Merge fields and formats

Merge fields are how a template pulls real data out of a record. They are first-class objects in Sliick Docs, stored as structured chips inside text runs rather than as plain text placeholders, so they cannot be accidentally broken.

Insert a merge field

1. Click into a Text, Heading, or table cell block.
2. Open the Merge fields tab on the left rail, or type {{ to open the autocomplete.
3. Search by label or field name and click the field to insert it.

The {{ autocomplete completes the built-ins (such as Today and Now) and the current object’s own fields. Inside a repeat, that means the row’s fields. For a parent field such as Account.Owner.Email, use the left rail and drill into the relationship.

The browser lists the current record’s own fields first, then its parent lookups. Parent fields are reached by drilling: click a lookup to load that parent’s fields, and keep drilling up to five hops, with a breadcrumb showing the path. Fields load one hop at a time, so the browser opens quickly even on objects with many relationships. Search covers the current object’s fields and the standing sections; to find a parent’s field, drill into the parent.

A Recent section keeps your last few inserted fields to hand, scoped to what is usable at the cursor, and each entry carries a field-type badge. Inserting with no field focused tells you so instead of appearing to do nothing.

The + buttons in the right rail (the file-name pattern, a Show if condition, a signer label, and the e-signature recipient Name and Email rows) open the same drill-capable browser in a small pop-over, so they reach parent fields too. It works from the keyboard: Escape closes it and returns focus to the + you pressed.

What a merge field can reach

• Root scalar fields on the base object.
• Parent lookup fields up to five hops, for example Account.Owner.Profile.UserType.Name. This works at root scope and inside Repeat scope.
• Child collections rendered through Repeat for each blocks, including nested repeats to arbitrary depth (each opportunity and its line items, each case and its comments) and iteration across junction objects. A scope-aware field picker follows your cursor and only offers fields that resolve at the current level. See Repeats and conditional content.
• Aggregate functions over child relationships: SUM, COUNT, AVG, MIN, MAX, with an optional Format. Aggregates resolve identically in PDF and Word output.
• Running-user fields through {{RunningUser.*}} (name, title, email, phone, manager), so a “Prepared by” line follows whoever generates the document across record-page, Flow, and batch generation.
• Date and time built-ins: {{Today}} and {{Now}} insert the current date and time in the running user’s time zone, with optional formatting.
• Approval history: a Repeat block can render a record’s Salesforce approval history (approver, comments, and date) with no custom code, which is useful for contract cover sheets and sign-off summaries.
• Rich-text fields: Long Text Area fields that hold formatted content are auto-detected and rendered with their formatting in both PDF output and the canvas preview.
• Image fields: any Salesforce image or URL field can be rendered as an image, inline or as a standalone block. See below.
• Hyperlink URLs: merge-field placeholders are allowed inside a link address, for example https://salesforce.com/{{Account.Id}}.
• Barcodes and QR codes: standalone blocks bound to any merge field, with the resolved value encoded into the document. See Barcodes and QR codes.

Formatting a value

Every scalar merge-field chip carries a Format dropdown alongside the fallback input. The format choice applies at render time using the running user’s locale; the chip’s stored value is untouched. The full list of formats, with worked examples, is in Merge field formats.

Fallback text

The same chip popover offers a Fallback text input. If the resolved value is blank at runtime, the fallback renders instead. It is useful for something like Account.Phone with a fallback of (no phone on file).

Images from a merge field

To merge a Salesforce image or URL field as a dynamic image inline within text:

1. Insert the merge field chip as usual.
2. Click the chip to open its popover.
3. Toggle Render as image. Width and height inputs appear.

At generation the chip resolves to the field’s image. Image merge fields work the same way inside Repeat scope: each iteration resolves to its own image.

For a per-record letterhead, signatory logo, or hero image that appears as a standalone block, use the Image block’s Source toggle instead. See Layout blocks.

The Image and Barcode blocks’ Merge field list shows one record at a time. When the object has lookups, a Fields from control above it switches between This record and a parent such as Owner (User), whose fields load when you pick it.

Field-level security

Sliick Docs always honours your Salesforce permissions. When an admin browses for merge fields, they only see fields they themselves can read, so two different admins may see different field lists depending on their access. If a field you expect to see is missing, ask your Salesforce admin to check your profile or permission sets.