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

Syntax	Type	Example	Result
[Label]	Text (empty)	[Client Name]	Empty text input
[Label: ]	Text (empty)	[Client Name: ]	Empty text input
[Label: Value]	Text (default)	[Client: ABC Ltd]	Pre-filled with "ABC Ltd"
[Label: Option1 | Option2]	Dropdown	[Jurisdiction: England | Wales]	Dropdown with 2 options
[{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
[Label: <<TODAY+7>>]	Date (offset)	[Deadline: <<TODAY+7>>]	Auto-filled with date + 7 days
[Label: <<CASE_ID>>]	System variable	[Ref: <<CASE_ID>>]	Auto-filled with document property

---

Text Fields

Empty Text Field

[Client Name]
[Client Name: ]

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

Text Field with Default

[Client: ABC Ltd]
[Client: ]

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

Multi-word Values

[Client Name: John Smith & Associates]

Everything after the first : is the default value, including spaces. No need for quotes.

---

Dropdown Fields

Basic Dropdown

[Title: Mr | Mrs | Ms | Dr]

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

Rules:

• Separate options with | (pipe character)
• Spaces around | are optional but recommended for readability
• At least two options required

Dropdown with Default

[Jurisdiction: England | Wales | Scotland]

The first listed option becomes the default selected value.

---

Section Headers

Regular Section

[{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

[{{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

[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

[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

Date Format

Dates are inserted in the format DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 15/05/2026).

---

System Variables

Document Properties

[Case Ref: <<CASE_ID>>]
[Date: <<CREATED_DATE>>]
[Author: <<AUTHOR>>]

Inserts values from the Word document's properties:

Variable	Document Property
<<CASE_ID>>	Custom property CaseID or Case_ID
<<CREATED_DATE>>	Document creation date
<<AUTHOR>>	Document author
<<TITLE>>	Document title
<<FILENAME>>	Document filename (without extension)

---

Escaping and Special Characters

Brackets in Values

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

[Example: This is a [test] value]

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

Colons in Labels

Avoid colons in field labels. Use a different separator or rephrase:

// Avoid:
[Time: 09:00: Default]

// Use instead:
[Start Time: 09:00]

Pipe Characters in Options

If an option needs to contain a |, use \| to escape:

[Options: A | B \| C | D]
// Options: "A", "B | C", "D"

---

Pro Features

Combine Identical Fields (Pro)

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

[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:

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 system variables for dynamic values (dates, case IDs)
• 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)

Dropdown Design

• 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

Problem	Example	Fix
Empty label	[: Value]	Add a label: [Name: Value]
Unclosed bracket	[Name: Value	Add closing ]
Double brackets	[[Name]]	Remove extra brackets: [Name]
Unescaped pipe	`[Opt: A	B

---

Next Steps

• Scanning Fields — how to detect fields in your document
• Filling Fields — entering values for each field type
• Applying Changes — writing values back to the document
• Pro Features — unlock advanced field options