Why are my dynamic content placeholders disappearing from my WhatsApp message template after I save it?

If you add a dynamic content placeholder (e.g., {{Name}}) to a WhatsApp message within a Customer Journey, but it vanishes after you save and reopen the message, the cause is typically an incorrect configuration in the template's underlying JSON structure.

For a placeholder to be saved, it must be explicitly declared in the "variables" array within the template's JSON code. If this array is set to null or does not list your placeholder, the system will not retain it.

To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Verify Your Template in Meta WhatsApp Manager Before using a template in Pushwoosh, ensure it has been approved in your Meta (Facebook) WhatsApp Manager and is correctly configured to accept variables. The placeholders defined in Meta (e.g., {{1}}, {{2}}) must correspond to the variables you intend to use.

2. Correct the Template JSON in Pushwoosh When editing your WhatsApp message, inspect its JSON structure. Find the "variables" key and ensure its value is an array containing the exact names of all placeholders used in your message body.

Example

Imagine your message body is: Hey {{Name}}, welcome aboard!

Incorrect Configuration:

If the "variables" key is set to null, the {{Name}} placeholder will not be saved.

{
  "content": "Hey {{Name}}, welcome aboard!",
  "code": "welcome_v1:en",
  "name": "welcome_v1:en",
  "variables": null
}

Correct Configuration:

To resolve the issue, update the "variables" key to be an array that includes the string "Name".

{
  "content": "Hey {{Name}}, welcome aboard!",
  "code": "welcome_v1:en",
  "name": "welcome_v1:en",
  "variables": ["Name"]
}

After correcting the JSON to declare all variables, save your message. The placeholders will now be saved correctly.