In BoldDesk, subject placeholders allow you to dynamically construct ticket subjects using live ticket data instead of static text. This helps ensure ticket subjects remain clear, consistent, and informative as ticket properties change.

You can use subject placeholders in Ticket Automation triggers and Ticket Macros to automatically update or standardize ticket subjects across workflows.

Use Cases

Use subject placeholders in BoldDesk when you want to:

• Automatically include Priority, Category, or other ticket details in the subject
• Standardize ticket subject formats across teams
• Improve ticket visibility in views and reports
• Update ticket subjects dynamically as ticket properties change
• Reduce manual subject edits by agents

Why use subject placeholders in automation rules?

Subject placeholders allow you to customize ticket subjects using dynamic ticket details instead of static text. For example, you can use placeholders like:

• {{ticket.Category.Name}} → Replaced with the ticket’s category
• {{ticket.Priority.Name}} → Replaced with the ticket’s priority

This ensures ticket subjects stay relevant, clear, and automatically updated.

Where to apply subject placeholders?

You can use subject placeholders in the following automation features:

How placeholders work

Placeholders dynamically insert live ticket data into the subject line. Here’s how they work:

• If all placeholders are valid, the subject is updated with actual ticket information.
• If any placeholder resolves to a value containing < (less than) or > (greater than), that specific placeholder is replaced with null.
• If the subject exceeds 255 characters, only the first 253 characters are retained, followed by two dots (…) to indicate truncation. Then the final result is assigned to the subject value.

Examples:

Use case 1

Creating ticket triggers

• Rule: When a ticket is created and the subject contains the word “payment”, the following action is triggered:

• Action: The system will update the ticket’s subject using the format:

  {{ticket.Priority.Name}} - {{ticket.Category.Name}} - {{ticket.Subject}}

  In this format, each placeholder is automatically replaced with the actual values from the ticket at the time the rule runs.

• Result:
  For a ticket created with the following details:

  • Subject: Need invoice for last month’s payment
  • Priority: High
  • Category: Subscription

  The following trigger rule will apply: Update Subject for Payment Inquiries on Creation, and the ticket subject will be updated to: High - Subscription - Need invoice for last month’s payment.

Use case 2

Updating ticket triggers

• Rule: When a ticket meets all of the following conditions:
  • The subject contains the word “invoice”
  • The status is not Solved or Closed
  • The priority is changed to Critical

The following action will be performed:

• Action: The system will update the ticket’s subject using the format:

  {{ticket.Priority.Name}} - {{ticket.Category.Name}} - {{ticket.Subject}}

  In this format, each placeholder is automatically replaced with the actual values from the ticket at the time the rule runs.

• Result:
  For a ticket with the following details:

  • Priority is changed from High to Critical
  • Subject contains “invoice”
  • Status is not Closed or Solved

This trigger rule will apply: “Update Subject for Critical Priority Invoice Tickets”.
If the resolved subject exceeds 255 characters, it is shortened to the first 253 characters, followed by …, before being applied.

The ticket subject will be updated to:
“Critical - Subscription - We noticed multiple discrepancies in our billing statement for the past three months, including charges for services we never subscribed to. Please provide a detailed breakdown and issue a corrected invoice as soon as possible.”

FAQs

1. Can I use subject placeholders in email templates?
   No. Subject placeholders are supported only in ticket triggers and macros.

2. Can I combine static text and placeholders?
   Yes. You can mix static text with placeholders in the subject format.

3. Can I exceed the subject length limit?
   No. BoldDesk enforces a 255‑character subject limit and truncates longer values.

4. Do subject placeholders work for existing tickets?
   Yes. Update Ticket Triggers and Macros can update subjects for existing tickets.

Related Articles

1. How to Create and Utilize Ticket Macros in BoldDesk
2. BoldDesk Update Ticket Triggers: Auto‑Assign Tickets to the First Responding Agent