---
title: "Placeholders"
slug: "placeholders"
updated: 2026-09-18T09:15:20Z
published: 2026-09-18T09:15:20Z
canonical: "learn.servitly.com/placeholders"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.servitly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Placeholders

Within Event descriptive properties, it is possible to use placeholders to enrich the text with context specific information (e.g. *thing.name*).

Event properties supporting placeholders are:

- Title
- Description
- Notification message subject
- Notification message body

Placeholders are automatically kept updated until the event is active. Once the event is cleared and saved into the historical events, placeholders are frozen.

Use the following syntax to include placeholders within a text:

```plaintext
The ${thing.name} is in an anomalous state.
The temperature is greater than ${metrics.Temperature.value} ${metrics.Temperature.unit}
```

The following list, reports the placeholders that can be used within event properties.

| **PLACEHOLDER** | **DESCRIPTION** | **SAMPLE VALUE** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| metrics.<METRIC_NAME>.value | The value of the <METRIC_NAME> metric | 101, true, 12.77, LOW_WATER |
| metrics.<METRIC_NAME>.unit | The measuring unit of the <METRIC_NAME> metric | Kg, m |
| metrics.<METRIC_NAME>.valueLabel | The label associated to the value in case of [dictionary and thresholds](/docs/dictionary-and-thresholds-1). | HIGH |
| metrics.<METRIC_NAME>.valueSeverity | The label associated to the value in case of [dictionary and thresholds](/docs/dictionary-and-thresholds-1). | CRITICAL |
| thing.id | The thing identifier. It can be used to included in the notification message the URL allowing the user to open the thing dashboard directly. `​​​https://&lt;DPS_DOMAIN&gt;/dashboard/thing_details/${thing.id}` | abcde12345 |
| thing.name | The thing name | Printer-floor1 |
| thing.serialNumber | The thing serial number | XY000001 |
| thing.serviceLevel | The Service Level name associated with the Thing | GOLD |
| thing.properties.<name> | The thing property named <name> |  |
| thingDefinition.id | The thing definition identifier | abcde12345 |
| thingDefinition.name | The thing definition model name | Mod123 |
| thingDefinition.properties.<name> | The thing property named <name> |  |
| partner.name | The partner name | Boiler Service s.r.l. |
| partner.code | The partner identification code | PN3D4574 |
| partner.properties.<name> | The partner property named <name> |  |
| postComputationResults.<FIELD_NAME>.<OUTPUT_NAME> | The Post Computation result property of a work session. |  |
| customer.name | The customer name |  |
| customer.country | The customer country |  |
| customer.properties.<name> | The customer property named <name> |  |
| location.name | The location name |  |
| location.country | The location country |  |
| location.properties.<name> | The location property named <name> |  |
| event.title | The alert title |  |
| event.description | The alert description |  |
| event.durationFormatted | The alert duration | 22h 3m |
| event.activatedTime | The alert activated timestamp in milliseconds | 1615311801 |
| event.clearedTime | The alert cleared timestamp in milliseconds | 1615311801 |
| event.notes | The notes provided on the event by the DPS user. | Unable to…. |
| alert.severity | The alert severity | CRITICAL |
| alert.category | The alert category | ANOMALY |
| applicationBaseUrl | The base URL of the DPS web application. | https://acme.servitly.com |

Partner-based placeholders will be replaced with the first partner associated with the Thing where the alert has occurred on.

## Formatting date/times

By default, date/time properties and active/clearing timestamps are replaced with the time value in milliseconds, but it is possible to use the following placeholder suffixes to format date/time in a friendly way:

### toUTCFormat

Formats the date/time using the UTC timezone.

```plaintext
alert.activatedTime.toUTCFormat → 2018-03-25 10:34:22 UTC
```

### toLocaleFormat

Formats the date/time using the user preferred timezone.

```plaintext
alert.activatedTime.toLocaleFormat → 2018-03-25 11:34:22
```