Templates

Overview

WhatsApp Message Templates are pre-approved message formats that allow businesses to send notifications and updates to customers. Whatomate makes it easy to manage, sync, and use templates across your organization.

Template Management

Viewing Templates

The templates page displays all your synced templates from Meta’s WhatsApp Business API, including:

• Template name and status
• Category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication)
• Language
• Last updated date

Syncing Templates

Click the Sync from Meta button to fetch the latest templates from your WhatsApp Business Account. This ensures your local templates are always up to date with what’s approved in Meta.

Template Editor

View and manage template details:

• Header - Optional header with text, image, video, or document
• Body - Main message content with variable placeholders
• Footer - Optional footer text
• Buttons - Call-to-action or quick reply buttons

Template Variables

Templates support dynamic variables that are replaced with actual values when sending messages.

Positional Parameters

The traditional format uses numbered placeholders {{1}}, {{2}}, etc.:

Hello {{1}}, your order #{{2}} has been shipped!

When sending, you provide values in order:

• {{1}} → Customer Name
• {{2}} → Order ID

Named Parameters

Templates also support named parameters for better readability and maintainability:

Hello {{customer_name}}, your order #{{order_id}} has been shipped!

Named parameters make templates easier to understand and less error-prone when dealing with multiple variables. When creating templates with named parameters:

• Use descriptive names like {{customer_name}}, {{order_id}}, {{delivery_date}}
• Parameter names can contain letters, numbers, and underscores
• Whatomate automatically detects whether your template uses positional or named parameters

Tip

Named parameters are recommended for templates with 3 or more variables, as they make the template easier to understand and maintain.

Template Categories

Marketing

Promotional content, offers, and announcements

Utility

Order updates, confirmations, and notifications

Authentication

One-time passwords and verification codes

Template Status

Status	Description
Approved	Template is ready to use
Pending	Awaiting Meta approval
Rejected	Template was rejected by Meta
Disabled	Template has been disabled

Note

Templates must be approved by Meta before they can be used for sending messages. The approval process typically takes a few minutes to 24 hours.

Using Templates

Templates can be used in:

• Direct Messages - Send template to individual contacts
• Campaigns - Bulk send to multiple contacts
• Chatbot Flows - Automated template responses
• API - Programmatically via REST API