why are the email templates still made with tables? Can't we use div and flexbox(as it is widely supported presently)?

Question

They say the table is a standard for making email templates and also they are using elements that are not supported in html5 eg., . I haven't made any layout with tables and I am comfortable with using flexbox. Can I use flexbox?

Disagreement

Answer 1

Check out Can I Email... - it's based on the original Can I Use... but specifically for what styling is compatible with different email clients and OS's. As you can see, even if you check the compatibility of using float, Outlook won't support it on Windows.

Float is the next most "advanced" layout structure after table layouts and even that is not supported... Let alone flexbox or CSS grid. One day hopefully soon they will be! But for now, we have to stick with table layouts if we want to support anyone client viewing our HTML emails.

I hope this resource is useful for you.

Cosmetician

Answer 2

The limitation is mostly because some versions of Outlook are way behind typical web browsers when it comes to handling CSS and for sure, Flexbox. So if you want your email template to be compatible with the majority of email apps, tables are the way to go because they are the lowest common denominator and you can get consistent results.

Pique