# Placeholder Forms
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533
**Category:** Theme component
**Tags:** official, placeholder-forms
**Created:** [April 5, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533 "2019-04-05T11:18:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/1 "2019-04-05T11:18:48Z")
| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| :discourse2: | **Summary** | **Placeholder Forms** will let you build dynamic documentation, by creating a form that replaces any occurrence of a =PATTERN= in your post with the value from a text or selectable input field. |
| š | **Preview** | [Preview on Discourse Theme Creator](https://discourse.theme-creator.io/theme/Discourse/placeholder-forms) |
| š | **Repository Link** | [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-placeholder-theme-component](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-placeholder-theme-component) |
| š | **New to Discourse Themes?** | [Beginnerās guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) |
Install this theme component
> [@](#):
>
> :discourse2: As this is an #official theme component maintained by the Discourse team, #Support, #Contribute > Bug, #Contribute > UX, and #Contribute > Feature requests can be made in the respective categories here on Meta, and tagged with the appropriate theme component tag. Click on a link below to get one started. š
>
> [ā **Support**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=6&tags=placeholder-forms "Ask for support on configuring and using Placeholder Forms") [š **Bug**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=1&tags=placeholder-forms "A bug report means something is broken, preventing normal/typical use of the theme component") [š **UX**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=9&tags=placeholder-forms "Discussion about the user interface of Placeholder Forms, and how features are presented (including language and UI elements)") [š” **Feature**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=2&tags=placeholder-forms "Discussion about how existing Placeholder Forms features can be improved or enhanced, and how proposed new features could work")
### Features
Add placeholders to posts in this format:
```plaintext
[wrap=placeholder key=NAME description="Your name"][/wrap]
[wrap=placeholder key=COUNTRY default=US defaults=FR,DE,US,CN,AU,CA][/wrap]
Your email: =NAME=-=COUNTRY=@example.com
```
And this will result in:
This is used in mailing list
Your email: =ZNAME=-=ZCOUNTRY=@example.com
As seen above, text inside the wrapper will be used as a long description.
```plaintext
[wrap=placeholder key=NAME description="Your name"]
This is used in mailing list
[/wrap]
```
## Available keys
- key: The key that should be replaced in your post
- default/defaults: default value(s)
- description: a placeholder text for the input
## Examples
```plaintext
# create a new plugin
rails g plugin =PLUGIN_NAME=
cd plugins/=PLUGIN_NAME=
```
> [@Set up file and image uploads to S3](https://meta.discourse.org/t/setting-up-file-and-image-uploads-to-s3/7229):
>
> So, you want to use S3 to handle image uploads? Hereās the definitive guide, but also see [Configure an S3 compatible object storage provider for uploads](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-an-s3-compatible-object-storage-provider-for-uploads/148916) to see how to configure your app.yml. S3 registration Head over to [https://aws.amazon.com/free/](https://aws.amazon.com/free/) and click on [Create a Free Account] During the create account process, make sure you provide payment information, otherwise you wonāt be able to use S3. Thereās no registration fee, you will only be charged for [what you use](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/), if you exceed the [AWS ā¦](https://aws.amazon.com/free/)
* * *
We use it to create runbooks, howtos and reusable templates (it will work in code blocks). Please share your use cases!
### Settings
| Translation | Default |
| --- | --- |
| toolbar.builder | Add Placeholder |
| builder.errors.no\_key | A key is required. |
| builder.title | Add Placeholder |
| builder.insert | Insert |
| builder.key.label | Key |
| builder.key.description | The =Key= to be replaced in the post. |
| builder.description.label | Description |
| builder.description.description | Description displayed on input with no value set. |
| builder.values.label | Default value(s) |
| builder.values.description | Optional value(s) for your placeholder, if multiple values are defined, a select will be used. |
> :discourse2: **Hosted by us?** Theme components are available to use on our Standard, Business, and Enterprise plans.
> Last edited by @JammyDodger 2024-06-13T22:28:45Z
>
> > **Check document**
> >
> > Perform check on document:
---
### Author:  [@j.jaffeux](https://meta.discourse.org/u/j.jaffeux)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/35 "2020-09-24T21:10:36Z")
The big issue with math handling like this, is that you need to `eval()` and eval is unsafe, so you need to use some lib which provide a safe eval with a limited subset of the real eval. Iām unsure we want all this complexity for such a rare case.
---
### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/38 "2021-07-20T15:01:49Z")
> [@joffreyjaffeux](#):
>
> Try combining this with the Reply Template theme component!
I tried ! and that would be a neat composer-preview-redux-in-OP kind of thing but.. š I must be missing something, if I understand correctly the Reply Template component takes the raw and looks for ā[replacers](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-reply-template-component/blob/5659a23bfa95cfed1343f5740793fca126c5e4b1/javascripts/discourse/initializers/init-discourse-reply-template-component.js.es6#L111)ā, but the Placeholder Forms component decorates the cooked?
What Iām trying to do is ease my users into adding some quizz Q&As in a topic, with minimal technical friction, clicks or even key strokes, :heavy-sigh: š
```plaintext
[wrap=placeholder key="question" description="question"][/wrap]
[wrap=placeholder key="rƩponse" description="rƩponse"][/wrap]
[wrap=template key="template-spoiler" action="reply" tagsList="#qui, #quand, #oĆ¹, #comment"]
## Question
=question=
### RĆ©ponse
[spoiler]
=rƩponse=
[/spoiler]
---
*Ćtiquette(s) ?*
[/wrap]
```
which gives
so far so good, but unfortunately, the placeholders `=question=` and `=rƩponse=` are kept in the composer when hitting the template button
---
### Author:  [@j.jaffeux](https://meta.discourse.org/u/j.jaffeux)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/39 "2021-07-20T16:48:33Z")
Yes Iām not sure what I was thinking when I wrote thisā¦ I probably had a different use case in mind, but canāt remember.
It canāt work this way for sure. I will think a little bit about thisā¦ Both theme components were experiments at the time and might deserve better treatment as people have been using it quite frequently.
---
### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2021, 7:42am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/40 "2021-07-21T07:42:36Z")
> [@j.jaffeux](#):
>
> I will think a little bit about thisā¦
Thank you !
---
### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2021, 8:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/41 "2021-07-23T08:09:22Z")
š I donāt know whatās cookinā in the chef kitchen, but as I usually stuff myself with pistachios or whatnot while waiting, I managed to make it work (for my specific use of course as Iāve almost no idea of what Iām doing, but heyā¦ š
)
[https://github.com/bdecotte/discourse-reply-template-component/commit/68cd32a338a4fd5769a797b00050490d348435ca](https://github.com/bdecotte/discourse-reply-template-component/commit/68cd32a338a4fd5769a797b00050490d348435ca)
---
### Author:  [@j.jaffeux](https://meta.discourse.org/u/j.jaffeux)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/42 "2021-07-23T09:53:08Z")
Ideally I would like to be able to let admin define their own replacers, but eval is risky (and not even possible with a secure csp) so Iām not sure how I could achieve thisā¦
---
### Author:  [@sewid](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sewid)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/43 "2021-08-20T14:41:27Z")
First of all - great and really helpful theme component.
But I think I found a bug. If I use a placeholder in a code snippet, that contains backticks (`), it is not working. An example is a SQL code snippet:
```plaintext
DELETE FROM `=TABLENAME=`
WHERE id NOT IN(
SELECT
id FROM (
SELECT
id FROM `=TABLENAME=`
ORDER BY
id DESC
LIMIT 20
) subquery);
```
TABLENAME gets never replaced (if there is a TABLENAME placeholder).
---
### Author:  [@AquaL1te](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AquaL1te)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/44 "2022-03-07T18:55:54Z")
Would be cool if this also included some Jinja2 like conditions. So that e.g. someone could create a key `red` and map that to the icon š“, `orange` would map to š . But I can do without of course, but wouldāve been cool to have these test conditions.
---
### Author:  [@maiki](https://meta.discourse.org/u/maiki)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/45 "2022-05-22T20:12:26Z")
I really love this component. š¤©
* * *
āAnd you really live by the =NOUN\_1=? What a =ADJECTIVE\_1= life!ā
āBy it and with it and on it and in it,ā said =PERSON\_1=. āItās brother and sister to me, and aunts, and =NOUN\_2=, and food and drink, and (=ADJECTIVE\_2=) =VERBING\_1=. Itās my =NOUN\_3=, and I donāt want any other. What it hasnāt got is not worth =VERBING\_2=, and what it doesnāt know is not worth =VERBING\_3=. Lord! the =NOUNS\_1= weāve had together! Whether in winter or summer, spring or autumn, itās always got its =NOUN\_4= and its =NOUNS\_2=. When the =NOUNS\_3= are on in February, and my =NOUNS\_4= and basement are brimming with =NOUN\_5= thatās no good to me, and the =COLOR\_1= =NOUN\_6= runs by my best =NOUN\_7= window; or again when it all drops =ADVERB\_1= and shows patches of =NOUN\_8= that smells like =FOOD\_1=, and the =NOUNS\_5= and =NOUNS\_6= clog the channels, and I can =VERB\_1= about =MOISTURE= =NOUN\_9= over most of the =NOUN\_10= of it and find fresh =FOOD\_2= to eat, and things =ADJECTIVE\_3= people have dropped out of =NOUNS\_7=!ā
* * *
Original taken from [Standard Ebooks version](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/kenneth-grahame/the-wind-in-the-willows) of [The Wind in the Willows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_in_the_Willows), available to [read online](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/kenneth-grahame/the-wind-in-the-willows/text/single-page) (search for `By it and with it`).
---
### Author:  [@Don](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Don)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2023, 11:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/46 "2023-09-21T11:38:26Z")
Hello š
Thanks for this component ā¤ It fits perfectly what I try to achieve now. Actually my first thought was it would be super cool if it can be combine with [Reply Template](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-template/162373) component. But unfortunately itās not possible as the posts above explained it. š
* * *
Iāve found a workaround for this to use it as a template, it works with [link to new topics](https://meta.discourse.org/t/create-a-link-to-start-a-new-topic-with-pre-filled-information/28074) and [link to new personal messages](https://meta.discourse.org/t/create-a-link-to-start-a-new-personal-message-with-pre-filled-information/35984).
Here is how made it:
1. Create a Placeholder form (to keep it simple I use the example in OP)
Your email: =NAME=-=COUNTRY=@example.com
* * *
2. Create a link to new topic:
I set up in the link:
1. category
2. title
3. body
If you want to add empty lines, use `\` so it wonāt break the link or to make it invisible you can use ` ` which will add a space in the new line. It will be a part of the template and makes empty line,
```plaintext
Use template as new topic
```
* * *
3. Create a topic preview
> **Selected category**
>
> =CATEGORY=
>
> **Topic title**
>
> This is a topic created by =NAME=
>
> **Topic body**
>
> Hello š
>
> This is a test topicā¦ Letās see the placeholder form.
>
> Your email: =NAME=-=COUNTRY=@example.com
* * *
4. Create āUse template as new topicā button (in the example above this is a link you can make button from this)
Make a [wrap] element from this text. This makes it available to target it with CSS and style it. I add this to below.
```plaintext
[wrap=template-button]Use template as new topic[/wrap]
```
Styling `[wrap=template-button]`
something like š½
Common / CSS
```scss
[data-wrap="template-button"] {
background: var(--tertiary);
color: var(--secondary);
border-radius: var(--d-button-border-radius);
padding: 0.5em 0.65em;
transition: background 0.25s;
&:focus,
&:hover {
background: var(--tertiary-hover);
color: var(--secondary);
}
}
```
The template button will looks like this š½
* * *
Demo
[Use template as new topic](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category==CATEGORY=&title=This is a topic created by =NAME=&body=Hello :wave:
Ā
This is a test topic... Let's see the placeholder form.
\
Your email: =NAME=-=COUNTRY=@example.com)
* * *
I hope this little tutorial will help someone who needs something similar š
Edit: Iāve seted up a category chooser which add the ability to create topic in different categories.
* * *
[Check the raw version of this postā¦](https://meta.discourse.org/raw/113533/46)
---
### Author:  [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/47 "2023-09-21T12:53:50Z")
Thatās amazing Don, thank you. This actually suits one of my needs very well š
---
### Author:  [@jericson](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jericson)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/48 "2024-01-04T05:03:18Z")
Something to note is that code blocks sometimes cause problems:
```auto
usermod -aG sudo =USERNAME=
```
In this case, [highlight.js](https://highlightjs.org/) assumes this is Java and converts the codeblock to:
```plaintext
usermod -
aG
sudo
=
USERNAME=
```
Iām able to fix it by signaling this is actually a shell command:
````java
```shell
usermod -aG sudo =USERNAME=
```
````
That results in:
```shell
usermod -aG sudo =USERNAME=
```
If all else fails, `text` prevents highlight.js from messing with the placeholders.
A more general solution (that Meta Discourse must be using) is to change the `default code lang` setting from `auto` to `plaintext` or somesuch. š
* * *
Not that it matters much, but using `java` is a way to avoid having the placeholder expand when you want to write about placeholders.
---
### Author:  [@putty](https://meta.discourse.org/u/putty)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/50 "2024-06-05T20:35:07Z")
Can you check the preview link? It seems to be broken for me.
---
### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2024, 9:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/51 "2024-06-06T09:36:50Z")
This is an amazing feature, and I can see many uses for it.
However, in our reply, is it possible to hide the `=(name)=` until the user starts typing in the text box? I feel that users (especially new ones) may not understand its purpose, or, it looks like incorrect formatting.
---
### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 10:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/60 "2024-06-08T10:14:33Z")
> [@putty](#):
>
> Can you check the preview link? It seems to be broken for me.
I think Iāve got one working again (š¤ š)
[https://discourse.theme-creator.io/theme/Discourse/placeholder-forms](https://discourse.theme-creator.io/theme/Discourse/placeholder-forms)
Iāve also added it to [try.discourse.org](http://try.discourse.org) so you can have more of a hands-on play with it. š
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/61 "2024-06-08T12:20:31Z")
Perhaps you could enter a default value that will display instead.
---
### Author:  [@putty](https://meta.discourse.org/u/putty)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/62 "2024-06-10T13:37:15Z")
That worked! Thank you!
---
### Author:  [@bangarang](https://meta.discourse.org/u/bangarang)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/63 "2024-08-30T15:47:37Z")
This workaround doesnāt seem to work anymore.
Are there other options to combine #reply-template and #placeholder-forms?
---
### Author:  [@tobiaseigen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tobiaseigen)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/placeholder-forms/113533/64 "2025-10-23T20:22:41Z")
4 posts were split to a new topic: [Links donāt work in placeholder forms](https://meta.discourse.org/t/links-dont-work-in-placeholder-forms/386578)