Templates and Dynamic Fields

What are Salesforce Template Data Mentions?

Salesforce Template Data Mentions let you insert placeholders for Salesforce record fields in templates without going to the Object Manager to find an object’s field names. Salesforce Template Data Mentions use simple picklists to show you which fields you can use right from the template. When a user creates a document from an embedded template, the Salesforce Data Mentions automatically populate with record’s data and continue to stay up to date.

What is Mail Merge Syntax?

Mail merge templates include variables called merge fields where data from your Salesforce records—for example a contact's name and address—displays in the generated document. When a user creates a document from an embedded template, the current Salesforce data is populated, but doesn’t dynamically update. Quip supports basic mail merge syntax for auto-filling data from Salesforce records. This syntax supports standard and custom fields that are directly on the Salesforce object, and lookup fields up to one level. You can find available mail merge fields in the Object Manager under an object's Field Name.

Salesforce Template Data Mentions and Mail Merge Features

	Salesforce Template Data Mentions	Mail Merge Syntax
Shows available Salesforce record fields during template creation
Supports standard and custom fields
Lets users search Salesforce field names during template creation
Supports up to 250 fields, with no more than 20 lookup fields, per template
Uses available fields from a specific Salesforce org when you add them to a template*
Auto-fills Salesforce record field data on document creation in Salesforce
Doesn’t populate Salesforce data when data is unavailable on record
Lets you populate images
Lets you add a custom message when data is unavailable on the record
Works in templates and documents**
Continually updates Salesforce data to keep documents up to date
Allows searching for titles containing Salesforce data in Quip
Displays titles containing Salesforce data in the Associated Documents and Files components
Styles Salesforce data in a distinct manner to make data recognizable
Lets user hover over Salesforce data to see additional record details
Lets users update Salesforce data in a document and automatically sync changes to Salesforce
When Mirrored Salesforce Permissions are on, users see only the populated fields that they have access to in Salesforce

*When you add a template data mention to a template, you choose which Salesforce org the data mention pulls data from. If you embed that template in a record in a different Salesforce org, the data mentions can’t recognize the Salesforce org and end users receive an error.

**Salesforce Template Data Mentions work only in templates. You can use mail merge syntax and regular Salesforce Data Mentions in templates, documents, and spreadsheets.

Considerations for Choosing Between Data Mentions and Mail Merge

In general, we recommend using Salesforce Template Data Mentions to streamline your business processes. Consider using mail merge syntax if:

• You want to create and test your templates in Sandbox before moving them to your production Salesforce org. Templates using Salesforce Template Data Mentions are tied to the org they’re created in.
• You don’t want users to update populated fields from within documents.
• You want documents created from a template to capture a moment in time and don’t want them to update with the latest Salesforce data.
• You have Mirrored Salesforce Permissions turned on, but want to give users access to Salesforce data in Quip that they don’t have access to in Salesforce.
• You want to embed a document or spreadsheet instead of a template. Salesforce Template Data Mentions work only in documents marked as templates.
• You want to use Template Mode for Salesforce live apps, like the Salesforce List live app, or for Salesforce reports. Template Mode supports only mail merge syntax and not data mentions.