SimpleAddins

Appearance

Field Syntax Reference ​

Template Helper recognises several placeholder formats in your Word documents. This reference covers all supported syntaxes, their behaviour, and best practices.

Quick Reference Table ​

SyntaxTypeExampleResult
[{Label}]Text (empty)[{Client Name}]Empty text input
[{Label} Value]Text (default)[{Client} ABC Ltd]Pre-filled with "ABC Ltd"
[{Label} Opt1 OR Opt2]Dropdown[{Jurisdiction} England OR Wales]Dropdown with 2 options
[{$Label} Instructions]LLM field[{$Summary} Summarise the case]Text field flagged for LLM processing
[{Section Name}]Section header[{Personal Details}]Bold heading, groups fields below
[{{Collapsible}}]Collapsible section[{{Optional Clauses}}]Collapsible group (starts closed)
[{Label} <<TODAY>>]Date (auto)[{Date} <<TODAY>>]Auto-filled with today's date

Text Fields ​

Empty Text Field ​

text
[{Client Name}]

Creates a text input with no default value. Users must type a value before applying changes.

Text Field with Default ​

text
[{Client} ABC Ltd]

Creates a text input pre-filled with the specified default value. Users can edit or clear it.

Multi-word Values ​

text
[{Client Name} John Smith & Associates]

Everything after the closing } is the default value, including spaces. No need for quotes.

LLM Fields ​

Prefix a label with $ to mark the field as an LLM field. The text after the label is the processing instruction, not a default value:

text
[{$Case Summary} Summarise the case in 120 words]
[{$Key Issues} List the main issues in dispute]

In the task pane, LLM fields show an AI button and an editable prompt textarea. The prompt is included in the enhanced JSON payload as llm_fields[] so an LLM can populate the return value based on the instructions.

Master Profile Prompt ​

A user-level master prompt can be saved on the Profile tab under LLM Master Prompt. When enabled, it is appended to every LLM instruction and to every LLM field prompt in the enhanced export. Use it for global context such as tone, writing style, or domain conventions.

text
[{Title} Mr OR Mrs OR Ms OR Dr]

Creates a dropdown with four options. The first option is selected by default.

Rules:

  • Use curly braces {Label} to wrap the label
  • Separate options with the keyword OR (uppercase, surrounded by spaces)
  • At least two options required
text
[{Jurisdiction} England OR Wales OR Scotland]

The first listed option becomes the default selected value.

Section Headers ​

Regular Section ​

text
[{Personal Details}]

Creates a bold heading in the task pane. All fields below this header (until the next header) are visually grouped under it.

Collapsible Section ​

text
[{{Optional Clauses}}]

Creates a collapsible group that starts closed. Click to expand and reveal the fields inside. Useful for optional sections that aren't always needed.

Nesting: Sections can be nested — a collapsible section can contain regular sections.

Date Fields ​

Today's Date ​

text
[{Date} <<TODAY>>]
[{Meeting Date} <<TODAY>>]

Auto-filled with the current date. Displayed as a text input that users can override if needed.

Date with Offset ​

text
[{Deadline} <<TODAY+7>>]
[{Review Date} <<TODAY+30>>]
[{Start Date} <<TODAY-14>>]

Auto-filled with a date offset from today:

  • +N adds N days
  • -N subtracts N days

Older spelling

%today, %today+N and %today-N mean exactly the same thing and still work, so templates written before <<TODAY>> need no changes. Both spellings also work in the [Label: <<TODAY>>] form as well as [{Label} <<TODAY>>].

Date Format ​

Dates are inserted in the format DD-Mon-YYYY (e.g., 15-May-2026).

Escaping and Special Characters ​

Brackets in Values ​

To include literal square brackets in a default value, use HTML entities:

text
[{Example} This is a [test] value]

Not supported — brackets always delimit fields. Redesign your placeholder to avoid brackets in values.

Pro Features ​

Combine Identical Fields (Pro) ​

When enabled in the Pro Features section, duplicate placeholders are merged:

text
[Client Name] appears 5 times in document
// Task pane shows: 1 row for [Client Name]
// Change once → applies to all 5 occurrences

Enable in Scan tab → Pro Features → Combine identical fields.

Normalise CAPS (Pro) ​

When enabled, all-caps labels are shown in normal case in the task pane:

text
Document: [{CLIENT NAME}]
Task pane displays: "Client Name" (readable)
Applied value: respects document formatting

Enable in Scan tab → Pro Features → Normalise CAPS.

Best Practices ​

Label Naming ​

  • Use descriptive, unique labels
  • Avoid special characters (except {}, ())
  • Keep labels under 50 characters for readability
  • Use consistent casing (Sentence case recommended)

Default Values ​

  • Provide sensible defaults where possible
  • Use <<TODAY>> (optionally <<TODAY+N>> / <<TODAY-N>>) for dynamic dates
  • Leave optional fields empty rather than placeholder text like "TBC"

Section Organisation ​

  • Group related fields under section headers
  • Use collapsible sections for optional clauses
  • Order sections logically (parties, terms, dates, signatures)
  • Order options from most to least common
  • Include an explicit "Please select" or empty option if no default is appropriate
  • Keep option text short (under 30 characters)

Document Formatting ​

  • Field placeholders can be formatted (bold, italic, colour)
  • Formatting is preserved when scanning and applying
  • Don't format the brackets themselves — format the content inside

Validation and Errors ​

Field Not Detected? ​

  • Ensure brackets are standard ASCII [ ], not typographic quotes
  • Check brackets are balanced (every [ has a ])
  • Verify the field is in the document body (not headers, footers, or text boxes)
  • Rescan after editing the document

Malformed Fields ​

ProblemExampleFix
Empty label[{ }]Add a label: [{Name}]
Unclosed bracket[{Name} ValueAdd closing ]
Double brackets[[{Name}]]Remove extra brackets: [{Name}]
Dangling OR[{Opt} A OR B OR]Remove the trailing OR or add an option after it

Next Steps ​

SimpleAddins — Professional add-ins for Microsoft Word

Copyright © 2026 SimpleAddins