Merge Fields

Merge fields let you personalize one message for many recipients by inserting student-specific values from a CSV upload.

Example:

Hello [guardian.firstname], [student.firstname] rides bus [otherData.bus_number].

At send time, each recipient sees their own value.

What merge fields are

Merge fields are custom student data points such as:

• bus_number
• locker
• counselor
• graduation_plan

They are stored per student and used in message content with this format:

[otherData.fieldname]

The fieldname must exactly match your CSV column header.

Uploading a CSV with merge fields

1. Go to Mail Merge (in your settings gear icon) 
2. Click Upload CSV 
3. Include one identifier column:
   • student_id
   • student id
   • student_number
   • student_email
4. Add one or more additional columns for merge fields
5. Upload and submit the file

Processing is queued and may take a short time.

Refresh the page after processing to view updated student data and merge fields.

CSV example

student_id,bus_number,locker,counselor
12345,17A,204B,Ms. Rivera
12346,22C,110A,Mr. Patel

Automatic group creation

After a CSV is processed, the system automatically creates or updates a group named:

MailMerge_FIELDNAME

FIELDNAME comes from the first custom merge-field column in your CSV (the first non-identifier column).

That group contains students matched from the uploaded file, making it easy to send to the same recipients again later.

Example:

If your first merge field column is bus_number, the system creates:

MailMerge_BUS_NUMBER

Merge tag format

Use this format inside your messages:

[otherData.fieldname]

 Examples:

[otherData.bus_number]
[otherData.locker]
[otherData.counselor]

Who receives messages with merge fields

Messages containing merge fields are only sent to recipients whose student record contains a value for that field.

If a recipient does not have the required value, they are skipped automatically.

For guardians, the system checks the associated student’s merge field value.

Example:

Hello [guardian.firstname], your student’s locker is [otherData.locker].

Only guardians linked to students with a locker value will receive the message.