wp-email-templates

Reusable HTML Email Templates (WordPress plugin)

Model note: Mechanical refactoring — extract strings, create template files, wire wp_mail(). haiku handles end-to-end.

Move email bodies out of inline PHP strings into templates/emails/, where every message reuses one branded shell. Adding a new email = adding one content file.

When to use

• "Move email content to templates", "branded/HTML emails", "reuse an email template".
• Any plugin building messages inline with wp_mail() heredocs.

Not for: REST API webhooks, push notifications, or Slack integrations. Transactional email in themes — this skill targets plugin-delivered mail only.

Structure

templates/emails/
  base.php          shared shell: header, body slot ($content), footer
  <name>.php        per-email content (greeting, copy, CTA button)

• base.php — table-based, inline-CSS responsive shell (email clients ignore <style>/external CSS). Receives $subject, $preheader, $content, $site_name, $site_url. Echoes $content raw (// phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped — content templates escape their own values).
• content templates — escape every variable (esc_html, esc_url); wrap copy in __()/esc_html__() with the text domain; use _n() for plurals. Guard each $var = $var ?? default; so the file is robust if rendered standalone.

Render helpers (in your Helpers class)

public static function render_template( string $path, array $vars = [] ): string {
    if ( ! is_readable( $path ) ) return '';
    // phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.DontExtract.extract_extract -- controlled template vars
    extract( $vars, EXTR_SKIP );
    ob_start();
    include $path;
    return (string) ob_get_clean();
}

public static function render_email( string $template, array $vars = [] ): string {
    $dir = (string) plugin_config( 'templates' ) . 'emails/';   // your assets/templates path helper
    $vars['content']   = self::render_template( $dir . $template . '.php', $vars );
    $vars['site_name'] = $vars['site_name'] ?? get_bloginfo( 'name' );
    $vars['site_url']  = $vars['site_url'] ?? home_url( '/' );
    return self::render_template( $dir . 'base.php', $vars );   // always wrap in the shell
}