VML Components

VML stands for Vector Markup Language, it is a legacy markup language that was used in Outlook for Windows.

The Maizzle Starter includes a VML component that you can use to add support for background images in Outlook for Windows.

v-fill

The Fill component is defined in components/v-fill.html.

Use it when you need to add a background image that you don't know the height of.

v:fill does not work in Windows 10 Mail.

You can use it immediately inside a container that has a CSS background image:

      <table>
  <tr>
    <td style="background-image: url('https://picsum.photos/600/400')">
      <x-v-fill        image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"        width="600px"      >        HTML to show on top of the image       </x-v-fill>    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

That will compile to:

      <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="none">
  <tr>
    <td style="background-image: url('https://picsum.photos/600/400')">
      <!--[if mso]>
      <v:rect stroke="f" fillcolor="none" style="width: 600px" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml">
      <v:fill type="frame" src="https://picsum.photos/600/400" />
      <v:textbox inset="0,0,0,0" style="mso-fit-shape-to-text: true"><div><![endif]-->
        HTML to show on top of the image
      <!--[if mso]></div></v:textbox></v:rect><![endif]-->
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

Props

The x-v-fill component supports the following props:

image

Default: https://via.placeholder.com/600x400

The URL of the image that will be used as a background image in Outlook for Windows.

width

Default: 600px

The width of the image, preferably in pixels. This sets CSS width on the root <v:rect> VML element of the component, so you'll need to include the unit, i.e. 600px instead of 600.

inset

Default: 0,0,0,0

Replicates the CSS padding property.

The order of the values is left, top, right, bottom.

This is applied to a <v:textbox> element that wraps the content of the component - basically, the content that you want overlayed on top of the background image.

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  inset="10px,20px,10px,20px"
/>

type

Default: frame

The type of fill to use. You can use frame or tile.

sizes

Default: undefined

Define the exact dimensions of the <v:fill> element.

Both values need to be set and they can be separated by either a comma or a space:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  sizes="300px,200px"
/>

origin

Default: undefined

Replicates the CSS background-position property.

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  origin="0.5,0.5"
  position="0.5,0.5"
/>

TL;DR:

origin="-0.5,-0.5" position="-0.5,-0.5" equals top left
origin="0.5,-0.5" position="0.5,-0.5" equals top right
origin="-0.5,0.5" position="-0.5,0.5" equals bottom left
origin="0.5,0.5" position="0.5,0.5" equals bottom right

position

Default: undefined

See the docs for origin above.

aspect

Default: undefined

Replicates the CSS background-size property.

Possible values:

atleast (background-size: cover)
atmost (background-size: contain)

Example:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  aspect="atleast"
/>

color

Default: undefined

Replicates the CSS background-color property.

Example:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  color="#f8fafc"
/>

fillcolor

Default: none

Whether to fill the shape with a color.

Example:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  fillcolor="#f8fafc"
/>

stroke

Default: f

Adds a border to the shape.

Example:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  stroke="t"
/>

strokecolor

Default: undefined

The color of the border.

Example:

      <x-v-fill
  image="https://picsum.photos/600/400"
  width="600px"
  stroke="t"
  strokecolor="#f8fafc"
/>