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Placeholder Not Being Replaced

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Problem

A placeholder in your template (e.g., {{customer_name}}) appears in the generated document instead of being replaced with actual data.

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Causes & Solutions

The placeholder name in your template must exactly match the field name from your data source. Placeholder names are case-sensitive.
TemplateData FieldResult
{{customer_name}}customer_nameReplaced
{{Customer_Name}}customer_nameNot replaced
{{customer name}}customer_nameNot replaced

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Mismatched Placeholder Brackets

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Problem

You see errors or unreplaced placeholders because the opening {{ and closing }} brackets don’t match.

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Common Mistakes

{{customer_name}     -- Missing closing bracket
{customer_name}}     -- Missing opening bracket
{{ customer_name }}   -- Spaces inside brackets (these work, but watch for consistency)
{{customer_name}}}   -- Extra closing bracket

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Solution

Always use exactly two opening braces {{ and two closing braces }}. Use the Template Check feature in DocsAutomator to validate your template before generating documents.
The Template Check badge on your automation page validates all placeholders. A green badge means all placeholders are properly formatted and mapped.

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Line Item Syntax Issues

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Problem

Line item rows are not being generated, or the table shows raw placeholder text.

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Common Mistakes

  1. Missing table row: Line item placeholders must be placed inside a table row in your Google Docs template. They cannot be used in regular paragraph text.
  2. Wrong prefix: Line item placeholders use the format {{line_items_N_fieldName}} where N is the line item group number (1, 2, 3, etc.).
  3. Inconsistent group numbers: All placeholders in the same table row must use the same group number.
CorrectIncorrect
{{line_items_1_description}}{{line_items_description}} (missing group number)
{{line_items_1_price}}{{lineItems_1_price}} (wrong format)

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Solution

  1. Place all line item placeholders in a single table row
  2. Use the correct line_items_N_ prefix format
  3. Ensure the field names after the prefix match your data source fields exactly

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Special Characters in Placeholder Names

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Problem

Placeholders with special characters in their names fail to be replaced.

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Rules for Placeholder Names

  • Use only letters, numbers, and underscores
  • Do not use spaces, hyphens, periods, or other special characters in placeholder names
  • Start with a letter or underscore, not a number
ValidInvalid
{{customer_name}}{{customer-name}}
{{address_line_1}}{{address.line.1}}
{{total_amount}}{{total amount}}
If your data source field names contain special characters (e.g., Airtable field “Customer Name”), DocsAutomator’s field mapping automatically converts them. Check the mapped placeholder name in your automation settings.

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Conditional Section Not Working

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Problem

A conditional section ({{#if condition}}...{{/if}}) is not showing or hiding as expected.

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Common Causes

  • Truthy/falsy values: Empty strings, null, undefined, and false evaluate as falsy (section hidden). Non-empty strings, numbers, and true evaluate as truthy (section shown).
  • Whitespace: A field that appears empty might contain whitespace. Trim values in your data source.
  • Wrong placeholder name: The condition field name must match a field in your data, just like regular placeholders.

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Image Placeholder Issues

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Problem

Dynamic image placeholders are not rendering the image, or the image appears broken.

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Common Causes

  • Invalid URL: The image URL must be publicly accessible. Private or authenticated URLs will not work.
  • URL expired: Some data sources (like Airtable) generate temporary attachment URLs that expire. Ensure the URL is still valid.
  • Image too large: Very large images may cause timeouts. Optimize images before using them in templates.

Template Guide

Complete guide to creating templates

Line Items

Line items setup and configuration
Last modified on February 10, 2026