Variables

Available on all Gallabox plans.

Who can use this?

• Gallabox users setting up templates, bot flows, or sequences.
• Roles: Owners and Admins (and roles with the relevant permission) for configuring variables; Agent role uses variables in compose box.

Variables are placeholders that get replaced with actual values when a message is sent. They let you personalise messages with each contact’s specific information — their name, company, order number, appointment date, and more.

Plan Availability

Available on all Gallabox plans.

What are Variables?

Variables are placeholders in message templates that Gallabox replaces with actual values when the message is sent. Instead of writing “Hi customer” in your broadcast, you write {{contact.name}} — and Gallabox replaces it with each contact’s actual name (“Hi Sarah”, “Hi John”, etc.).

Variables are used in:

• WhatsApp template messages — personalise template content
• Bot flow messages — dynamic responses based on contact data
• Sequence messages — personalised drip campaign content
• Broadcast messages — personalised mass outreach

System Variables

System variables are built-in values that Gallabox provides automatically. You can use them in any message.

Contact Variables

Variable	What it returns	Example output
{{contact.name}}	Contact’s full name	”Sarah Johnson”
{{contact.email}}	Contact’s email address	”[e-mail]”
{{contact.phone}}	Contact’s phone number	”[phone]”
{{contact.contactOwner.name}}	Name of the contact’s owner (assigned user)	“Priya Sharma”

User Variables

Variable	What it returns	Example output
{{user.name}}	Your name as the sending agent	”Priya Sharma”
{{user.email}}	Your email as the sending agent	”[e-mail]”

Company Variables

Variable	What it returns	Example output
{{company.name}}	Company name	”Acme Corp”
{{company.industry}}	Company industry	”Retail”
{{company.size}}	Company size	”50-100”

Type {{ in any supported text field to open the variable picker — it always shows the exact, current list of variables available on your account, including your custom fields.

Custom Contact Field Variables

In addition to system variables, you can use any custom contact field you’ve created. Contact fields are set up in Contacts → Contact Fields.

Default Contact Fields

Field	Variable
Name	{{contact.name}}
Phone	{{contact.phone}}
Email	{{contact.email}}

Custom Contact and Company Fields

Custom fields use the contact.field.<field_name> / company.field.<field_name> syntax:

Field name	Variable
Plan	{{contact.field.plan}}
Membership Tier	{{contact.field.membership_tier}}
Last Purchase Date	{{contact.field.last_purchase_date}}
Annual Revenue (company)	{{company.field.annual_revenue}}

The variable name uses the field’s internal name, which may differ from its display label. Don’t type these by hand — type {{ in the message editor and pick from the list to get the exact variable.

How to Use Variables

In WhatsApp Templates

1. Go to WhatsApp Templates

   Go to WhatsApp Templates in the left navigation.

2. Open or create a template

   Open an existing template or create a new one.

3. Insert a variable

   In the message body, type {{ to see available variables.

4. Select the variable

   Select the variable you want to use.

5. Fill in values when sending

   Fill in the variable values when sending the template.

Example:

“Hi {{contact.name}}! Your order #{{order_number}} is confirmed for delivery on {{delivery_date}}. Track it here: {{tracking_link}}“

In Bot Flow Messages

In any message node’s text, type {{ to insert a variable — see Flow Builder.

In Sequence Messages

1. Open Sequences

   Go to Sequences in the left navigation.

2. Create or open a sequence

   Create or open a sequence.

3. Insert a variable

   In the message step, type {{ to see available variables.

4. Select the variable

   Select the variable — it will be inserted into the message.

Pro tip: Check your contact data before sending — if a contact has no value for a variable, the message renders with a blank in its place (“Hi !”). For broadcasts, filter your segment to contacts that have the fields your template uses, or fill default values when sending.

Example

Scenario: You run a fitness studio and want to send a personalised appointment reminder via WhatsApp. The message should include the customer’s name, appointment date, class name, and trainer name.

Here’s how you’d set up the template:

1. Create a template

   Go to WhatsApp Templates → Create Template.

2. Select a category

   Select Utility category.

3. Name the template

   Name the template: appointment_reminder

4. Write the message body

   Write the message body:

   “Hi {{contact.name}}! Reminder: Your {{class_name}} class with {{trainer_name}} is tomorrow, {{appointment_date}} at {{appointment_time}}. See you there! 💪”

5. Submit for approval

   Submit for Meta’s approval.

6. Fill in the values when sending

   When sending via broadcast or sequence, fill in the values for class_name, trainer_name, appointment_date, and appointment_time.

FAQs

A variable is showing as blank in my message — why?

The contact doesn’t have a value for that field. For example, if {{company.name}} is blank, the contact was added without a linked company. Check that: (1) the field exists in Contacts → Contact Fields, (2) the contact has a value for that field, (3) the variable name is spelled correctly (check Contacts → Contact Fields for the exact name).

Can I use variables in bot flow conditions?

Yes. In the bot flow builder, you can use variables in conditions — e.g., “If {{contact.field.plan}} equals ‘Enterprise’”. This lets you create dynamic flows that behave differently based on contact data.

Why doesn't my custom field variable work?

Custom fields use the contact.field.<name> syntax (e.g., {{contact.field.plan}}), not contact.<name>. The <name> is the field’s internal name, which can differ from its display label. Type {{ in the editor and pick the variable from the list instead of typing it by hand.