Spreadsheet templates allow you to create Matik narratives within Google Sheets. This can be advantageous for data-driven workflows that require flexibility and formulas while maintaining the ability to embed dynamic content.
Spreadsheet templates support both Text and Table type dynamic content. Image dynamic content is not supported at this time. Since charts are spreadsheet based, data entered in the data range of a Sheets chart as text or a table will result in any charts being updated. Tagged dynamic content updating chart data must be in text or table form.
When generating, Matik makes copies of any Sheets files that are used. Thus, please make sure that your file and Google Shared Drive it resides in have the following setting enabled: "Allow viewers and commenters to download, print, and copy files."
If this setting is NOT enabled, users that only have View access in Google will encounter errors when generating.
Creating a New Spreadsheet Template
To add a spreadsheet template in Matik:
- Navigate to + Add New Template.
- Select Spreadsheets as the template type
- Choose the Google Sheet you want to sync
Tagging Dynamic Content in Google Sheets
To tag a Google Sheet:
- Right-click a cell and select Insert Note.
- Inside the notes window, type the name of the Dynamic Content (DC) you want to tag, using the double curly braces notation e.g.,
{{Dynamic_Content_Name}} - Tag formatting and sub-content are supported using the standard notation. e.g.,
{{Dynamic_Content_Name|numberformat(2)}} - Each cell can only be tagged with one piece of Dynamic Content, but you can tag as many cells as needed within the spreadsheet
When generating content, Matik creates a copy of the spreadsheet and populates tagged cells with the values of the Dynamic Content. If a tag returns a range or table, the values are populated starting in the tagged cell and expand to the right and down. Any formulas referencing the cells impacted by dynamic content will update.
If the return tables or cell of two pieces of dynamic content overlap, the value will be chosen at random. Pay close attention to the maximum size of the tables returned from your dynamic content to ensure your dynamic content doesn't overlap or overwrite existing formulas, data, or other undesirable behavior.
Additionally, all formatting applied to the spreadsheet and charts, such as bold, italics, and conditional formatting, is maintained.
Google Sheets templates support standard functionality, including syncing with Google Drive, scheduled generation, bulk generation, and bulk generation via CSV upload.
Limitations of Google Sheets Templates
The following features are not currently supported for Google Sheets templates:
- Publishing as a Library item
- Sub-templates
- Slide conditions
- Looping
- Attaching a spreadsheet to an email template (Coming soon!)
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