Message variables (macros)
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Message variables insert a different contact value into each outgoing portal campaign message.
Where substitution happens
Section titled “Where substitution happens”The portal substitutes variables in simple and advanced campaigns, A/B variants, duplicate laps, journey Send SMS nodes, and autoresponders. Values are applied per contact at send time and in database-backed previews.
Standard variables
Section titled “Standard variables”| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
{first_name} |
First name |
{last_name} |
Last name |
{phone} |
Phone number |
{email} |
Email address |
{custom_1} … {custom_10} |
Ten custom contact fields |
{custom1} … {custom10} |
Legacy spellings of the custom fields |
{opt_out_link} |
Recipient-specific opt-out link |
Named variables
Section titled “Named variables”Name custom fields in the People database variables block, during CSV import, or in People settings. Names can contain at most 64 characters. They are account-wide: team members see the same names in every workspace.
After naming a field Deposit amount, type the friendly name as a variable,
for example {deposit amount}.
Matching
Section titled “Matching”Matching is case-insensitive. Surrounding spaces, inner spaces, and underscores
are ignored, so {deposit amount}, {Deposit_Amount}, and {depositamount}
all match a field named Deposit amount.
Standard variable names take priority over custom names. If two custom names collide after matching is normalized, the lower custom number wins. A rename applies to the next send and preview.
Unknown tokens stay literal
Section titled “Unknown tokens stay literal”An unmatched token such as {source} or {clickid} is sent unchanged, which
allows tracker placeholders to keep working. Editors warn about unmatched
tokens and offer Map and Name actions, but the warning never blocks launch.
Spintax such as {hello|hi} is a separate feature and is not treated as a
contact variable.
Empty values and cost
Section titled “Empty values and cost”When “skip empty” is enabled, contacts without a value for a variable used by the message are skipped. Estimates use each recipient’s expanded text, while the content budget reserves the worst-case width for every known variable. See encoding & segments for GSM-7, Unicode, and segment limits.