delete and re-save. For unlinked (legacy) components, you'll still need to delete the old version and save the updated one.
This custom save feature transforms the Email Love plugin into your personal design system, making it faster and easier to create beautiful, on-brand emails every time. Happy designing!
Powered by