Merge fields (also called merge tokens) pull dynamic, personalized data into emails, letters, labels, forms, the Parent Portal, and contact records, turning a single template into individualized communication. This article is the hub: it defines the categories and links out to the deep-dive articles for each use case.
💡Quick Answers
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What is a merge field? A placeholder in a template that gets replaced with real data when the message is sent or viewed, like
{{contact.first_name}}becoming the student's actual first name on the page. - What are the categories of merge fields? Contact (data about the student), Recipient (about the person receiving the email, usually a parent or consultant), School (school name, year, contact info), System (current date formats), Appointment (calendar appointment details), Calendar (calendar name in calendar templates only), and Recommend (online teacher recommendation templates only).
- Where can I use merge fields? In email templates, letter templates, label templates, calendar invites, forms, Parent Portal Content, the Contact Record summary, and Review Committee read sheets. See the linked deep-dive articles for each use case.
- Is there a quick reference for the full list of tokens? Yes, there's a downloadable Merge Token Reference Guide PDF linked at the bottom of the article. Useful when drafting templates and you can't remember the exact token syntax.
- What's the difference between Contact and Recipient merge fields? Contact pulls from the student's record, first name, grade, status, etc. Recipient pulls from whoever is receiving the message, usually a parent, so things like salutation, parent portal email, and verification link are Recipient tokens.
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Which tokens should I avoid in family-based emails? Contact-based tokens (anything starting with
{{contact.}}). In a family-based send, only one student's data populates and the system picks at random. Stick with Recipient and School tokens for those.
Overview
A merge field incorporates data from a contact into emails, letters, labels, forms, parent portal, and contact record. In this way, you can create dynamic, personalized information.
Merge fields have category types that define how and where the information is generated from the system:
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Contact: Information that’s related to or linked to the assigned contact (student).
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Recipient: Information that’s related to the person receiving the email. This is most often the parent, but may also be consultants.
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School: Information related to the school such as school name, school year, website, admissions contact information, etc.
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System: Information related to current date formats.
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Appointment: Information related to calendar appointments such as date, time, and contact details.
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Calendar: This category is for the calendar name field used in templates created from calendar settings.
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Recommend: Information related to online teacher recommendations, available in teacher recommendation templates only.
Explore the linked articles below for specific use cases and examples.
 Good to know
You can download a PDF reference guide for Merge Tokens at the bottom of this article.Â
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