Create a Template

You’ll achieve: A working Word template with dynamic placeholders.

Before You Start

You need:

Microsoft Word (Desktop or Online)
Build a Doc Word Add-in (install from Microsoft Store)
JSON data prepared (see Connect a Data Source)

How to Install the Word Add-in

The Build a Doc Word Add-in is a useful tool designed to enable the user to view what their documents will look like. It is recommended to use the Add-in whilst you are creating your template.

Adding the Build a Doc Word Add-in

To use the Build a Doc Word Add-in for template authoring:

Open Microsoft Word (Desktop or Online)
Click the Home tab → Add-ins
Search for Build a Doc
Click Add to install

The Build a Doc pane will appear on the right side of Word, ready for template validation and preview.

Plan Your Template with Data in Mind

Before you start designing, review your JSON data structure from Connect a Data Source. Your template layout should reflect how your data is organised:

Root fields (e.g., InvoiceNumber, InvoiceDate) → add as simple text placeholders
Nested objects (e.g., Customer.Name, Customer.Email) → add in grouped sections (like “Bill To”)
Arrays (e.g., line items) → use table rows with <<foreach>> loops to repeat

This alignment between data structure and document layout ensures your tags match your data perfectly.

How to Design Your Document

Create your document layout first:

Add your company logo
Add static text:

INVOICE

Invoice Number:
Date:
Bill To:

Create a table for line items:

Description	Quantity	Price	Subtotal

How to Add Simple Field Tags

Replace static placeholders with tags:

Format: <<[Invoice.FieldName]>>

Example:

Invoice Number: <<[Invoice.InvoiceNumber]>>
Date: <<[Invoice.InvoiceDate]>>
Total: $<<[Invoice.TotalAmount]>>

Success: These tags will be replaced with actual data.

How to Add Customer Information

For nested objects, use dot notation:

Bill To:
<<[Invoice.Customer.Name]>>
<<[Invoice.Customer.Email]>>

How to Add Repeating Line Items

For arrays, use <<foreach>> loops:

In your table:

Description	Quantity	Price	Subtotal
`<<foreach [Item in Invoice.Items]>><<[Item.Description]>>`	`<<[Item.Quantity]>>`	`$<<[Item.Price]>>`	`$<<[Item.Quantity * Item.Price]>>`
`<</foreach>>`

Success: This repeats one row per item in your data.

Tag Syntax Rules

Element	✅ Correct	❌ Incorrect
Tag wrapper	`<<[Field]>>`	`<[Field]>`
Nested fields	`<<[Customer.Name]>>`	`<<[CustomerName]>>`
Case-sensitive	`<<[Customer.Name]>>`	`<<[customer.name]>>`
No spaces	`<<[Field]>>`	`<< [Field] >>`

How to Preview Your Template

Open your template in Microsoft Word
Open Build a Doc Add-in pane
Click Build tab
Paste your JSON data
Click Generate Preview

Success: You see your data populated in the document.

If tags don’t work:

Verify tag names match JSON keys exactly (case-sensitive)
Check foreach loops have <</foreach>>
Ensure JSON is valid

How to Save Your Template

Click File → Save As
Choose location (OneDrive or SharePoint recommended)
Name it: e.g. Invoice-Template.docx
Save as Word Document (.docx)

Success: Your template is ready for Power Automate.

Complete Template Example

INVOICE

Invoice #: <<[Invoice.InvoiceNumber]>>
Date: <<[Invoice.InvoiceDate]>>

Bill To:
<<[Invoice.Customer.Name]>>
<<[Invoice.Customer.Email]>>

---

| Description | Qty | Price | Subtotal |
|-------------|-----|-------|----------|
| <<foreach [Item in Invoice.Items]>><<[Item.Description]>> | <<[Item.Quantity]>> | $<<[Item.Price]>> | $<<[Item.Quantity * Item.Price]>><</foreach>> |

---

Total: $<<[Invoice.TotalAmount]>>

How to Fix Common Errors

Problem	✅ Solution
Tag doesn’t match JSON	Use dot notation: `<<[Customer.Name]>>`
Loop doesn’t close	Always add `<</foreach>>`
Wrong case	Match JSON exactly: `Customer` ≠ `customer`
Syntax error	Use format: `<<[Field]>>`

What You’ve Achieved

You now have:

A working Word template
Dynamic placeholders for data
Repeating sections for arrays
Preview capability with the Add-in