> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/administration-guide/ticketing/ticket-rules/placeholders.md).

# Template placeholders

Every ${…} placeholder a ticket rule template can use, the triggers that fill it, and how values are rendered into the ticket's summary, description, comment and additional fields.

## What this is, and when you need it

A ticket rule's **Summary**, **Description**, **Comment** and additional field values are templates. A `${…}` placeholder in them is replaced by a value from the event — the request, the users involved, the managed system, the non-human identity — when the rule fires. This page lists every placeholder, which triggers can fill it, and the rendering rules. Look a placeholder up here when a ticket shows an empty gap where you expected a name.

How to write the templates themselves is on [Write a ticket rule](/administration-guide/ticketing/ticket-rules.md#rule-content).

## How placeholders are rendered

| Rule                      | Detail                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Syntax                    | `${key}`, where the key is letters, digits, `_` and `.` — `${targetUser.displayName}`                                                                                                                                                     |
| No value                  | A placeholder whose value is missing renders as an empty string. Rendering never fails a ticket                                                                                                                                           |
| Dates                     | ISO-8601 in UTC: `2026-10-22T09:15:00Z`                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| `${changedAttributes}`    | The changed names, sorted, joined with `,`                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| `${request.items}`        | One `- <name>` line per requested item: roles first, then groups, then resources, each sorted by name. Items whose name cannot be resolved are left out. Because each line starts with `-` , the list becomes a bullet list in the ticket |
| `${event.context.<name>}` | Reads a raw value the event carries, by name. Always allowed, never checked; renders empty when the event has no such value                                                                                                               |
| Additional fields         | Rendered like the summary. A field that renders empty is not sent                                                                                                                                                                         |

A template is checked when you save the rule: a placeholder the catalogue does not know, or one that not every selected trigger can fill, blocks **Save rule**.

### Insert placeholder <a href="#ph-insert" id="ph-insert"></a>

Every template field of the rule editor has **Insert placeholder**. It opens a searchable list grouped like the tables below (search by label or by key) and inserts `${key}` at the cursor.

The list offers only the placeholders **every** selected trigger can fill: a rule on **Request submitted** and **Request step decided** does not offer `${decision}`, because the submission has no decision. Under each template the placeholders show as chips:

| Chip                          | Meaning                                                                                       |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Blue                          | Known and available for all selected triggers                                                 |
| Amber, dashed, struck through | *Not available for the selected triggers* — remove it or drop the trigger that cannot fill it |
| Red, wavy underline           | *Unknown placeholder* — a typo or a key that does not exist                                   |

Amber and red chips block **Save rule**. If the list of available placeholders cannot be loaded, the editor offers the whole catalogue and flags nothing; the server still checks on save.

In the tables, **Filled for** names the triggers that can fill the placeholder. *Request* means the eight request lifecycle triggers and **Access revoked**.

## Request <a href="#ph-group-request" id="ph-group-request"></a>

| Placeholder                | Label in the picker   | Filled for |
| -------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------- |
| `${request.id}`            | Request id            | Request    |
| `${request.type}`          | Request type          | Request    |
| `${request.name}`          | Request name          | Request    |
| `${request.status}`        | Request status        | Request    |
| `${request.description}`   | Request description   | Request    |
| `${request.justification}` | Request justification | Request    |
| `${request.createdAt}`     | Request creation time | Request    |
| `${request.items}`         | Requested item ids    | Request    |

The picker labels `${request.items}` *Requested item ids*, but the ticket receives the items' names as a bullet list, not their ids.

## Requester <a href="#ph-group-requester" id="ph-group-requester"></a>

The person who raised the request.

| Placeholder                | Label in the picker    | Filled for |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------- |
| `${requester.displayName}` | Requester display name | Request    |
| `${requester.firstName}`   | Requester first name   | Request    |
| `${requester.lastName}`    | Requester last name    | Request    |
| `${requester.email}`       | Requester email        | Request    |
| `${requester.login}`       | Requester login        | Request    |
| `${requester.employeeId}`  | Requester employee id  | Request    |

## Target user <a href="#ph-group-target-user" id="ph-group-target-user"></a>

The user the event is about: the beneficiary of a request, the created, edited or terminated user, the user being provisioned.

| Placeholder                  | Label in the picker      | Filled for                              |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| `${targetUser.displayName}`  | Target user display name | Request, user and provisioning triggers |
| `${targetUser.firstName}`    | Target user first name   | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.lastName}`     | Target user last name    | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.email}`        | Target user email        | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.login}`        | Target user login        | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.employeeId}`   | Target user employee id  | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.title}`        | Target user title        | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.department}`   | Target user department   | same                                    |
| `${targetUser.organization}` | Target user organization | same                                    |

For a group provisioning event there is no target user, so these render empty.

## Manager <a href="#ph-group-manager" id="ph-group-manager"></a>

The target user's primary supervisor, or the first supervisor when none is marked primary.

| Placeholder              | Label in the picker  | Filled for                              |
| ------------------------ | -------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `${manager.displayName}` | Manager display name | Request, user and provisioning triggers |
| `${manager.email}`       | Manager email        | same                                    |
| `${manager.login}`       | Manager login        | same                                    |

## Workflow step <a href="#ph-group-step" id="ph-group-step"></a>

The approval step the event is about.

| Placeholder                    | Label in the picker   | Filled for                                                     |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `${step.approver.displayName}` | Approver display name | Request step decided, delegated, escalated, cancelled, expired |
| `${step.approver.email}`       | Approver email        | same                                                           |
| `${step.approver.login}`       | Approver login        | same                                                           |
| `${step.name}`                 | Step name             | same                                                           |
| `${step.comment}`              | Step comment          | same                                                           |
| `${decision}`                  | Decision              | Request step decided only: `approved` or `rejected`            |

## Managed system <a href="#ph-group-managed-system" id="ph-group-managed-system"></a>

The managed system of a provisioning event — not the ticketing system, which is `${ticketSystem.name}`.

| Placeholder             | Label in the picker    | Filled for                                                    |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `${managedSystem.id}`   | Managed system id      | Provisioning failed, Provisioning succeeded                   |
| `${managedSystem.name}` | Managed system name    | same                                                          |
| `${operation}`          | Provisioning operation | same: `SAVE`, `DELETE`, `RESET_PASSWORD`, `SUSPEND`, `RESUME` |
| `${error.message}`      | Error message          | Provisioning failed only                                      |

## Ticket <a href="#ph-group-ticket" id="ph-group-ticket"></a>

| Placeholder             | Label in the picker   | Filled for                       |
| ----------------------- | --------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| `${ticketSystem.name}`  | Ticketing system name | Every trigger                    |
| `${rule.name}`          | Rule name             | Every trigger                    |
| `${ticket.externalKey}` | Existing ticket key   | Every trigger; empty on a create |
| `${ticket.subjectKey}`  | Subject key           | Every trigger                    |

`${ticket.externalKey}` is useful in a comment that refers to the ticket, never in a create's summary.

## Event <a href="#ph-group-event" id="ph-group-event"></a>

| Placeholder            | Label in the picker | Filled for                                                                                                                                             |
| ---------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `${event.id}`          | Event id            | Every trigger                                                                                                                                          |
| `${event.trigger}`     | Trigger             | Every trigger: the constant, such as `REQUEST_SUBMITTED`                                                                                               |
| `${event.occurredAt}`  | Event time          | Every trigger                                                                                                                                          |
| `${actor.displayName}` | Initiated by        | Every trigger: the administrator who saved the user, the approver, the requester, the provisioning initiator. Empty for a system run such as an expiry |
| `${changedAttributes}` | Changed attributes  | User edited only                                                                                                                                       |

## Non-human identity <a href="#ph-group-nhi" id="ph-group-nhi"></a>

Filled from a snapshot of the identity taken when the event happened.

| Placeholder                                                                 | Label in the picker                               | Filled for                               |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `${nhi.name}`, `${nhi.type}`, `${nhi.status}`                               | NHI name, type, status                            | NHI triggers                             |
| `${nhi.environment}`, `${nhi.riskClassification}`, `${nhi.expiryDate}`      | NHI environment, risk classification, expiry date | NHI triggers                             |
| `${nhi.owner.displayName}`, `${nhi.owner.email}`, `${nhi.owner.login}`      | NHI owner display name, email, login              | NHI triggers                             |
| `${nhi.backupOwner.displayName}`, `${nhi.backupOwner.email}`                | NHI backup owner display name, email              | NHI triggers                             |
| `${nhi.sponsor.displayName}`, `${nhi.sponsor.email}`                        | NHI sponsor display name, email                   | NHI triggers                             |
| `${nhi.previousOwner.displayName}`                                          | NHI previous owner display name                   | NHI owner changed only                   |
| `${nhi.fromStatus}`, `${nhi.toStatus}`                                      | NHI previous status, NHI new status               | NHI activated, suspended, decommissioned |
| `${credential.type}`, `${credential.expiryDate}`, `${credential.operation}` | Credential type, expiry date, operation           | NHI credential changed only              |

## Worked example

Rule 1 of the running example, **Access request opened**, has this summary and description:

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```
Access request ${request.name} for ${targetUser.displayName}

Requested by ${requester.displayName}.
Justification: ${request.justification}

Items:
${request.items}
```

{% endcode %}

When Jordan Lee requests *Finance Reports* access for Sam Patel, `ACCESS-142` is created with the summary `Access request Finance Reports for Sam Patel` and this description, the item list rendered as bullets:

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```
Requested by Jordan Lee.
Justification: Quarter-end reporting for the EMEA region

Items:
- Finance Reports Viewer
```

{% endcode %}

Rule 2 on the same ticket, with `${step.approver.displayName} decided ${decision} on ${step.name}: ${step.comment}`, adds the comment `Priya Nair decided approved on Manager approval: OK for Q4.` The exact request name and step name are the ones your workflow gives them.

## When it goes wrong <a href="#when-it-goes-wrong" id="when-it-goes-wrong"></a>

| Symptom                                                 | Likely cause                                                                                                        | Resolution                                                                         |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Save rule** is disabled and a chip is amber           | The placeholder is not available for one of the selected triggers                                                   | Remove it, or remove the trigger that cannot fill it                               |
| A chip is red                                           | Unknown placeholder, usually a typo or wrong case                                                                   | Pick it from **Insert placeholder**                                                |
| A value is empty in the ticket                          | The event carried no such value: no manager on the user, no justification on the request, a group instead of a user | Check the source record; use fields that are always set in the summary             |
| `${actor.displayName}` is empty                         | A system run (expiry, scheduled check, synchronization)                                                             | Expected                                                                           |
| `${request.items}` is empty or shorter than the request | Names of some items could not be resolved, or the request carries no items                                          | Check the requested roles, groups and resources still exist                        |
| `${event.context.something}` is empty                   | The event does not carry that value                                                                                 | Use a catalogue placeholder; `event.context` values are not documented per trigger |
| Dates show in UTC                                       | Dates always render in UTC                                                                                          | Add `UTC` to the text around the placeholder                                       |

## Related

* [Write a ticket rule](/administration-guide/ticketing/ticket-rules.md) — the content card and the live preview.
* [Triggers and conditions](/administration-guide/ticketing/ticket-rules/triggers-and-conditions.md) — what each trigger is about.
* [How fields reach Jira and ServiceNow](/administration-guide/ticketing/jira-and-servicenow.md) — how rendered text is formatted in each system.


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