Templates

Templates allow you to create reusable message formats with dynamic variables. Design once, use across all channels.

What are Templates?

Templates are pre-defined message formats that can include:

Static content - Text that never changes
Variables - Dynamic data inserted at send time
Channel-specific formatting - Customize for each channel
Conditional logic - Show/hide content based on data

Creating Templates

Via Dashboard

Go to Templates → Create Template
Fill in the details:
- Name - Unique identifier (e.g., welcome-email)
- Channel - Email, SMS, Push, Slack, or Webhook
- Subject - Email subject line (email only)
- Body - Message content with variables
Click Save Template

Via API

curl -X POST https://api.notigrid.com/v1/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "welcome-email",
    "channel": "email",
    "subject": "Welcome to {{app_name}}!",
    "body": "Hi {{user_name}},\n\nThanks for joining {{app_name}}. We are excited to have you on board!\n\nGet started: {{onboarding_url}}\n\nBest,\nThe {{app_name}} Team"
  }'

Template Variables

Syntax

Variables use double curly braces: {{variable_name}}

Hello {{user_name}}, your order #{{order_id}} has shipped!

Nested Variables

Access nested object properties with dot notation:

Customer: {{customer.name}}
Email: {{customer.email}}
Address: {{customer.address.city}}, {{customer.address.state}}

Array Access

Access array items by index:

First item: {{items.0.name}}
Second item: {{items.1.name}}

Using Templates

Send a notification using a template:

curl -X POST https://api.notigrid.com/v1/notifications \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "template": "welcome-email",
    "to": "user@example.com",
    "data": {
      "app_name": "NotiGrid",
      "user_name": "John",
      "onboarding_url": "https://app.notigrid.com/onboard"
    }
  }'

Template Helpers

Conditional Logic

Show content only if a condition is true:

{{#if premium_user}}
Thank you for being a premium member!
{{/if}}

{{#unless verified}}
Please verify your email address.
{{/unless}}

Loops

Iterate over arrays:

Your order contains:
{{#each items}}
- {{name}} ({{quantity}}x) - ${{price}}
{{/each}}

Total: ${{total}}

Formatting

Dates:

Order date: {{formatDate order_date "MMMM DD, YYYY"}}

Currency:

Amount: {{formatCurrency amount "USD"}}

Numbers:

Items: {{formatNumber item_count}}

Channel-Specific Templates

Email Templates

{
  "name": "order-confirmation",
  "channel": "email",
  "subject": "Order #{{order_id}} Confirmed",
  "body": "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n  <style>\n    .header { background: #007bff; color: white; padding: 20px; }\n    .content { padding: 20px; }\n  </style>\n</head>\n<body>\n  <div class=\"header\">\n    <h1>Order Confirmed!</h1>\n  </div>\n  <div class=\"content\">\n    <p>Hi {{customer_name}},</p>\n    <p>Your order #{{order_id}} has been confirmed.</p>\n    <table>\n      {{#each items}}\n      <tr>\n        <td>{{name}}</td>\n        <td>{{quantity}}</td>\n        <td>${{price}}</td>\n      </tr>\n      {{/each}}\n    </table>\n    <p><strong>Total: ${{total}}</strong></p>\n  </div>\n</body>\n</html>"
}

SMS Templates

Keep SMS under 160 characters:

{
  "name": "verification-code",
  "channel": "sms",
  "body": "Your {{app_name}} verification code is: {{code}}. Expires in {{expires_in}} minutes."
}

Slack Templates

Use Slack's Block Kit:

{
  "name": "new-signup",
  "channel": "slack",
  "body": "New user signup!",
  "metadata": {
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "section",
        "text": {
          "type": "mrkdwn",
          "text": "*New User Signup*\nName: {{user_name}}\nEmail: {{user_email}}\nPlan: {{plan}}"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Template Versioning

Templates support versioning to maintain backwards compatibility:

Creating a Version

Edit an existing template
Make your changes
Click Save as New Version
Previous version remains accessible

Using Specific Versions

curl -X POST https://api.notigrid.com/v1/notifications \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "template": "welcome-email",
    "template_version": 2,
    "to": "user@example.com",
    "data": {...}
  }'

Template Testing

Test Mode

Test templates before deploying:

curl -X POST https://api.notigrid.com/v1/templates/welcome-email/test \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "user_name": "Test User",
      "app_name": "TestApp"
    }
  }'

Returns the rendered template without sending:

{
  "rendered": {
    "subject": "Welcome to TestApp!",
    "body": "Hi Test User,\n\nThanks for joining TestApp..."
  }
}

Preview in Dashboard

Go to Templates → [Your Template]
Click Preview
Enter sample data
See rendered output

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Names

Good: order-shipped-email, password-reset-sms Bad: template1, email-v2

2. Provide Default Values

Hello {{user_name "valued customer"}},

If user_name is missing, uses "valued customer"

3. Keep SMS Concise

Target 160 characters
Use URL shorteners for links
Avoid special characters (costs extra)

4. Design for Mobile

Use responsive email templates
Test on multiple devices
Keep important content above fold

5. Version Control

Create new versions for significant changes
Document version changes
Test thoroughly before switching

6. Localization

Create separate templates for each language:

welcome-email-en
welcome-email-es
welcome-email-fr

Common Patterns

Welcome Email

Subject: Welcome to {{company_name}}!

Hi {{first_name}},

Welcome aboard! We're thrilled to have you as part of {{company_name}}.

Here's what you can do next:
1. Complete your profile: {{profile_url}}
2. Explore our features: {{features_url}}
3. Join our community: {{community_url}}

Need help? Reply to this email or visit {{support_url}}.

Best regards,
The {{company_name}} Team

Order Confirmation

Subject: Order #{{order_id}} Confirmed

Hi {{customer_name}},

Thank you for your order!

Order #{{order_id}}
Date: {{order_date}}

Items:
{{#each items}}
- {{name}} ({{quantity}}x) - ${{price}}
{{/each}}

Subtotal: ${{subtotal}}
Shipping: ${{shipping}}
Tax: ${{tax}}
Total: ${{total}}

Estimated delivery: {{delivery_date}}

Track your order: {{tracking_url}}

Password Reset

Subject: Reset Your Password

Hi {{user_name}},

We received a request to reset your password.

Click here to reset: {{reset_url}}

This link expires in {{expires_in}} hours.

If you didn't request this, please ignore this email.

{{company_name}} Security Team