Merge Mappings tell AnyMerge Docs how to process each merge tag in your template.
While merge tags define where information should appear, Merge Mappings define where the information comes from and how it should be inserted.
Think of Merge Mappings as the bridge between your Google Sheets™ spreadsheet and your Google Docs™ template.
Google Sheets™ column → Merge Mapping → Merge Tag → Generated document
Consider the following merge tag in your template: {{firstName}}
By itself, the merge tag does not know which column it should use.
Merge Mappings tell AnyMerge Docs exactly what to do:
{{firstName}} → First Name column → Text
During document generation, the value from the First Name column is inserted wherever {{firstName}} appears in the template.
AnyMerge Docs supports several mapping types.
Inserts values directly from the spreadsheet.
Example:
{{firstName}} → First Name column
{{membershipID}} → Membership ID column
Generated result:
Emma
GOLD-001
Text mappings preserve the formatting from your template, including font styles, colors, and sizes.
Inserts images from URLs stored in your spreadsheet.
Example:
{{photo}} → Photo column
The Photo column can contain image URLs from Google Drive™ or other publicly accessible sources.
Creates clickable links in the generated document.
Example:
{{link}} → Link column
Generated result:
https://example.com/emma.johnson
Generates QR codes from spreadsheet values.
Example:
{{qr}} → Link column
If the Link column contains:
https://example.com/emma.johnson
AnyMerge Docs generates a QR code containing that value and inserts it into the document.
You can change mappings at any time.
For example, you could update:
{{qr}}
to generate QR codes from a Membership ID instead of a Link.
Or you could map:
{{photo}}
to a different image column.
Changes only affect future document generations.
Each merge tag used in a template should have a corresponding Merge Mapping.
Before generating documents, AnyMerge Docs validates the template and checks that all merge tags have been configured correctly.
If a merge tag is missing a mapping, the add-on will notify you and explain how to fix the issue.
Merge Mappings are one of the most powerful features of AnyMerge Docs. They allow you to control exactly how information flows from your spreadsheet into your generated documents without modifying the template itself.
Learn more: