Message templates are the reusable messages Skoolite uses when it sends notifications such as fee reminders and portal access details. Editing a template lets you change the wording once, and every message of that type is sent using your new wording. Templates use merge fields (for example {STUDENT_FULL_NAME}) that are automatically replaced with each recipient's real details when the message is sent.
View your message templates
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Go to the Messaging module
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On the sidebar menu, click Message Templates
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You will see a list of the available templates, each showing its name and a short description. Skoolite comes with the following SMS templates:
- Fee Payment Reminder — reminds parents to clear an outstanding fee balance
- Portal Access Notification — sends students and parents their Student/Parent Portal login details
Edit a template
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On the Message Templates page, click the name of the template you want to edit
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In the Body field, edit the message text to suit your school. You can type freely and add or remove merge fields
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To add a merge field, place your cursor where you want it to appear, then click the field you need from the Available Merge Fields panel on the right. The field is inserted at the cursor position
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Use the Example box below the body to preview how the message will read once the merge fields are filled with real values
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Click the green Save button to apply your changes
About merge fields
Merge fields are placeholders wrapped in curly braces, e.g. {STUDENT_FULL_NAME}. When a message is sent, Skoolite replaces each merge field with the recipient's actual information.
Each template only supports its own set of merge fields:
Fee Payment Reminder
| Merge field | Replaced with |
|---|---|
{STUDENT_FULL_NAME} |
The student's full name (e.g. John Smith) |
{FEE_BALANCE} |
The outstanding fee balance (e.g. KES 10,000.00) |
{STUDENT_PRONOUN} |
The student's pronoun (his / her) |
Portal Access Notification
| Merge field | Replaced with |
|---|---|
{USERNAME} |
The login username |
{PASSWORD} |
The login password |
{WEB_ACCESS_LINK} |
The link to the web portal |
IMPORTANT:
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Type merge fields exactly as shown — in CAPITAL LETTERS and inside curly braces
{ }. The easiest and safest way is to click them from the Available Merge Fields panel rather than typing them by hand. -
If the body contains a merge field that the template does not recognise, Skoolite will show an error such as "Unknown merge fields found: ..." when you save, and your changes will not be saved until you correct it.
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Every message is automatically prefixed with your school's name, so you do not need to include it in the template body.
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You can rewrite the surrounding wording however you like; only the merge fields (the text inside the curly braces) must be left intact.