01-plaintext_email.py

"""
An example of how to use html2text to create plaintext emails without all the headache.
"""

import html2text

from django.conf import settings
from django.core.mail.message import EmailMultiAlternatives
from django.template.loader import render_to_string


ORDER_NOTIFY_TEMPLATE = 'staff_order_notification.html'


def notify_staff_about_new_order(new_order):
    subject = '{} Submitted a New Order'.format(new_order.user)
  
    # Render the HTML template
    body_html = render_to_string(
        ORDER_NOTIFY_TEMPLATE,
        {'order': new_order},
    )
    
    # Take rendered HTML and convert to plain text (Markdown)
    body_plaintext = html2text.html2text(body_html)

    email_staff(subject, body_html, body_plaintext)


def email_staff(subject, body_html, body_plaintext):
    """Emails the configured STAFF_EMAIL_ADDRESS"""
    send_to = [settings.STAFF_EMAIL_ADDRESS]
    send_from = settings.DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL

    # Put the email together, using plaintext by default
    email = EmailMultiAlternatives(
        subject,
        body_plaintext,
        send_from,
        send_to,
    )
    # Then attach the HTML version (most clients will prefer this by default)
    email.attach_alternative(body_html, "text/html")
    
    # email away!
    email.send(fail_silently=False)

02-staff_order_notification.html

<!-- Stupid-simple Django HTML template, for example -->

<h1>New Order from {{ order.user }}!</h1>

<p><em>Here are the down 'n dirty deets on this order!</em></h1>

<p>
  User: {{ order.user }}<br>
  Order #: {{ order.id }}
</p>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>Item</td>
    <td>SKU</td>
    <td>Price</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>{{ order.item.name }}</td>
    <td>{{ order.item.sku }}</td>
    <td>{{ order.item.price }}</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>{{ order.item.name }}</td>
    <td>{{ order.item.sku }}</td>
    <td>{{ order.item.price }}</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td></td>
    <td>Taxes:</td>
    <td>{{ order.taxes }}</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td></td>
    <td>Subtotal:</td>
    <td>{{ order.subtotal }}</td>
  </tr>
</table>

03-Final Email Output

# New Order from {{ order.user }}!

_Here are the down 'n dirty deets on this order!_

User: {{ order.user }}
Order #: {{ order.id }}

|Item                   | SKU                  | Price                  |
|-----------------------|----------------------|------------------------|
| {{ order.item.name }} | {{ order.item.sku }} | {{ order.item.price }} |
| {{ order.item.name }} | {{ order.item.sku }} | {{ order.item.price }} |
|                       | Taxes:               | {{ order.taxes }}      |
|                       | Subtotal:            | {{ order.subtotal }}   |