Smart fields are placeholders you drop into an email template that automatically fill in your client's name, project details, invoice totals, and other information when the email is sent through a project, so one template works for every client without manual editing.
What are smart fields?
A smart field is a text placeholder that autofills once you send the email through a project. You can spot one by its double curly braces, for example here's the smart field for a client's first name: {{client.firstName}}
While you're editing a template, a smart field stays as that placeholder text. It does not preview any real data. It only fills in with your client's actual name, project details, or other information when the email is sent or used in the context of a project.
What you can autofill with smart fields
Smart fields can pull in a wide range of information, including your client's contact details, your own business information, project and invoice details, and today's date. You can also insert smart field links that point clients to their forms, invoices, contracts, portal, and schedulers.
For the complete list of every available smart field, check out the smart field reference guide. Keep in mind that not every smart field on that list is meant for use in email templates. Some are built for other contexts, like forms.
How to insert a smart field
Inserting a smart field into your email template only takes a few clicks.
Go to Messages ➔ Custom templates.
Open an existing template or create a new one.
In the Email content box, click where you want the smart field to appear.
In the editor toolbar, click the Smart Fields button (circuit board icon).
In the popover, use the Search field box or expand a category to find the field you want.
Click the field to insert it at your cursor.
When you've finished making changes, click Create to save a new template, or Save if you're editing an existing one. A Cancel button appears alongside it if you'd rather discard your changes.
Always insert a smart field using the Smart Fields button rather than typing it out by hand. Typing a smart field from scratch is one of the easiest ways to end up with a broken one.
Personalize your subject line
The Smart Fields button lives in the Email content box, so getting a smart field into your Subject line takes one extra step.
Want a personalized subject line? Here's a quick trick: insert a smart field in the email body, then copy and paste it into the Subject line field. Copy-paste is fine here because you're moving an already-valid smart field. If you only wanted it in the subject, you can delete it from the body afterward.
Avoiding smart field errors
A few habits will keep your smart fields working the way you expect.
Always insert a smart field using the Smart Fields button. Never type one out from scratch.
Don't edit the text of a smart field after you've inserted it.
If you apply underline formatting, underline the entire smart field, including both sets of curly braces. Partial formatting can break it.
Pay attention to the order of your process. A smart field only fills in if that information already exists on the project by the time the email sends. For example, to include an invoice total in an email, the invoice and its line items need to exist on the project before the email goes out.
A smart field only fills in if that data already exists on the project at send time. If the information isn't there yet, the field will be blank. Make sure the relevant details, like an invoice, a contract, or project info, are entered before the email sends.
FAQ
Why doesn't my smart field show the client's name while I'm editing?
Smart fields stay as placeholder tokens in the editor and only fill in when the email is used in the context of a project. Seeing the raw placeholder text while you edit is expected.
My smart field came through blank. What happened?
Double check that the data your smart field references exists in the project. Smart fields can only pull from information that's already saved, so if the relevant details didn't exist before the email went out then the smart field would show up blank.
Broken smart fields can also render as blank, so take care to ensure your smart field isn't broken and was added via the Smart Fields button.
Can I use smart fields in forms too?
Yes, smart fields work across Dubsado, including in form templates. See personalize form templates with smart fields for details on using them there.