Merge fields let you insert contact, form and transaction details into the emails and text messages an automation sends, so each message is personalised. In an email or text message action, type @ to see the merge field values you can insert. Which values are available depends on the trigger that started the journey — not every field is available in every automation.
The key rule: availability depends on the trigger
- The merge field values you can insert into a Send an email or Send a text message action are determined by the initial trigger.
- Only the values the trigger provides are offered; the contact's other custom field values are generally not available as merge fields.
- If a field you expect isn't listed when composing a message, it is most likely not available for the trigger you chose.
Form-based triggers
When the trigger is Form submitted, the merge field values are grouped under Form submitted: Form title, Submission date, First name, Last name, Email, Mobile, one value for each question on the selected form, and Form Response (the entire form response). Use them to echo what the contact submitted back to them or to an internal team.
Custom field updated triggers
When the trigger is Custom field updated, the merge field values are grouped under Custom Field(s) Changed: Triggered By (user's name), Name Of Contact, Field Id, Field Label, Field Value Before and Field Value After. Values from the contact's other custom fields are not offered.
Recipient email
In a Send an email action, Recipient Email (the recipient's email address) is also offered alongside the trigger's values.
Transaction details (Transaction block)
When the trigger is a Form submitted on a form that contains a Transaction block (for example, a donation or payment form), transaction-related merge field values become available for receipts, such as:
- Total Amount
- Payment Method
- Transaction ID
- Receipt ID
Insert these into the email to produce a front-end receipt that the contact receives after paying. (The exact set of transaction merge fields can vary with how the form and account are configured.)
Receipt-triggered automations
When the trigger is Receipt, receipt-specific merge field values become available in email and text message actions (Status, Subscription categories, Line comments, Total amount, Payment method, Receipt number, Transaction ref, Line types, Date created, Effective date, Target Email Address, Target Mobile Number, Name and Full Name). See Receipt-triggered automations (Document ID: 388).
Why a field might be missing
- The field is not associated with the trigger's context (a different record type or unrelated form).
- The custom field referenced was changed or deleted after the automation was built.
- A form question was altered after the automation was built, so its merge value no longer resolves.
- An email template was cloned but its merge field values were not adjusted to the new automation's context.
Why this matters for publishing
Invalid or unavailable merge field values are one of the most common reasons an automation fails to publish. If publishing fails, review every trigger and action and check the merge field values used in each email and text message. See Save vs Publish & activity logging (Insights) (Document ID: 103) and Automations — Limitations & best practice (Document ID: 96).