Write rule emails with native Magento templates and matched-item variables

Rule emails are ordinary Magento DB email templates from Marketing > Communications > Email Templates. There is no separate template language: the standard directives ({{var}}, {{trans}}, {{if}}, {{layout}}, {{for}}) work as they do in core sales emails, and a template you write here is a normal template you can manage, translate, and back up like any other.

Variables

Every rule with Send Email on passes these variables to its template:

Any product attribute is available as {{var item.your_attribute_code}} inside a loop, with nothing to configure first. The built-in fields always win over an attribute of the same name, so a product renamed after the order still shows what the customer bought. cost is never captured, because the snapshot is stored in the Email Log. product_url is omitted for products that are not individually visible, rather than linking to a page that returns 404.

The rule form has a collapsible Variable Reference panel with this table and both usage forms below, for reference while you write.

Snapshot timing

The variables do not all reflect the same moment:

• matched_items and matched_items_html reflect the moment the rule matched (order placement, invoice, or shipment). With a three-day delay, the email still shows what was ordered, even if the product has since been edited or deleted.
• order reflects send time. It is reloaded right before rendering, so status and address changes since queueing show up.

Form 1: the ready-made table

One directive drops in the whole table. From the “OCM Product Warranty Information” sample:

<p>Thank you for order <strong>#{{var order.increment_id}}</strong> from {{var store.getFrontendName()}}. The product(s) below carry a manufacturer warranty.</p>

{{var matched_items_html|raw}}

<p style="margin-top:24px;">Questions about your warranty coverage? Just reply to this email.</p>

The |raw modifier is required. Without it the table HTML is escaped and renders as literal markup.

Form 2: a custom loop

For your own columns, styling, or per-product values, loop over matched_items. From the “OCM Product Instruction Manual” sample, where manual_url is a product attribute:

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:12px;">
    <tr>
        <th align="left" style="padding:8px;border-bottom:2px solid #e0e0e0;">Product</th>
        <th align="left" style="padding:8px;border-bottom:2px solid #e0e0e0;">SKU</th>
        <th align="left" style="padding:8px;border-bottom:2px solid #e0e0e0;">Manual</th>
    </tr>
    {{for item in matched_items}}
    <tr>
        <td style="padding:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #e0e0e0;">{{var item.name}}</td>
        <td style="padding:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #e0e0e0;">{{var item.sku}}</td>
        <td style="padding:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #e0e0e0;"><a href="{{var item.manual_url}}" style="color:#1979c3;">Download manual</a></td>
    </tr>
    {{/for}}
</table>

Sample templates

“OCM Product Warranty Information” and “OCM Product Instruction Manual” are installed on the first setup:upgrade, one per usage form. Duplicate and edit them rather than starting from blank. Re-running setup:upgrade never overwrites your changes, and renaming a sample does not cause it to be reinstalled.

Editing templates from the rule form

Next to the Email Template field:

• + Create New Template opens a small modal (Name, Subject, Content) that creates a real Magento email template and selects it. The modal is plain text only; open the template in Marketing > Communications > Email Templates for the WYSIWYG editor and variable wizard.
• Edit opens the same modal for the selected template.
• Manage all templates links to the core email template grid.

The dropdown refreshes without a page reload. The modal requires Magento’s own email-template permission in addition to rule management access.

Emails render in the order’s store view, so locale, currency, and theme-scoped template resolution match that store.