Creating and using Parent Versions

In this article, we're going to cover what is a Parent Version. We'll also look at how to create a Parent Version and explain Child Versions.

Parent Versions control all versions of the same mailing. They allow you to apply a copy, design or other changes to all versions in the same mailing at once. Parent Versions are always the first Version you build and are easily identified by a blue badge on the Versions screen. There can only be one Parent Version of each mailing. All other Versions are Child Versions. Childe Versions are connected to the Parent, but not to each other

Creating a Parent Version: Every time you create a Project, Taxi will create a Parent Version of your Mailing for you. You can call it whatever you like, but it will always have a blue button on it that shows it is the Parent Version.

How Versions work together: When you add a new Version to your Mailing it is identical to the Parent version, what ever stage the Parent is at. Anything you change in the Parent, will automatically change in your Child Version/s. This will continue to happen until you break the inheritance. Read more about inheritance here

Why work on the Parent Version first? If you are intending to create more than 1 Version of your Mailing, working on the Parent Version first will save you a lot of time.

As well as general content, you can set important campaign-level information (e.g. link tracking) in your Parent Version so you only have to do it once.

You can also set standard design elements, standard links (such as unsubscribe or homepage links) and data level personalisation (e.g. Dear %%First Name%%) which will then carry through to all other versions.

Even if you need different links for different Versions, you can often set the link structure just once in the Parent Version.

Child Versions: Child Versions inherit from the Parent by default until they are edited. They are fully editable, but changes in Child Versions do not apply to any other Versions. They can be renamed, but will always be Child Versions. You can have as many Child Versions as you like.