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System Variables

Built-in merge tokens like {today}, {now}, and org/user variables that need no data source — plus how to format them.

System variables are ready-made merge tokens for values that do not come from the record — today's date, the current time, and details about the running user and org. They need no data source configured.

System variables use single curly braces { }, which distinguishes them from data merge fields that use double braces {{ }}:

{today}            ← system variable (single brace)
{{Account.Name}}   ← data merge field (double brace)

You can type a system variable into any text field, exactly like a data merge field.


Date and time variables

TokenResolves to
{today}The current date
{tomorrow}Tomorrow's date
{yesterday}Yesterday's date
{now}The current date and time

By default these render using the running user's locale (and, for {now}, the user's time zone). You can override the format inline — see Formatting below.

Use case: Document date and validity line

Para: Generated on {today}
Para: This quote is valid until {tomorrow}

Org and user variables

TokenResolves to
{org_name}Your Salesforce organization's name
{user_name}Full name of the user generating the document
{user_first_name}The user's first name
{user_last_name}The user's last name
{user_email}The user's email address

Use case: Signature block

Para: Prepared by {user_name}
Para: {org_name}
Para: {user_email}

Formatting system variables

The date and time variables accept the same format spec as data merge fields, using a space-pipe-space (|) separator:

{today | dd MMM yyyy}          →  21 Jul 2026
{today | MMMM d, yyyy}         →  July 21, 2026
{now | h:mm a}                 →  2:45 PM
{now | dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm}       →  21/07/2026 14:45

See Formatting Merge Fields for the full pattern reference.


Unknown variables are left visible

If you type a system variable name that does not exist (for example, a typo like {todya}), ZeroExport leaves the token unchanged in the output — braces and all. This is intentional: a visible {todya} in the generated document makes the mistake obvious, rather than silently disappearing.


See also