---
title: "Creating a Notification Template"
slug: "creating-a-notification-template-1"
updated: 2026-10-07T16:10:22Z
published: 2026-10-29T16:30:09Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/creating-a-notification-template-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating a Notification Template

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**Creating a Notification Template**

*03. Admin User Manual › Alerts & Notifications › Creating a Notification Template*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

# 1. Overview

A notification template controls the wording of an email or alert the system sends. Templates are created and maintained from **Administration → Notification Templates**, and new templates are built in the same editor used to change existing ones. Placeholders, marked like **{---ColumnName---}**, are left exactly as written in the template and are filled in with the record's own details when the email actually sends. Leaving placeholders in place is what ties a generic template to a specific record's data at send time. Edits take effect on the next send.

# 2. Key Elements

- **New template** form: sets the template's **Name**, **Area**, **Record type**, **Theme**, **Description**, extra change-notification recipients, and whether it is **Active**.
- **Area** and **Record type** determine which record details the template's placeholders can draw on (the area's own records, or one of its related lists).
- The template editor has three tabs: **Message** (title, subject, body and send settings), **Fields** (which record details the message can show), and **Rules** (which records the template applies to).
- Placeholders follow the **{---ColumnName---}** pattern and must be left exactly as written. A placeholder the system can't fill in is marked in red and arrives in the email exactly as it is written.
- The **Insert a placeholder** panel beside the Body lists the available **Record values** and **Links and buttons** (such as **Record details button** and **Files and attachments**). You can also type **{** in the Subject or Body to pick one.
- **Also email these addresses whenever this template changes** sends a copy to extra recipients any time the template itself is edited.
- **Add a note to the workflow task this notification raises** attaches template-authored text onto the task record, not just the email.
- **Active (the scheduler sends this template)** controls whether the scheduler sends the template. If a workflow task sends the template, its Active setting is locked.

# 3. Navigating to Notification Templates

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. Under **Automation & Data**, click **Notification Templates**. You can also type "Notification" in the **Search administration** box to find it.

![Administration page with the Administration icon and Notification Templates tile highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01-admin-notification-templates.jpg)

# 4. Creating a New Notification Template

## 4a. Starting a New Template

1. Navigate to **Administration → Notification Templates** (see Section 3).
2. Click **+ New template** in the upper-right corner of the page.

![Notification Templates page with the New template button highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/02-new-template-button.jpg)

## 4b. Entering the Template Details

1. In the **New notification template** panel, enter a **Name**. This is what administrators will call the template; it is not shown to the recipient.
2. Select the **Area** — the kind of record the template's emails are about (for example, **Contracts & Committals**).
3. Select the **Record type** — the area's own records (for example, **Contract Details**) or one of its related lists. This is what the message's placeholders can draw on.
4. Select a **Theme** to control how the email looks. You can change it later.
5. Optionally, enter a **Description** noting when the template is used.
6. Optionally, in **Also email these addresses whenever this template changes**, enter one or more addresses separated by commas. Leave it empty to notify nobody.
7. Check **Active (the scheduler sends this template)** if the template should be sent by the scheduler.
8. Click **Create and choose fields**. The template is created and opens in the editor so you can choose its fields (see Section 5).

![New notification template panel with Name, Area, Record type, Theme, Description, Also email, Active and Create and choose fields highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/03-new-template-form.jpg)

**Note:** The Area and Record type decide which record details are available as placeholders, so choose them before writing the message. Click **Cancel** to close the panel without creating the template.

# 5. Choosing the Template's Fields (Fields Tab)

The **Fields** tab controls which of the record's details the message can show. Each field gets a name, and that name is what you insert into the subject or body.

1. Click the **Fields** tab.
2. Use **Find a field to add…** to locate a field, then click **+ Add**.
3. Review or change the **Name in the message** for each field. The placeholder it creates (for example, **{---Contract ID---}**) is shown beneath the name; **Comes from** shows the table and column the value is read from.
4. For date and similar fields, choose how the value is **Shown as** (for example, **Exactly as stored**).
5. To remove a field, click its delete (trash) icon.
6. Click **Save fields** at the bottom of the list.

![Fields tab with Find a field to add, Add, Name in the message, placeholder, Shown as and delete icon highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/08-fields-tab.jpg)

# 6. Writing the Message (Message Tab)

## 6a. Title, Subject and Body

1. Click the **Message** tab.
2. Confirm the **Title** and, optionally, enter a **Description**.
3. Enter the email **Subject**. Placeholders can be used here, for example **Legal Review for {---Vendor/Client Name---}**.
4. Write the email in the **Body**. Use the **HTML** / **Rich text** toggle to switch between editing the HTML source and formatted text.
5. To insert a placeholder, place the cursor where it should appear and click it in the **Insert a placeholder** panel (use **Filter…** to narrow the list), or type **{** and pick one. Placeholders are highlighted in the body; a placeholder the system can't fill in is marked in red with a warning above the body.

![Message tab with the Message, Fields and Rules tabs, Title, Subject, Body, HTML and Rich text toggle, and Insert a placeholder panel highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/05-message-tab-body.jpg)

## 6b. Theme, Recipients and Sending

1. Below the Body, choose the **Theme**. Click **Design themes** to create or change themes.
2. Optionally, enter addresses in **Also email these addresses whenever this template changes**.
3. Check or clear **Active (the scheduler sends this template)**. If a workflow task sends this template, the Active setting is locked and a message below it names the task.
4. Click **Preview with sample data** to check how the email will look.
5. Click **Save**.

![Message tab settings with Theme, Also email these addresses, Add a note to the workflow task, Active, Preview with sample data and Save highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/06-message-tab-settings.jpg)

## 6c. Adding a Note to the Workflow Task

1. Check **Add a note to the workflow task this notification raises**. A **Workflow task note** box appears.
2. Enter the note text, using the **HTML** / **Rich text** toggle as needed. The note is added to the task's notes, and placeholders work here too — type **{** to pick one.
3. Click **Save**.

![Add a note to the workflow task checkbox and Workflow task note box highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/07-workflow-task-note.jpg)

# 7. Limiting Which Records Use the Template (Rules Tab)

The **Rules** tab limits the message to records that match a set of conditions. With no conditions, the template applies to every record of its type.

1. Click the **Rules** tab.
2. Use the **Match** dropdown (for example, **ALL**) to set how the conditions in the group are combined.
3. Click **+ Condition** to add a condition, or **+ Group** to add a nested group of conditions.
4. Click **Count matching records** to see how many records the rules currently match.
5. Click **Save conditions**.

![Rules tab with Match, Condition, Group, Count matching records and Save conditions highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/09-rules-tab.jpg)

# 8. Opening an Existing Template

1. Navigate to **Administration → Notification Templates** (see Section 3).
2. Choose an **Area** from the dropdown on the left to list its templates. Templates that are not active show an **off** tag.
3. Optionally, type in **Filter these templates…** to narrow the list.
4. Click a template to open it in the editor, then use the **Message**, **Fields** and **Rules** tabs as described in Sections 5–7.

![Notification Templates page with the area dropdown, template filter and a selected template highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/04-select-existing-template.jpg)

# 9. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| Open Notification Templates | Administration icon → Automation & Data → Notification Templates. |
| Create a template | + New template → enter Name, Area, Record type, Theme → Create and choose fields. |
| Choose fields for placeholders | Fields tab → Find a field to add → + Add → Save fields. |
| Write the subject and body | Message tab → Subject and Body → insert placeholders from the Insert a placeholder panel or by typing { → Save. |
| Notify extra recipients of template changes | Message tab → Also email these addresses whenever this template changes → Save. |
| Add a note to the workflow task | Message tab → check Add a note to the workflow task this notification raises → enter Workflow task note → Save. |
| Turn sending on or off | Message tab → Active (the scheduler sends this template) → Save. |
| Limit which records the template applies to | Rules tab → + Condition / + Group → Save conditions. |
| Preview the email | Message tab → Preview with sample data. |
| Edit an existing template | Choose an area → select the template from the list. |