Map Automated Content Builder template placeholders to preconfigured data nodes

Note: This article is no longer maintained. For updated information, please refer to the corresponding Admin App article. We recommend updating your links if you’ve linked to this article. 

The Automated Content Builder (ACB) app enables the creation of documents and presentations tailored to prospects' context and industry-specific needs. Customer data automatically integrates into marketing-approved templates to create impactful, personalized content in seconds.

Templates contain placeholders that are linked to preconfigured data nodes. These nodes serve as connectors that retrieve the data required for the template.

When a user creates a document from a template, the data retrieved is automatically inserted into the document's placeholders.

Now that we’ve preconfigured the data nodes required for our template, we will learn how to map them to our template placeholders.

You need this to succeed

• Showpad Content Ultimate or Showpad Content Essential & Plus with the Enterprise add-on
• Showpad's Automated Content Builder add-on 
• Showpad admin access
• The Automated Content Builder app installed
• An existing Automated Content Builder Experience
• Templates with placeholders
• Access to the data required to configure the template
  
  

Do this step by step

• Map placeholders based on their type
• Map group of placeholders in bulk

Map placeholders based on type

1. Navigate to the ACB Experience and select a template to configure. 
2. Find the list of placeholders under the Placeholder configuration menu in the Configure template tab. Placeholders are presented alphabetically.
   
3. Click on a placeholder to map it to a data node. The data type is analyzed, and only data nodes that match the placeholder will be displayed.
4. Select the node you want to map the placeholder to. See how to map nodes to placeholders based on the placeholder type:
   
   

   Text

   Image

   List

   Condition

   Slide

   HTML

   Note: The list above mentions only the placeholders that need to be configured in the ACB Experience. See the complete list of template placeholders in this article.

   Map a placeholder of type: Text / {Placeholder}

   • Select the input that will replace the text placeholder from your configured nodes.
   • Optionally, add a fallback value in the corresponding field. The fallback value will be used if the selected field does not exist or is empty.
   • Click Save.
     

   ---

   Map a placeholder of type: Image / {%Placeholder}

   • Select the value that will replace the image placeholder from your configured nodes.
   • Optionally, you can add a link. This will direct the user to the selected link when clicking on the image.
   • Click Save.
     

   Note: An image placeholder can be mapped to an external API data source returning a URL field or an external API with a binary return type.

   ---

   Map a placeholder of type: List / {#Placeholder}{Placeholder}{/Placeholder}

   • Select the data node input that will be used to fill in the list values. Only lists will be selectable.
   • For each list element, choose the relevant data to populate from the data node selected.
   • Optionally, add a fallback value for each element in the corresponding field. The fallback value will be used if the selected field does not exist or is empty.
   • Click Save.
     

   ---

   Map a placeholder of type: Condition / {#Placeholder}{/Placeholder}

   • Configure one or more rules (using AND and OR) that decide when the content included in the Condition placeholders will be shown.
   • If the Condition tags contain other placeholders as content, they will appear below the Rules section. Configure the placeholder as needed, depending on the type.
   • Click Save.
     

   ---

   Map a placeholder of type: Slide / {:Placeholder}

   A slide placeholder requires a condition to be configured. A condition can be a simple single rule or a more complex combination of rules.

   • Configure one or multiple rules (AND and OR) that decide when the content included in the Condition placeholders will be shown.
   • If the Condition tags contain other placeholders as content, they will appear below the Rules section. Configure the placeholder as needed, depending on the type.

   • Click Save.
     

   ---

   Map a placeholder of type: HTML / {~Placeholder}

   • Select the input that will replace the HTML placeholder from your configured nodes.
     

     Note: Block elements placeholders are indicated as {~~Placeholder} in the template. However, they will be shown as {~Placeholder} in the mapping modal.

   • Click Save.
     

   ---

5. A checkbox icon will be displayed next to the placeholder when it has been successfully mapped to a data node.
   

6. Repeat the process for all of the placeholders on your list.
   A warning message will appear at the end of the placeholder list if all placeholders are not configured.
   

7. You can save your configuration by clicking Save as a draft in the top right corner.

8. When all placeholders are configured, you can publish your template by clicking the Publish template button in the top right corner, or click Next in the bottom right to test your template before publishing.

Map group of placeholders in bulk

For placeholders linked to the same data, you can use dot notation format: {Object.Field}.
Learn more in this article. 

Placeholders linked to the same data node will be displayed under the same group in the list of configurable placeholders. They can be bulk-mapped in a single click, all placeholders will be automatically populated. 

1. Click on the grouped placeholder tag in the configuration list.
2. Select the data node to be linked to the placeholders, in this case, User.
3. All placeholders will be automatically populated at once.