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I’m setting up a Zap where Google Sheets updates trigger a certificate generation in Google Docs. I’ve created a Google Docs template with placeholders like {{Name}}, {{CertNumber}}, and {{Date}}, but when I select the template in Zapier’s “Create Document from Template” action, Zapier does not detect these placeholders for mapping.

Troubleshooting I’ve Done:
✅ Checked that placeholders are plain text (not bold/italics/tables).
✅ Manually typed placeholders instead of copy-pasting.
✅ Tried creating a new Google Docs template with minimal placeholders.
✅ Refreshed fields in Zapier and reconnected Google Docs.
✅ Tested with a different Google Docs file, but still not detecting placeholders.

Has anyone faced this issue before? How can I get Zapier to recognize the placeholders correctly? Any alternative solutions would be appreciated!

Hi ​@Faiz Y 

For us to have more info, post screenshots showing how your GDoc template is configured.

 

My template fields aren't appearing in Zapier or they all have generic names

This may be due to your template format. Remove any HTML formatting, and check your template field formatting.

Remove any HTML formatting

If you copy and pasted fields in your template, they may contain HTML formatting. The HTML formatting won't be visible in your Google Doc, but you will need to remove it before using your Doc in Zapier.

There are two ways to delete the HTML in your Google Docs template:

Manually enter the template field

  1. Delete the template field and the text around the template field
  2. Manually type in the template field and the text around it.

Remove formatting

  1. Highlight the template fields.
  2. In the top menu, click Format.
  3. Select Clear formatting.

If you already selected the template in your Zap, click Refresh fields at the bottom of your Google Docs step. This will reload your template and display your template fields.

Check your template field formatting

To correctly format your template fields in Google Docs:

  • Template fields must be wrapped in double curly braces.
  • Remove any spaces.
  • Remove any special characters like punctuation marks.
actionEdit icon Example

Here’s an example of a properly formatted template field: {{MyTemplateField}}.

Learn more about how to create and autopopulate a Google Docs template.

Hi there, ​@Faiz Y! 👋 

How did you get on with this—did Troy’s reply help to get you pointed in the right direction?

Want to make sure you’re all set so let us know if you still need any help! 🙂

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