Merge Fields in Flow Text Template Hyperlinks Become URL Encoded and Resolves to Absolute Paths in Rich Text Mode

When working with Text Templates in Salesforce Flow Builder, users may observe that merge fields used within hyperlinks become malformed after copying and pasting content.

This issue is specific to the "View as Rich Text" mode. If a user copies a hyperlink containing a merge field variable (e.g., {!$Record.Id}) while in Rich Text mode and pastes it into another resource, the browser alters the link structure:

1. URL Encoding: The curly braces ({ }) are converted into their URL-encoded equivalents (%7B, %7D).
2. Relative URL Resolution: Because the merge field variable lacks a protocol (like https://), the browser treats it as a relative path and resolves it against the current page's Base URL (the Flow Builder context).

The Flow fails to interpret the merge field correctly at runtime because the URL has been altered from a dynamic variable to a literal, resolved absolute string.

• Original Value (Resource Picker): {!$Record.Id}
• Value After Pasting (Rich Text Mode):
  https://[my-domain].lightning.force.com/builder_platform_interaction/%7B!$Record.Id%7D

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a Flow and create a new Text Template resource.
2. Ensure the dropdown is set to View as Rich Text.
3. Type a text string (e.g., "View Record"), highlight it, and click the Link button.
4. In the Link URL field, insert a merge field variable, such as {!$Record.Id}.
5. Save the Text Template.
6. Re-open the template (ensure it is still in View as Rich Text mode).
7. Select the text and Copy it to the clipboard.
8. Create a new Text Template (or use a different text area) and Paste the content.
9. Select the pasted text and inspect the Link URL.

Observation: The URL now includes the resolved domain path and encoded characters.

Original Value: 

After Copy/Paste:

Cause

This behavior is working as designed by web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Edge) and is not a defect in Salesforce.

When copying text from the Rich Text editor, the browser processes the underlying HTML.

1. Path Interpretation: The browser sees {!$Record.Id}. Since it does not start with a schema (like http:), the browser interprets it as a relative path.
2. Resolution: To create a valid link, the browser resolves this relative path against the current Base URL of the application (Salesforce Flow Builder), resulting in a full absolute URL.
3. Encoding: Simultaneously, it encodes the curly braces as %7B and %7D to comply with URI syntax standards.