Sections

DocsAutomator enables rendering of entire document areas dynamically using Sections. These are defined by wrapping content with opening and closing tags that include a section name.

Syntax

Opening tag:

{{section_SOME_NAME}}

Closing tag:

{{/section_SOME_NAME}}

The closing tag requires a forward slash before section.

Reusing a section name

The same section name can be used as many times as you like in one template. Each pair of tags is treated as its own block, and the single rule you configure for that name controls every copy, so they all show or hide together.

{{section_vendor_2}}
Vendor 2 details
{{/section_vendor_2}}

... other content ...

{{section_vendor_2}}
Vendor 2 signature block
{{/section_vendor_2}}

This is useful when the same clause, signature block or table column appears in more than one place in a long document. To hide a table column, wrap both its header cell and its data cell in a section with the same name.

Copies of a section cannot be given different conditions. If two blocks need to appear independently, give them different names.

Nesting sections

A section can sit inside another section. Each one keeps its own rule: the inner block shows only when both its own rule and the outer rule pass. Hiding the outer section removes everything between its tags, inner sections included.

{{section_eu_customer}}
EU terms apply.
{{section_vat_registered}}
VAT number: {{vatNumber}}
{{/section_vat_registered}}
{{/section_eu_customer}}

Close the inner section before the outer one. Nesting works in Google Doc and Word templates.

Example

{{section_premium_content}}

This entire area will only appear if the condition is met.

You can include any content here:
- Text
- Images
- Tables
- Line items

{{/section_premium_content}}

Add color to section tags in your Google Doc for easier identification within templates.

Configuration

Once sections are defined in the template, they appear in automation settings where conditional rendering rules can be applied.

Available Conditions

Each rule is built from three parts: the operator, what you compare against, and (when a section has more than one rule) the match mode.

Operators

Operators adapt to the field type, so a number field offers numeric comparisons, a date field offers chronological ones, and a checkbox offers true/false.

Type	Operators
Text	equals, does not equal, contains, does not contain
Presence	exists, does not exist
Number	greater than, less than, greater than or equal, less than or equal
Date	is after, is before, is on or after, is on or before
Checkbox	is true, is false

Compare against

A condition no longer has to compare to a fixed value you type in. You can compare against:

Source	Description
A value	A literal value you enter (the default)
Another placeholder	The value of any other mapped placeholder
A source field	Any field from your connected data source, including fields not mapped to a placeholder. Inside line items you can target the row’s own field or the parent record’s field.

This enables dynamic comparisons, for example showing a section only when amount_paid is less than amount_due, or when one date field is after another.

Multiple conditions

Add more than one rule to a section and choose how they combine:

ALL: the section shows only when every condition passes (AND)
ANY: the section shows when at least one condition passes (OR)

Existing sections keep working unchanged. A single rule that compares a placeholder to a value behaves exactly as it did before.

E-Signature Fields in Sections

E-sign fields ({{esign.signature_1}}, {{esign.date_1}}, etc.) placed inside a conditional section are fully excluded from the signing workflow when the section is hidden:

No signing session is created for fields in hidden sections
If all e-sign fields are inside hidden sections, email delivery proceeds normally instead of being held for signing

This lets you use a single template for both e-sign and wet-ink workflows by placing each signature block in its own section and toggling visibility with a field value. It also enables a variable number of signers from one template: wrap each optional signer’s block in its own section, and only the signers whose blocks are shown become part of the signing session. Signer numbers need not be consecutive — a signer who always signs (such as a countersigning agent) can keep a fixed high number ({{esign.signature_7}}) outside any section, so their block never moves as optional signers come and go. Sequential signing follows the signers present, in number order. See Variable Number of Signers.

Use Cases

Premium Content

Show additional content for premium customers

Legal Clauses

Include specific contract clauses based on agreement type

Regional Content

Display region-specific information

E-Sign vs Wet Ink

Use one template for both signing methods

Conditional Show/Hide

Show/hide individual placeholders

Conditional Paragraph Deletion

Delete lines when empty

Getting Started

Integrations

Features

Use Cases

Account & Billing

Resources

Syntax

Reusing a section name

Nesting sections

Example

Configuration

Available Conditions

Operators

Compare against

Multiple conditions

E-Signature Fields in Sections

Use Cases

Premium Content

Legal Clauses

Regional Content

E-Sign vs Wet Ink

Conditional Show/Hide

Conditional Paragraph Deletion

​Syntax

​Reusing a section name

​Nesting sections

​Example

​Configuration

​Available Conditions

​Operators

​Compare against

​Multiple conditions

​E-Signature Fields in Sections

​Use Cases

Premium Content

Legal Clauses

Regional Content

E-Sign vs Wet Ink

​Related Pages

Conditional Show/Hide

Conditional Paragraph Deletion

Syntax

Reusing a section name

Nesting sections

Example

Configuration

Available Conditions

Operators

Compare against

Multiple conditions

E-Signature Fields in Sections

Use Cases

Related Pages