Create and Manage Templates

This guide walks you through everything in the template editor — from creating your first template to finding its ID for API use.

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Plan Availability

Available on all Gallabox plans.

Note: Template messages are sent at standard WhatsApp Business API rates, separate from your plan subscription.

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Before You Start

• Owner or Admin role in Gallabox (or a role with template management permissions) — template creation and management require these permissions.
• An approved WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) connected to Gallabox — templates are submitted to Meta through your connected WABA. If your channel is not connected yet, see Connect your WhatsApp channel.
• A clear message purpose — Meta checks whether your template category matches the content. Decide whether your message is Marketing, Utility, or Authentication before you start writing.

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Managing Your Templates

Go to Broadcasts → Templates in the left navigation to see all templates for your connected WABA.

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Filtering Templates

Click the filter icon at the top of the templates list to filter by:

• Status — Approved, Pending, Rejected, Paused, Disabled
• Category — Marketing, Utility, Authentication

You can combine filters. The count of matching templates is shown next to the filter icon.

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List View vs Grid View

Toggle between views using the view icon at the top right of the templates list:

• Grid view — card layout with a rendered preview of each template body. Use this to visually scan and spot formatting issues.
• List view — table layout with name, category, status, language, and created date. Use this for bulk scanning and sorting.

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Sorting by Recently Created

In List view, click the Created Date column header to sort descending — your most recently created templates appear at the top.

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Syncing Templates from Meta

If a template shows “Approved” in Meta’s WhatsApp Manager but has not appeared in Gallabox yet, click Sync at the top of the templates list. Gallabox pulls the latest template status from Meta.

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Creating a Template

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Step 1: Open the template editor

1. Go to Broadcasts → Templates.
2. Click Create Template.

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Step 2: Choose a category

Select one category: For a full explanation of template categories, guidelines, and the approval process, see the Templates overview.

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Step 3: Name your template

Enter a Template Name — letters, numbers, and underscores only. No spaces. Example: order_confirmation_en This name is how the template is referenced in the Gallabox API and in broadcast and sequence flows. It cannot be changed after submission.

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Step 4: Select a language

Choose the Language for this template from the dropdown. If you need the same template in multiple languages, create a separate template for each language using Duplicate (see Cloning a Template).

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Step 5: Write the message body

Enter your message text in the Body field.

• Maximum 1,024 characters.
• Add variables using {{1}}, {{2}} for numbered variables, or system variables like {{contact.first_name}}.
• Variables cannot appear as the very first character of the body — add at least a word before the first variable.

See Variables below for the full list of supported placeholders.

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Step 6: Add a header (optional)

The Header appears above the body text. Choose one type:

• Text — up to 60 characters, can include one variable {{1}}
• Image — upload a sample image (JPG or PNG)
• Video — upload a sample video (MP4)
• Document — upload a sample document (PDF)

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Step 7: Add a footer (optional)

The Footer appears below the body text. Maximum 60 characters. No variables. Used for opt-out notices or brief disclaimers.

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Step 8: Add buttons (optional)

Click Add Button to add up to 10 buttons per template. See Button Types below.

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Step 9: Submit for review

Click Submit for Review. Gallabox sends the template to Meta for approval. The template appears in your list with status Pending. Approval typically takes 24–48 hours. New WABA accounts may take up to 7 days.

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Button Types

Button limit: Up to 10 buttons per template in any combination. If you add more than 3 buttons, they collapse into a “See all options” list in WhatsApp.

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Variables

Variables are placeholders replaced with real values when the template is sent.

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Numbered variables

Use {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}} in sequence. You (or your API call / broadcast / sequence) fill in the values at send time. Example body: Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been dispatched. Estimated delivery: {{3}}. Rules:

• Number them in order starting from {{1}} — gaps cause rejection.
• Provide a sample value for each variable when submitting. Meta requires samples to review the template.
• Variables at the start of the body (without preceding text) are a common rejection reason.

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System variables

System variables pull values from Gallabox contact fields automatically. No manual fill-in needed at send time. For the full list of system variables, see Variables.

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Smart Check for Utility Templates

Smart Check is an AI-powered pre-submission check for Utility templates only. It analyses your template body and tells you how likely Meta is to approve it as a Utility template — before you submit.

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How to run Smart Check

1. Write your Utility template body in the editor.
2. Click Smart Check in the template editor toolbar (visible only when Utility is selected as the category).
3. Gallabox runs the check and returns a result:

4. If the score is Medium, Gallabox shows:
   • Reasoning — why the template may be misclassified
   • Suggested rewrite — an alternative version you can copy directly into the editor

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Cloning a Template

Use Duplicate to create a variation of an existing template without modifying the original — useful for language variants, A/B testing, or re-submitting a rejected template with fixes.

1. In Broadcasts → Templates, find the template you want to clone.
2. Click the three-dot menu on the template card (grid view) or the template row (list view).
3. Click Duplicate.
4. The template editor opens with all content pre-filled from the original.
5. Change the Template Name — the name must be unique.
6. Make your edits to body, buttons, or variables.
7. Click Submit for Review.

The original template is unaffected. Both templates exist independently in your list.

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Finding the Template ID (for API use)

Every template has a unique Template ID used when sending via the Gallabox API or when referencing templates in external systems. Method 1 — Details panel:

1. Go to Broadcasts → Templates.
2. Click on the template to open its detail view.
3. The Template ID is shown in the template details panel on the right.

Method 2 — URL: When you navigate to a template’s edit screen, the Template ID appears in the browser URL: .../template/{template_id} Copy the value between the last / and the end of the path.

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Testing a Template

Before using an approved template in a broadcast or automation, send a test message to verify the content and variable fill-in look correct on a real device.

1. Go to Broadcasts → Templates.
2. Open an Approved template. (Test Template is only available for approved templates.)
3. Click Test Template.
4. Enter the phone number to send the test to (include the country code).
5. Fill in values for each variable in the template.
6. Click Send Test.

Check the receiving device to verify formatting, variable substitution, and button display.

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Reply Configuration

Reply Configuration sets up automatic actions when a customer replies to a specific template — either by tapping a Quick Reply button or sending a free-text message. This is configured per template.

1. Open the template in Broadcasts → Templates.
2. Open the Broadcast reply settings panel for the template.
3. In Assign conversations to, choose Teams, Users, or Agents (bot), then pick the specific team, user, or bot agent in the dependent picker.
4. Optionally tick the checkbox to override any existing assignment on the conversation.
5. Save the configuration.

The panel is the same for all template categories. Reply configuration is available on paid plans — it is not available on the free plan.

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Common Errors

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FAQs

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Related Articles

• WhatsApp Templates — Overview — What templates are, categories, and approval process
• Template Analytics — How to track template performance, delivery, and engagement
• Broadcast Overview — Sending templates to contact lists at scale
• Variables — Full list of system variables for templates

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Next Steps

• Track how your templates are performing →
• Send your first broadcast using a template →
• Set up a sequence that uses templates →