+++
title = "Message templating"
description = "Message templating"
aliases = ["/docs/grafana/latest/alerting/message-templating/"]
keywords = ["grafana", "alerting", "guide", "contact point", "templating"]
weight = 440
+++

# Message templating

Notifications sent via [contact points]({{< relref "../contact-points.md" >}}) are built using messaging templates. Grafana's default templates are based on the [Go templating system](https://golang.org/pkg/text/template) where some fields are evaluated as text, while others are evaluated as HTML (which can affect escaping). The default template, defined in [default_template.go](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/main/pkg/services/ngalert/notifier/channels/default_template.go), is a useful reference for custom templates.

Since most of the contact point fields can be templated, you can create reusable custom templates and use them in multiple contact points. The [template data]({{< relref "./template-data.md" >}}) topic lists variables that are available for templating. The default template is defined in [default_template.go](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/main/pkg/services/ngalert/notifier/channels/default_template.go) which can serve as a useful reference or starting point for custom templates.

### Using templates

The following example shows the use of default templates to render an alert message in slack. The message title contains a count of firing or resolved alerts and the message body has a list of alerts with status.

<img  src="/static/img/docs/alerting/unified/contact-points-template-fields-8-0.png" width="450px">

The following example shows the use of a custom template within one of the contact point fields.

<img  src="/static/img/docs/alerting/unified/contact-points-use-template-8-0.png" width="400px">

### Create a message template

> **Note:** Before Grafana v8.2, the configuration of the embedded Alertmanager was shared across organisations. Users of Grafana 8.0 and 8.1 are advised to use the new Grafana 8 alerts only if they have one organisation. Otherwise, silences for the Grafana managed alerts will be visible by all organizations.

1. In the Grafana menu, click the **Alerting** (bell) icon to open the Alerting page listing existing alerts.
1. In the Alerting page, click **Contact points** to open the page listing existing contact points.
1. From [Alertmanager]({{< relref "../contact-points.md/#alertmanager" >}}) drop-down, select an external Alertmanager to create and manage templates for the external data source. Otherwise, keep the default option of Grafana.
   {{< figure max-width="250px" src="/static/img/docs/alerting/unified/contact-points-select-am-8-0.gif" caption="Select Alertmanager" >}}
1. Click **Add template**.
1. In **Name**, add a descriptive name.
1. In **Content**, add the content of the template.
1. Click **Save template** button at the bottom of the page.
   <img  src="/static/img/docs/alerting/unified/templates-create-8-0.png" width="600px">

The `define` tag in the Content section assigns the template name. This tag is optional, and when omitted, the template name is derived from the **Name** field. When both are specified, it is a best practice to ensure that they are the same.

### Edit a message template

1. In the Alerting page, click **Contact points** to open the page listing existing contact points.
1. In the Template table, find the template you want to edit, then click the **Edit** (pen icon).
1. Make your changes, then click **Save template**.

### Delete a message template

1. In the Alerting page, click **Contact points** to open the page listing existing contact points.
1. In the Template table, find the template you want to delete, then click the **Delete** (trash icon).
1. In the confirmation dialog, click **Yes, delete** to delete the template.

Use caution when deleting a template since Grafana does not prevent you from deleting templates that are in use.

### Custom template examples

Template to render a single alert:

```
{{ define "alert" }}
  [{{.Status}}] {{ .Labels.alertname }}

  Labels:
  {{ range .Labels.SortedPairs }}
    {{ .Name }}: {{ .Value }}
  {{ end }}

  {{ if gt (len .Annotations) 0 }}
  Annotations:
  {{ range .Annotations.SortedPairs }}
    {{ .Name }}: {{ .Value }}
  {{ end }}
  {{ end }}

  {{ if gt (len .SilenceURL ) 0 }}
    Silence alert: {{ .SilenceURL }}
  {{ end }}
  {{ if gt (len .DashboardURL ) 0 }}
    Go to dashboard: {{ .DashboardURL }}
  {{ end }}
{{ end }}
```

Template to render entire notification message:

```
{{ define "message" }}
  {{ if gt (len .Alerts.Firing) 0 }}
    {{ len .Alerts.Firing }} firing:
    {{ range .Alerts.Firing }} {{ template "alert" .}} {{ end }}
  {{ end }}
  {{ if gt (len .Alerts.Resolved) 0 }}
    {{ len .Alerts.Resolved }} resolved:
    {{ range .Alerts.Resolved }} {{ template "alert" .}} {{ end }}
  {{ end }}
{{ end }}
```