How to add placeholders to a Word template for Create Document From Template

Microsoft Word's Create Document From Template action fills a .docx template with data to generate a new document. To use it, add placeholders directly to your template as plain text, then map each placeholder to data from earlier steps in your Zap.

Choose a delimiter style

A placeholder is a name wrapped in a pair of matching characters (a delimiter). When you set up the action, select which delimiter style your template uses:

Use the same delimiter style throughout your entire template.

Add placeholders to your template

Open your .docx file in Word and type each placeholder directly into the document as regular text, using the delimiter style you selected. For example, if you are using curly braces, type {name} where you want that value to appear.

This action does not use Microsoft Word's mail merge fields, Content Controls, or Quick Parts. When you select your template in the Zap, Zapier looks for placeholders and automatically creates a Zap field for each one.

Limitations

• Only flat, single-word placeholders are supported (for example, {name}). Nested or dotted placeholders (for example, {project.name}) are not exposed as Zap fields.
• FOR loops (repeating sections that generate a list of content) are not supported. If your template contains one, Zapier shows a notice instead of generating a document.
• Code or script commands, such as EXEC, are not supported and are blocked for security.