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Using Tokens in Template Titles
Using Tokens in Template Titles

How to create dynamic template task titles by using our title tokens feature.

Aaron Wittman avatar
Written by Aaron Wittman
Updated over a week ago

Welcome to this guide on how to use tokens in template titles. We'll explore how to create dynamic and personalised task titles in XBert using our title tokens feature.

You can create dynamic template task titles by using our title tokens feature. This allows you to generate tasks with a title based on dates, providing a flexible way to manage your templates.


Click play for a quick video guide! ✨


How to Use Tokens in Your Template Title

When creating a new template, you can include one of our predefined tokens in the title field. These tokens will be automatically replaced with date-related values when any tasks are created from the template.

For example, if you create a template with the title "Payroll - [StartMonth]", and then create a schedule that generates a task with a start date of 01/04/2023, that task's title will automatically be set to "Payroll - April".
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Supported Tokens

The following tokens can be used in your template titles:

  • [StartYear]

  • [Startyyyy]

  • [Startyy]

  • [StartMonth]

  • [Startmm]

  • [Startww]

  • [StartDay]

  • [Startdd]

  • [DueYear]

  • [Dueyyyy]

  • [Dueyy]

  • [DueMonth]

  • [Duemm]

  • [Dueww]

  • [DueDay]

  • [Duedd]

  • [ScheduleFrequency]
    ​

EXAMPLE - If the start date was 8/7/2024 and the due date was 28/8/2024:

[StartYear] = 2024

[Startyyyy] = 2024

[Startyy] = 24

[StartMonth] = July

[Startmm] = 07

[Startww] = 28

[StartDay] = Monday

[Startdd] = 08

[DueYear] = 2024

[Dueyyyy] = 2024

[Dueyy] = 24

[DueMonth] = August

[Duemm] = 08

[Dueww] = 35

[DueDay] = Wednesday

[Duedd] = 28
​
If you start typing a token "[" now in the title field of a template/task, a dropdown list of suggestions will appear that guides you to build a valid token and educate you on all the available token options.

Modifying Token Values

You can modify the value represented by a token by adding or subtracting days, weeks, months or years. This is done by appending a value and a period type directly after the token, where the value would be a number and the period type would be 'd', 'w', 'm' or 'y', for day, week, month or year respectively.

EXAMPLE - If the start date was 14/7/2023:

[StartYear+1y] = 2024

[StartMonth+2m] = September

[StartDay+1d] = Saturday

For example, if you want the template title to represent the year after the start year, you could use [StartYear+1y]. If the start year was 2023, the token would be replaced with "2024".

Similarly, if you want the template title to represent three months before the due month, you could use [DueMonth-3m].

If your start date is 30/9/2023 and you wanted the full date in the title, shifted forward by 5 days, you could use the following: "BAS preparation for [Startdd+5d] [StartMonth+5d], [Startyy+5d]", which would equate to "BAS preparation for 05 October, 23".

Token Syntax

Whitespace is ignored within the tokens. For example, [StartYear +2y], [DueMonth-3m], and [DueDay + 3d] will all work.

Tokens are case insensitive. Therefore, [STARTYEAR], [StArTdAy], and [dueyear] are all valid.

Missing Due Date

If a due date is not specified for a template, the system will use the start date instead. This ensures that all title tokens in your template title will still be replaced with appropriate values.

Timezone Considerations

The system uses the timezone of your Connect portal when calculating dates. For example, if your portal is set to Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), which is UTC+10, and the start date is specified in UTC+0, the system will adjust the start date to UTC+10 before replacing the tokens in your template title.

Example

If your template title is "Project - [StartMonth] to [DueMonth]", your portal is set to AEST (UTC+10), the start date is 01/04/2024 (UTC+0), and the due date is 01/06/2024 (UTC+0), the system will adjust the start and due dates to UTC+10 before replacing the tokens. Therefore, your template title would become "Project - April to June".

This feature provides you with greater flexibility and control when managing your templates. Enjoy exploring how you can personalise your template titles with title tokens!

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