Other options for setting a background image in HTML emails aside from utilizing the background-img URL and avoiding the use of divs

I am struggling with creating the header section for an HTML email that is currently under construction. I am using background-img url for the image with content overlay, but unfortunately Outlook 2007, 2010, and 2016 do not support background-images on tables. I came across this workaround involving divs. However, divs are not as reliable as tables for emails, so I am looking for a solution that strictly uses the table structure.

Is there a way to achieve this using only a table structure?

Current approach:

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width:692px; background-image: url(https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3055391/Inbound/CPD%202017/Email/Newsletter%20%20-%20Customers/header-image.png);" width="692" height="400">
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td valign="top" align="center" style="font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;padding:25px 28px;">
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
          <tbody>
            <tr>
              <td align="left" style="font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
                <a href="#" target="_blank">
                  <img alt="LOGO" src="#" style="display:block;border:0px; font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#ffffff">
                </a>
              </td>
              <!-- SOCIAL ICONS -->
              <td style="text-align: right;">
                <!--YouTube -->
                <a href="#"><img src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3055391/Inbound/CPD%202017/Email/Newsletter%20%20-%20Customers/youtube-icon.png"></a>
                <!--Twitter -->
                <a href="#"><img src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3055391/Inbound/CPD%202017/Email/Newsletter%20%20-%20Customers/twitter-icon.png"></a>
                <!--LinkedIn -->
                <a href="#"><img src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3055391/Inbound/CPD%202017/Email/Newsletter%20%20-%20Customers/linkedin-icon.png"></a>
                <a href="#"><img src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3055391/Inbound/CPD%202017/Email/Newsletter%20%20-%20Customers/facebook-icon.png"></a>
              </td>
            </tr>
            <!----------------->
            <!-- HEADER TEXT -->
            <!----------------->
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2" style="padding-top:40px;">
                <!-- PADDING-->
              </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
              <td colspan="2" style="height: 100px; color: #fff; font-family:'Open Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; text-align: center; font-size: 26px; padding-bottom: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">
                TEXT<br> HERE
              </td>
            </tr>
          </tbody>
        </table>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

htmlcsshtml-tablehtml-email

Answer №1

When trying to get a background image to display in Outlook 2007-2016, the only method that will work is to utilize Vector Markup Language (VML). It relies on xml rather than div tags, with the div acting as the wrapper.

To see this code in action, I have created a Fiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/wallyglenn/7zLaLrfx/

Below is the code snippet:

<div style="background-color:#ff0000; width:600px;">
  <!--[if (gte mso 9)|(IE)]><!-- -->
  <v:background xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" fill="t">
    <v:fill type="tile" src="http://www.gwally.com/news/photos/catintinfoilhat.jpg" color="#ff0000"/>
  </v:background>
  <![endif]-->
  <table height="450" width="600" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
    <tr>
      <td valign="top" align="left" background="http://www.gwally.com/news/photos/catintinfoilhat.jpg">
        <h1 style="text-align: center; color: #ffffff;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; -webkit-text-stroke-color: black; font-family: Arial, san-serif;">
        Background Image with Text on Top
      </h1>
    </td>
  </tr>
  </table>
</div>

By inserting xml code, Outlook is directed to display the background image specified. While Outlook may not render the background="" attribute, it will still show the table contents.

Unfortunately, this method is the most reliable option available for achieving background images in Outlook.

The initial code was sourced from and has been modified.

Best of luck with your coding endeavors.

Answer №2

Here is the solution you've been searching for. I've been streamlining my code by reducing the number of divs unless I'm coding hybrid. Below is a code snippet that I've tailored based on the link you provided in your post.

Your main content will consist of the 3 tables within the VML code. Remember to adjust the width and height of the VML to ensure it functions correctly. Just a friendly reminder from my experience testing it out.

@media only screen and (max-width:480px) {
.hidden{display:none !important;}
.backgroundCover{background-size: cover; background-position:center center !important;}
}
<table style="max-width: 600px;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="backgroundCover" style="background: url('https://syferdoesweb.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/background-example.jpg'); background-image: url('https://syferdoesweb.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/background-example.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<!-- [if gte mso 9]>
<v:rect xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" fill="true" stroke="false" style="width:600px;height:338px;">
<v:fill type="frame" src="https://syferdoesweb.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/background-example.jpg" color="#463783" />
<v:textbox inset="0,0,0,0">
<![endif]-->
<table class="hidden" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="height: 70px; line-height: 0px; font-size: 0px;" height="120"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'sans-serif'; font-size: 30px; text-align: center; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; padding: 50px 10px 0px 10px;">Beautiful background in email</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'sans-serif'; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px 0px 50px 0px;">no more crazy nights</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="hidden" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="height: 70px; line-height: 0px; font-size: 0px;" height="120"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<!-- [if gte mso 9]>
</v:textbox>
</v:rect>
<![endif]--></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Summary of Changes Made:

  • Created an outer table with 3 background images placed in td. This allows for various background combinations for the web.
  • Added VML inside the above table. Important VML adjustments include: image path, image dimensions (height & width), and fallback color.
  • The VML section contains all the necessary HTML for styling the block above the background image.
  • Two additional hidden tables were included for spacing. If email clients read media queries, these tables will be hidden.

I wrote a detailed blog post on this topic, which you can find here: #SyferDoesEmail.

Please let me know if this solution meets your needs.

Answer №3

Consider utilizing the 'background' attribute rather than 'background-image':

background: url('image.jpg') no-repeat cover;

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

When the canvasJS range column chart is below the horizontal axis, modify the color and width of the bars

For each day of the week, there are records of fuel consumed and refilled. I envisioned representing this data in a range column chart using CanvasJS library. The unique aspect is that the color and width of the bars should change dynamically based on thei ...

javascripthtmlchartsbar-chartcanvasjs

Utilizing the '<' or '>' operator in combination with an if statement within a Repeater component

Is it possible to use an if statement in a repeater like this? <%#Eval("FN").ToString().Count > 0 ? "SB" : "" %> When I try to implement this, I receive an error 73 indicating that the > operator cannot be used. How can I adjust it so that i ...

htmlasp.netif-statement

Change the class of an element only within the div that is directly below it

Trying to achieve: Visit this link In my navigation menu, I have two folders with subpages under them. The CSS for displaying the page titles within the folder is as follows: .main-nav .subnav ul {display:none; transition: all 100ms ease-in-out; } .mai ...

jquerycsstogglesquarespace

Is there a way to prevent HTML Tidy from inserting newlines before closing tags?

Have you ever noticed how HTML Tidy always seems to add an extra newline before the closing tag? It's so frustrating! For instance: <p>Some text</p> ends up looking like this: <p>Some text </p> Is there a way to make Tidy k ...

htmltexttidytext-formattinghtmltidy

Accessing web authentication through VBA

Having some difficulties trying to access my webtext account through VBA. The first hurdle I faced was identifying the tags for the username and password input boxes. After using inspect elements, it seems like the tags are "username" and "password." Howe ...

htmlcssexcelvba

Tips for Utilizing PHP Without the Need to Refresh the Page

Below are the contents of three files with their respective code: Controler.php <iframe id="frame1" style="display:none"></iframe> <iframe id="frame2" style="display:none"></iframe> <button onClick="document.getElementById(&apo ...

javascriptphphtmlajaxmysqli

Deactivate one select box depending on the value chosen in another select box

I am looking to disable one select box when the other select box equals 1, and vice versa. While I know how to achieve this with IDs, the challenge arises as the select boxes I want to target have dynamically generated IDs and names via PHP. Therefore, I n ...

javascriptjqueryhtml

Does anyone know if it's achievable to include a background position within the img /asp:image tag?

Currently, I am endeavoring to enhance the loading speed of my webpage. The initial approach I decided to pursue is base64 conversion. On my homepage, there are a total of 18 small images that need to be loaded. Since base64 encoding increases image size ...

c#htmlcssasp.netimage

Guidelines for dynamically passing HTML attribute values into a CSS selector using a variable in Protractor

After successfully locating the button on the row using its value stored in the "title" HTML attribute, I am now faced with the task of passing a dynamic value to this attribute. To achieve this, I have declared it as a variable. However, I am unsure about ...

cssprotractor

What steps can I take to ensure that my collapsible menu is both dynamic and easily accessible

I have integrated an app with the footable plugin to enable responsive tables. This feature transforms table columns into a collapsible menu that dynamically appears as a new row when a user expands it by clicking a button, and disappears upon collapse. I ...

htmlaccessibility

Customize each carousel item by adding a unique background image to enhance the visual appeal

I'm looking to customize my Bootstrap carousel by adding unique background images to each item. Here's a snippet of my HTML: <!-- Start of carousel --> <div id="mainCarousel" class="carousel slide carousel-fade" d ...

htmlcssbootstrap-5

Custom font not displaying on Chromecast receiver app

I have followed the specified steps to incorporate a custom font into an html canvas text field. Interestingly, the font displays correctly when accessed on the Desktop Chrome browser, but on the Chromecast receiver application, the font fails to load. Wha ...

javascripthtmlfontschromecastgoogle-cast

Arranging images next to each other using CSS and HTML

I've been trying to arrange four images side by side, with two on the top row and two on the bottom. I want to ensure they stay consistent across all browser sizes except for mobile. Here is what I have attempted so far: #imageone{ position: absol ...

javascripthtmlcss

How to apply custom styling to a specific element within an Angular Material 2 component using CSS based on its Id or

My EntryComponent features a material button menu where I attempted to customize the default style using ::ng-deep. However, the changes affected all button components in the parent Component as well. <style> ::ng-deep .mat-button{ max-width: 50 ...

angularcssangular-material2

What is the best way to bring a local package into another npm package and verify its functionality using Typescript?

In a scenario where there are 3 npm projects utilizing Webpack and Typescript, the folder structure looks like this: ├── project1/ │ ├── tsconfig.json │ ├── package.json │ ├── src/ │ │ └── index.ts │ ...

htmltypescriptnpmwebpack

The navbar does not dictate the views

Greetings lovely individuals I've been grappling with this issue for a while now and it seems I can't quite crack it on my own... I'm hopeful that you can assist me. My objective: A functioning navigation bar controlled by PHP in an MVC pat ...

phphtmlmodel-view-controllerbootstrap-4

There appears to be an issue with the onmousemove function

I am currently troubleshooting an issue with a script that I wrote for my button. Interestingly, the code works flawlessly when I test it on CodePen, but I encountered an error when I attempted to run it in VSCode. Even after trying to recreate the script ...

javascripthtmlcss

embedding HTML code directly into an iframe

Can HTML be directly inserted into an iframe within my HTML template? Would the following code be considered valid? <iframe> <html> <head> </head> <body> <p>Hello world</p> </body> ...

htmliframe

Fit the image to fill the available space and position it in the center for maximum impact

I'm currently working on a single page application where I need to display an image that fills up as much available space as possible: Priority: maintain the aspect ratio Avoid cropping the image Stretch the image horizontally and/or vertically (with ...

cssstretch

The functionality of an HTML form utilizing JavaScript struggles to function correctly when integrated with PHP

I created a form with JavaScript that allows me to toggle between different fields based on the selection made with radio buttons. <?php require_once 'resources/menus/adminMenu.php'; ?> <div class="col-lg-offset-3 col-lg-6 "> < ...

javascriptphphtmlforms