Who this guide is for: Administrators (see access roles note)
Platform: Sense HR
Available on: Professional, Elite, and Enterprise plans
Before you begin
Make sure you:
☑️ Have administrator permissions
☑️ Are creating or editing a document template (Settings > Documents)
☑️ Are using the Sense HR document editor
🖊️ Access roles note:
On Professional, Elite, and Enterprise plans, organisations using Access Role Management can also allow other roles to create document templates and manager-type (advanced) roles to add documents for the employees or groups they have access to.
Overview
Advanced merge tags allow you to pull field-level data from any screen in an employee profile into a document template.
This includes:
Standard screens (e.g. Employment details, Job details)
Custom screens created using Screen Designer
Table-based screens (e.g. Training, Benefits, Equipment)
Screens with current and future-dated records (e.g. Job details, Pay details)
🖊️ Note:
Advanced merge tags are only supported in document templates.
They do not work in uploaded PDF documents.
See also: Using basic merge tags in documents
How advanced merge tags work
Advanced merge tags follow a structured format:
{{Screen Name$$Field Name}}
This format pulls data from a specific field within any screen.
Example:
{{Employment details$$Employee Id}}
This pulls the Employee ID from the Employment details screen.
Using current and future-dated records
Some screens (such as Job details and Pay details) store multiple records over time.
Advanced merge tags allow you to specify whether to use:
The current record
A future-dated record
Format:
{{Screen Name[Current]$$Field Name}}
{{Screen Name[Future]$$Field Name}}
Examples
Current job title:
{{Job details[Current]$$Job title}}Future job title:
{{Job details[Future]$$Job title}}Current pay amount:
{{Pay details[Current]$$Amount}}Future pay amount:
{{Pay details[Future]$$Amount}}
💡 Tip:
Use current or future-dated records when preparing documents that reference:
Promotions or role changes
Salary updates
Future contractual changes
Using table-type screen data (multiple records)
Table-based screens (such as Training or Equipment) can contain multiple records per employee.
To pull a specific record, you must include the record number.
Format:
{{Screen Name[Record #]$$Field Name}}
Example:
{{Training[1]$$Course}}
This pulls the Course value from the first training record.
🖊️ Note:
Record numbers are shown in the screen as a numbered list (e.g. 1, 2, 3). Use this number in your merge tag.
Using custom screens and fields
Advanced merge tags also work with:
Custom screens created using Screen Designer
Custom fields within those screens
🖊️ Important note:
Screen names and field names must match your system exactly
This includes:• Capitalisation
• Spacing
Example
If your system includes a custom screen called:
Additional Details
Your merge tag must match it exactly:
{{Additional Details$$Field Name}}
Key rules and formatting
Merge tags are case-sensitive
Use $$ between the screen name and field name
Use square brackets [ ] to define:
• Current
• Future
• Record number
When to use advanced merge tags
Use advanced merge tags (templates only) when you need to:
Pull data from custom screens
Pull data that isn't included in basic merge tag lists
Include data from table-based screens
Reference a specific record
Pull data from current or future-dated records
👉 For standard employee fields, see:
Limitations
Only available in the document editor
Not supported in uploaded PDF documents
Dependent on your system configuration (screens and fields)
Best practice
Double-check screen and field names before use
Test templates using real employee profiles
Use basic merge tags where possible for simplicity
Use advanced merge tags only when needed