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Communication Template Merge Fields

Updated

Merge fields are the codes used inside Communication Templates to automatically pull data from your Administrate instance into an email or SMS, such as a recipient's name, an Event's location, or an Instructor's details. This article covers how to select merge fields, the available Merge Field Macros, advanced date and time formatting, and answers to common merge field questions.

Note

This article assumes you're already familiar with creating and editing templates. For template types, audiences, translations, and previewing, see the main Communication Templates article. Which merge fields are available also depends on the selected Audience — for example, the Scheduled audience does not support merge fields.

On this page

Using the Merge Field Picker

Merge fields are a set of codes that insert text from your database into a template automatically. This means you can include data specific to each recipient without manually editing the template before sending each email — for example, inserting the recipient's name so that every email appears personalized. You can use merge fields in both the Email Body and the Email Subject Line.

Note

We recommend using the Merge Field Picker button (Merge Field Picker 'M' button) rather than typing codes manually, even if you're familiar with them, to avoid typing errors.

You navigate the fields according to how they are categorized. For example, to select the merge field for the name of the Instructor on an Event, follow: Event → Instructor → Name.

Using the Merge Field Picker to select the Instructor's name

Using the Merge Field Picker to select the Instructor's name.

Merge Field Macros

Merge Field Macros are sets of instructions that produce a block of information rather than a single value:

Macro What it displays
All Instructors A list of all the Instructors attending the Event
All Sessions A list of all the Event Sessions
All Students A list of all the students for the Event

Advanced date and time formatting

You can configure how dates and times display within merge fields. By default, the system uses the locale of your Events to format dates and times. You should format the date and time according to the country you are offering Events in.

For example, based on a company locale of en_GB:

date - (locale, long)   =  13 December 2013
time - (locale, short)  =  09:00

This section uses the following date and time examples:

{{ delegate.event.end_date | date_format() }}  = for formatting dates
{{ delegate.event.end_time | time_format() }}  = for formatting time

locale

A preset locale can be used to format the date and time:

{{ delegate.event.end_date | date_format(locale, dateformat) }}
{{ delegate.event.end_time | time_format(locale, timeformat) }}

To specify the locale, a 2-letter language code and a 2-letter country code, connected by an underscore, are required. For example:

Codes Locale
en_GB British English
en_US American English
fr_BE Belgian French
it_CH Swiss Italian

date_format

For date_format, the following can be specified:

date_format Example output
short 4/1/07
medium 4 / 11 / 2007
long 1 April 2007
full Sunday, April 1, 2007

For example, a date_format of en_GB and in long format:

{{ delegate.event.start_date | date_format('en_GB', 'long') }}

= 1 April 2007

time_format

For time_format, the following can be specified:

time_format Example output
short 11:22
medium 11:22:28
long 11:22:28 +0000
full 11:22:28 GMT+00:00

For example, a time_format of en_GB and in short format:

{{ delegate.event.start_time | time_format('en_GB', 'short') }} = 11:22

A typical scenario for locale use is if your company is UK-based but runs an Event in the US. Your locale is set to en_GB by default for all your Events. However, you'd want to use the US locale for date/time formatting so that information appears natural for US students, instructors, etc.

Date:

Default en_GB locale Output en_US locale applied Output
{{ delegate.event.end_date | date_format() }} 20 December 2013 {{ delegate.event.end_date | date_format('en_US', 'long') }} December 20, 2013

Time:

Default en_GB locale Output en_US locale applied Output
{{ delegate.event.start_time | time_format() }} 10:00 {{ delegate.event.start_time | time_format('en_US', 'short') }} 10:00 AM

Even more customization options: to customize dates and times further — for example, to list a date without the year — you can replace the short/long options above with your own custom-defined syntax. For the complete list of options, refer to the Babel Pattern Syntax Guide.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What are the merge field mappings for the CRM address fields?

A: The address merge fields available for the CRM use different terminology. Here are the mappings:

CRM address field Communication Template merge field
Address Line 1 Address Unit
Address Line 2 Address Street
Address Line 3 Address Locality
City Address Town
County / State Address Region
Zip Code Address Postcode

Q: How can I remove the merge field instead of showing "None" if the merge field is not populated?

A: You can follow this format:

{{ merge_field if merge_field else "" }}

So, an example of that could be:

{{ delegate.event.location_name if delegate.event.location_name else "" }}

Q: How can I get the Event Interest Student Name and Email when selecting Audience 'Booking Recipient'?

A: Use the following merge field syntax:

{% for i in opportunity.interests %}
  {% if i.event %}
    {% for d in i.delegates %}
      {% if d.contact %}
        {{ d.contact.first_name }} {{ d.contact.last_name }} {{ d.contact.email }}
      {% else %}
        {{ d.first_name }} {{ d.last_name }} {{ d.email }}
      {% endif %}
    {% endfor %}
  {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

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