A tag that comes out blank, or throws a "not an available message tag" error, is almost always pointing at something the transaction doesn't have. Here's how to find which one.
Start With a Preview
Before you chase anything, open the transaction, apply the template, and preview the message. The preview renders your tags against that transaction's real data and flags the ones that would come out empty, with a reason for each. That usually names the problem in one step.
Preview only exists on a transaction, since it needs real data to render against — you won't find it on the My Templates page.
The Tag Comes Out Blank
A tag fills from what's on the transaction. If the field is empty there, the tag has nothing to bring. Open the transaction, check that the field the tag points at actually has a value, and fill it in.
Pipeline also warns you at send time when a tag would land empty, so you can fix or remove it before the message goes out.
"Not an Available Message Tag"
This error means the tag is looking for something your account doesn't have under that exact name. Three causes account for nearly all of them:
- The contact role doesn't match. Advanced contact tags match the Role on your contacts character for character. A tag written for escrow finds nothing if your contacts are entered as Escrow Officer. Check what roles your transactions actually use, then write the tag to match.
- No contact holds that role yet. The tag validates against real data, so a brand-new account with no escrow or buyer contacts errors on tags that reference them. Add a contact in that role and the tag resolves.
- The checklist or task name doesn't match. Checklist tags match the checklist's title exactly, capitalization included. Pending Checklist and Pending Checklist Condo are two different things. Either point the tag at the exact name on the transaction, or rename the checklist to something consistent across your transaction types.
The Tag Format Is Wrong
Advanced tags need double curly brackets — {{contacts:escrow:phone}}, not quotation marks or single brackets. They also accept only underscores, hyphens, and spaces as special characters. If your role or checklist name contains an apostrophe, a comma, or parentheses, leave those characters out of the tag: a task named Seller's Disclosure (main) is written Sellers Disclosure main inside the tag.
The Tag Isn't in the List at All
If a field you use every day has no tag, check whether it's a custom field that collides with a built-in optional field. When Pipeline already has an optional field by that name, a custom field with the same name doesn't generate a tag. The fix is to delete the custom field and turn on the matching optional transaction field in your company settings, which brings the tag with it.
A Tag in the Subject Line Throws an Error
Some values are longer than a subject line can hold. A tag that pulls a multi-line value, like your office's full address, errors when it's used in the Subject. Move that tag into the body, or type the wording into the subject by hand.
Still Stuck?
If a tag still won't resolve, email help@paperlesspipeline.com with the exact tag text, the template name, and a transaction you tried it on, and we'll take a look.
Learn More
Autofill Tags let Pipeline do the typing. Drop a tag into a message template and the transaction's own details fill themselves in every time you send.
See Autofill Tags