A template is a Google Docs™ document used as the starting point for document generation.

You can create a brand-new Google Docs™ document or use an existing document as a template. Simply add merge tags where you want information from your spreadsheet to appear.

During document generation, AnyMerge Docs creates a copy of the selected template for each data row in your Google Sheets™ spreadsheet. The add-on then replaces the merge tags in the template with values from that row.

Creating a Template

Creating a template is simple:

1. Create a new Google Docs™ document or open an existing one.

2. Write the content of your document as you normally would.

3. Insert merge tags where dynamic information should appear.

4. Configure Merge Mappings to connect the merge tags to columns in your spreadsheet.

5. Generate your documents.

Using Merge Tags

Merge tags are placeholders enclosed in double curly brackets.

For example:

{{firstName}}

{{lastName}}

{{membershipID}}

When documents are generated, these placeholders are replaced with actual values from the corresponding row in your spreadsheet.

You can use the same merge tag multiple times within the same template. All occurrences will be replaced.

Rich Formatting

Templates are regular Google Docs™ documents, which means you can use all the formatting features you're already familiar with.

You can apply:

• Font styles

• Font sizes

• Font colors

• Bold and italic text

• Background colors

• Tables

• Images

• Headers and footers

When merge tags are processed as text values, the formatting from the template is preserved in the generated documents.

Beyond Text

Templates are not limited to text values.

Depending on how Merge Mappings are configured, merge tags can be replaced with:

• Text values

• Images

• Hyperlinks

• QR codes

• Dynamic values such as the current day, month, and year

Tips

• Start with a simple template and test it using a few rows.

• Use tables to control the layout of images and QR codes.

• Generate a few sample documents before processing large batches.

• Keep your templates organized by storing them in dedicated folders.

Templates are one of the core building blocks of AnyMerge Docs. Once you understand how templates work, you'll be able to automate the creation of personalized documents for a wide variety of use cases.

Learn more:

• Merge Tags