Templates

Customize notification message content using Markdown and dynamic variables

Overview

Templates control the text content of notifications. If a trigger has no template assigned, Alius uses a built-in default format. Custom templates let you control exactly what appears in each notification using Markdown and {{variable}} placeholders.

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Template Types

Each template is scoped to an entity type, which determines which variables are available:

Type	Available variables
Product	product.*, product_previous.*
Order	order.*
Customer	customer.*
Returns	returns.*
Cart	cart.*

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Creating a Template

1. Go to Templates in the sidebar.
2. Click Create Template.
3. Fill in:
   • Title — Name for the template (e.g., “High-value order alert”)
   • Type — Entity type (Product, Order, Customer, Returns, or Cart)
   • Content — The message body using Markdown and variables
4. Click Save.

The template is then available in the trigger form’s template picker.

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Markdown Syntax

Templates support a limited Markdown subset:

Syntax	Output
## Heading	Bold heading / header block
**bold text**	Bold text
[label](url)	Clickable link
---	Horizontal divider
Plain text	Rendered as-is

Markdown is converted per hub at send time:

• Slack: Headings → bold, links → <url|label> format, --- → divider block
• Email: Full HTML rendering with inline CSS
• Telegram: Headings → *bold*, links → Markdown v1 format, --- → ──────────

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Color Customization

Templates have optional color settings that apply per hub:

Setting	Hub	Description	Default
Email Header Color	Email	Background color of the email header bar	#008060
Email Link Color	Email	Color of hyperlinks in the email body	#008060
Telegram Background	Telegram	Background color accent in the Telegram message	#008060

Colors are entered as hex values (e.g., #FF5733).

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Template Priority

When a notification is sent, Alius resolves the message content in this order:

1. Linked Template — If the trigger has a templateId, the saved template’s content is used.
2. Inline Message Template — If the trigger has a custom message stored directly on the trigger record.
3. Default Template + Conditions — The built-in default for the entity type, automatically extended with any condition fields from the trigger.
4. Built-in Formatter — A fallback that generates a readable summary of what changed.

Auto-Extension with Condition Fields

When a trigger uses the default template and has conditions configured, the default template is automatically extended to include those condition fields. For example, if your trigger has a condition on inventoryTotal, the notification will include:

Total Inventory: {{product.inventoryTotal}}
Previous Total Inventory: {{product_previous.inventoryTotal}}

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Built-in Default Templates

If no custom template is selected, Alius uses these defaults:

Product Updated:

Product Updated: {{product.title}}

Title:
  Previous: {{product_previous.title}}
  New: {{product.title}}

View Product in Shopify: {{product.adminUrl}}

Order Created:

Order Created: {{order.name}}

Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}
Total: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}

View Order in Shopify: {{order.adminUrl}}

Customer Updated:

Customer Updated: {{customer.firstName}} {{customer.lastName}}

Email: {{customer.email}}
Tags: {{customer.tags}}

View Customer in Shopify: {{customer.adminUrl}}

Cart Abandoned:

Cart Abandoned

Customer: {{cart.firstName}} {{cart.lastName}}
Email: {{cart.customerEmail}}
Total: {{cart.totalPrice}} {{cart.currency}}
Items: {{cart.lineItemCount}}

Recovery URL: {{cart.recoveryUrl}}

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Template Variables Reference

Product Variables

Use product_previous.* variants for “previous” values in update notifications.

Variable	Description
{{product.id}}	Product ID
{{product.adminUrl}}	Link to product in Shopify Admin
{{product.title}}	Product title
{{product.status}}	active, draft, or archived
{{product.productType}}	Product type classification
{{product.vendor}}	Vendor/manufacturer
{{product.tags}}	Comma-separated tags
{{product.handle}}	URL handle
{{product.description}}	Product description (HTML)
{{product.publishedAt}}	Publication date
{{product.publishedScope}}	Publication scope
{{product.category}}	Shopify product category
{{product.isGiftCard}}	Whether it’s a gift card
{{product.requiresSellingPlan}}	Whether a selling plan is required
{{product.hasOnlyDefaultVariant}}	Whether only one variant exists
{{product.outOfStockVariants}}	Whether any variant is out of stock
{{product.collections}}	Collections the product belongs to
{{product.price}}	Product price
{{product.compareAtPrice}}	Compare-at price
{{product.unitPrice}}	Per-unit price
{{product.costPerItem}}	Cost of goods per item
{{product.inventoryTotal}}	Total inventory across all variants
{{product.requiresShipping}}	Whether the product requires shipping
{{product.inventoryTracked}}	Whether inventory tracking is enabled
{{product.taxable}}	Whether tax is charged
{{product.seoTitle}}	SEO meta title
{{product.seoDescription}}	SEO meta description
{{product_previous.*}}	All above fields for the previous state

Order Variables

Variable	Description
{{order.id}}	Order ID
{{order.adminUrl}}	Link to order in Shopify Admin
{{order.name}}	Order name (e.g., #1001)
{{order.orderNumber}}	Order number
{{order.totalPrice}}	Grand total
{{order.subtotalPrice}}	Subtotal before tax/shipping
{{order.totalDiscounts}}	Total discount applied
{{order.totalTax}}	Total tax charged
{{order.totalLineItemsPrice}}	Sum of all line item prices
{{order.totalOutstanding}}	Amount remaining to be paid
{{order.totalWeight}}	Combined item weight
{{order.currentTotalPrice}}	Current total after edits
{{order.currentSubtotalPrice}}	Current subtotal after edits
{{order.totalTipReceived}}	Tip amount
{{order.currency}}	Currency code
{{order.presentmentCurrency}}	Display currency
{{order.financialStatus}}	Financial status
{{order.fulfillmentStatus}}	Fulfillment status
{{order.displayFinancialStatus}}	Human-readable financial status
{{order.displayFulfillmentStatus}}	Human-readable fulfillment status
{{order.cancelReason}}	Cancellation reason
{{order.paymentGatewayNames}}	Payment methods used
{{order.email}}	Email on the order
{{order.phone}}	Phone number on the order
{{order.customerId}}	Associated customer ID
{{order.customerEmail}}	Customer’s email
{{order.customerFirstName}}	Customer’s first name
{{order.customerLastName}}	Customer’s last name
{{order.customerPhone}}	Customer’s phone
{{order.buyerAcceptsMarketing}}	Marketing opt-in status
{{order.locale}}	Customer locale
{{order.landingSite}}	Landing page URL
{{order.sourceName}}	Order source
{{order.tags}}	Order tags
{{order.note}}	Order notes
{{order.test}}	Whether this is a test order
{{order.confirmed}}	Whether the order is confirmed
{{order.edited}}	Whether the order has been edited
{{order.taxExempt}}	Whether the order is tax exempt
{{order.taxesIncluded}}	Whether prices include tax
{{order.dutiesIncluded}}	Whether duties are included
{{order.shippingName}}	Name on shipping address
{{order.shippingAddress1}}	Shipping street address
{{order.shippingCity}}	Shipping city
{{order.shippingProvince}}	Shipping province/state
{{order.shippingCountry}}	Shipping country
{{order.shippingZip}}	Shipping postal code
{{order.shippingPhone}}	Shipping address phone
{{order.billingName}}	Name on billing address
{{order.billingAddress1}}	Billing street address
{{order.billingCity}}	Billing city
{{order.billingProvince}}	Billing province/state
{{order.billingCountry}}	Billing country
{{order.billingZip}}	Billing postal code
{{order.billingPhone}}	Billing address phone

Customer Variables

Variable	Description
{{customer.id}}	Customer ID
{{customer.adminUrl}}	Link to customer in Shopify Admin
{{customer.email}}	Email address
{{customer.firstName}}	First name
{{customer.lastName}}	Last name
{{customer.phone}}	Phone number
{{customer.tags}}	Tags
{{customer.locale}}	Locale
{{customer.acceptsMarketing}}	Marketing opt-in status
{{customer.amountSpent}}	Lifetime amount spent
{{customer.numberOfOrders}}	Lifetime number of orders
{{customer.productSubscriberStatus}}	Subscription status
{{customer.taxExemptions}}	Tax exemption info

Returns Variables

Variable	Description
{{returns.status}}	Current return status
{{returns.returnReason}}	Reason provided for the return
{{returns.lineItemCount}}	Number of items in the return
{{returns.totalRefundAmount}}	Total refund value
{{returns.currency}}	Currency code
{{returns.orderId}}	ID of the associated order
{{returns.customerEmail}}	Customer’s email address

Cart Abandoned Variables

Variable	Description
{{cart.id}}	Checkout ID
{{cart.recoveryUrl}}	URL to recover the abandoned cart
{{cart.customerEmail}}	Customer’s email address
{{cart.firstName}}	Customer’s first name
{{cart.lastName}}	Customer’s last name
{{cart.totalPrice}}	Cart total value
{{cart.currency}}	Currency code
{{cart.lineItemCount}}	Number of items in the cart