# @xtr-dev/payload-mailing
A template-based email system with scheduling and job processing for PayloadCMS 3.x.
⚠️ **Pre-release Warning**: This package is currently in active development (v0.0.x). Breaking changes may occur before v1.0.0. Not recommended for production use.
## Features
- 📧 Template-based emails with LiquidJS, Mustache, or custom engines
- ⏰ Email scheduling for future delivery
- 🔄 Automatic retry mechanism for failed sends
- 🎯 Full TypeScript support with generated Payload types
- 📋 Job queue integration via PayloadCMS
- 🔧 Uses Payload collections directly - no custom APIs
## Installation
```bash
npm install @xtr-dev/payload-mailing
# or
pnpm add @xtr-dev/payload-mailing
# or
yarn add @xtr-dev/payload-mailing
```
## Quick Start
```typescript
import { buildConfig } from 'payload'
import { mailingPlugin } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
import { nodemailerAdapter } from '@payloadcms/email-nodemailer'
export default buildConfig({
// ... your config
email: nodemailerAdapter({
defaultFromAddress: 'noreply@yoursite.com',
defaultFromName: 'Your Site',
transport: {
host: 'smtp.gmail.com',
port: 587,
auth: {
user: process.env.EMAIL_USER,
pass: process.env.EMAIL_PASS,
},
},
}),
plugins: [
mailingPlugin({
defaultFrom: 'noreply@yoursite.com',
defaultFromName: 'Your Site Name',
retryAttempts: 3,
retryDelay: 300000, // 5 minutes
}),
],
})
```
## Imports
```typescript
// Main plugin
import { mailingPlugin } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Helper functions
import { sendEmail, renderTemplate, processEmails } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Job tasks
import { sendTemplateEmailTask } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Types
import type { MailingPluginConfig, SendEmailOptions } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
```
## Usage
```typescript
import { sendEmail } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Using templates
const email = await sendEmail(payload, {
template: {
slug: 'welcome-email',
variables: { firstName: 'John', welcomeUrl: 'https://example.com' }
},
data: {
to: 'user@example.com',
scheduledAt: new Date(Date.now() + 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000), // Schedule for later
priority: 1
}
})
// Direct email
const directEmail = await payload.create({
collection: 'emails',
data: {
to: ['user@example.com'],
subject: 'Welcome!',
html: '
Welcome!
',
text: 'Welcome!'
}
})
```
## Template Engines
### LiquidJS (Default)
Modern template syntax with logic support:
```liquid
{% if user.isPremium %}
Welcome Premium Member {{user.name}}!
{% else %}
Welcome {{user.name}}!
{% endif %}
```
### Mustache
Logic-less templates:
```mustache
{{#user.isPremium}}
Welcome Premium Member {{user.name}}!
{{/user.isPremium}}
{{^user.isPremium}}
Welcome {{user.name}}!
{{/user.isPremium}}
```
### Simple Variables
Basic `{{variable}}` replacement:
```text
Welcome {{user.name}}! Your account expires on {{expireDate}}.
```
### Custom Renderer
Bring your own template engine:
```typescript
mailingPlugin({
templateRenderer: async (template, variables) => {
return handlebars.compile(template)(variables)
}
})
```
## Templates
Use `{{}}` to insert data in templates:
- `{{user.name}}` - User data from variables
- `{{formatDate createdAt "short"}}` - Built-in date formatting
- `{{formatCurrency amount "USD"}}` - Currency formatting
Example template:
```liquid
Subject: Welcome {{user.name}}!
{% if user.isPremium %}
Welcome Premium Member {{user.name}}!
Your premium features are ready.
{% else %}
Welcome {{user.name}}!
Upgrade to premium for more features.
{% endif %}
Account created: {{formatDate user.createdAt "long"}}
```
## Configuration
### Plugin Options
```typescript
mailingPlugin({
// Template engine
templateEngine: 'liquidjs', // 'liquidjs' | 'mustache' | 'simple'
// Custom template renderer
templateRenderer: async (template: string, variables: Record) => {
return yourCustomEngine.render(template, variables)
},
// Email settings
defaultFrom: 'noreply@yoursite.com',
defaultFromName: 'Your Site',
retryAttempts: 3, // Number of retry attempts
retryDelay: 300000, // 5 minutes between retries
// Collection customization
collections: {
templates: 'email-templates', // Custom collection name
emails: 'emails' // Custom collection name
},
// Hooks
beforeSend: async (options, email) => {
// Modify email before sending
options.headers = { 'X-Campaign-ID': email.campaignId }
return options
},
onReady: async (payload) => {
// Plugin initialization complete
console.log('Mailing plugin ready!')
}
})
```
### Collection Overrides
Customize collections with access controls and custom fields:
```typescript
mailingPlugin({
collections: {
emails: {
access: {
read: ({ req: { user } }) => user?.role === 'admin',
create: ({ req: { user } }) => !!user,
update: ({ req: { user } }) => user?.role === 'admin',
delete: ({ req: { user } }) => user?.role === 'admin'
},
fields: [
{
name: 'campaignId',
type: 'text',
admin: { position: 'sidebar' }
}
]
}
}
})
```
## Requirements
- PayloadCMS ^3.45.0
- Node.js ^18.20.2 || >=20.9.0
- pnpm ^9 || ^10
## Job Processing
Queue emails using PayloadCMS jobs:
```typescript
import { sendTemplateEmailTask } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Add to your Payload config
export default buildConfig({
jobs: {
tasks: [sendTemplateEmailTask]
}
})
// Queue a template email
await payload.jobs.queue({
task: 'send-template-email',
input: {
templateSlug: 'welcome-email',
to: ['user@example.com'],
variables: { firstName: 'John' },
scheduledAt: new Date('2024-01-15T10:00:00Z').toISOString()
}
})
```
## Email Status
Emails are tracked with these statuses:
- `pending` - Waiting to be sent
- `processing` - Currently being sent
- `sent` - Successfully delivered
- `failed` - Failed to send (will retry automatically)
## Environment Variables
```bash
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USER=your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your-app-password
EMAIL_FROM=noreply@yoursite.com
```
## API Reference
### `sendEmail(payload, options)`
Send emails with full type safety using your generated Payload types.
```typescript
import { sendEmail } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
import type { Email } from './payload-types'
const email = await sendEmail(payload, {
template?: {
slug: string // Template slug
variables: Record // Template variables
},
data: {
to: string | string[] // Recipients
cc?: string | string[] // CC recipients
bcc?: string | string[] // BCC recipients
subject?: string // Email subject (overrides template)
html?: string // HTML content (overrides template)
text?: string // Text content (overrides template)
scheduledAt?: Date // Schedule for later
priority?: number // Priority (1-5, 1 = highest)
// ... your custom fields from Email collection
},
collectionSlug?: string // Custom collection name (default: 'emails')
})
```
### `renderTemplate(payload, slug, variables)`
Render a template without sending an email.
```typescript
import { renderTemplate } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
const result = await renderTemplate(
payload: Payload,
slug: string,
variables: Record
): Promise<{
html: string // Rendered HTML content
text: string // Rendered text content
subject: string // Rendered subject line
}>
```
### Helper Functions
```typescript
import { processEmails, retryFailedEmails, getMailing } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
// Process pending emails manually
await processEmails(payload: Payload): Promise
// Retry failed emails manually
await retryFailedEmails(payload: Payload): Promise
// Get mailing service instance
const mailing = getMailing(payload: Payload): MailingService
```
### Job Task Types
```typescript
import type { SendTemplateEmailInput } from '@xtr-dev/payload-mailing'
interface SendTemplateEmailInput {
templateSlug: string // Template to use
to: string[] // Recipients
cc?: string[] // CC recipients
bcc?: string[] // BCC recipients
variables: Record // Template variables
scheduledAt?: string // ISO date string for scheduling
priority?: number // Priority (1-5)
processImmediately?: boolean // Send immediately (default: false)
[key: string]: any // Your custom email collection fields
}
```
## License
MIT
## Contributing
Issues and pull requests welcome at [GitHub repository](https://github.com/xtr-dev/payload-mailing)