The Template Fields List shows the merge fields associated with each template type and can display real data from your site next to each merge field. The Template Fields List can help identify where in your site a specific merge field is pulling data.
Who: Donor services teams, communications staff, grant or scholarship administrators, or finance staff who generate tax receipts, grant letters, fund statements, and other customized documents for donors, fund advisors, grantees, students, and more.
When to Use the Template Fields List
Use the Template Fields List to:
- Troubleshoot an existing template when a merge field is not populating, to identify whether the wrong merge field is being used or whether the field is blank for the specific record the template was generated for.
- Identify available merge fields when building a new template to confirm which fields are available for that template type.
- Compare merge field data side by side with a specific record by entering a record ID, to understand the nuance of how each merge field pulls data.
Use Template Fields List
There are two ways to access the Template Fields List in CommunitySuite.
Access Template Fields List from the Left-Side Menu
To access the Template Fields List from the left-side menu on the Templates page:
- Navigate to the Templates page and click Template Field List in the left-side menu.
- Click the template type name.
- If the displayed record information is not adequate for viewing, enter an applicable ID number and then click Refresh.
Access Template Fields List from a Template Record
To access the Template Fields List from a template record on the Templates page:
- Navigate to the Templates page.
- Click the ID of the previously uploaded template.
- Click Template Fields next to the template type.
Understand Template Merge Field Syntax
Understanding merge field syntax helps with building and troubleshooting CommunitySuite templates.
Curly Brackets and Square Brackets
The curly brackets are the available merge field, and the square brackets display the information from a specific record, such as a donation, grant, or opportunity.
Foreach Tags
In addition to the opening tag {{#foreach_donation}} which starts the template, {{#foreach_item}} and {{/foreach_item}} surround the donation detail. This detail should appear in a table, and it will list the details for every part of the donation. For example, a donor sends a check for $200 - $50 to one fund and $150 to another fund. When that donation is entered as a payment, the table will list each part of that donation.
Other templates, like fund statements and advance grant or scholarship letters, also have opening and closing tags that require their own {{#foreach_.....}} {{/foreach_.....}} sections.