Switching transactional templates from SendGrid Dynamic Templates to AutoSend Handlebars — syntax differences

Migration Guides
1

We are migrating our transactional templates off SendGrid to AutoSend. How do SendGrid {{#if substitution}} tags map to AutoSend Handlebars syntax, and how are JSON parameters passed via API?

2

Variable Syntax Comparison: SendGrid vs AutoSend

Both SendGrid and AutoSend evaluate transactional templates using standard Handlebars syntax, making template migration straightforward.

Variable Interpolation & Key Casing

  • Campaigns & Automations (Marketing): AutoSend uses camelCase by default for built-in contact profile properties (e.g., {{firstName}}, {{lastName}}).
  • Transactional Emails: Variable key names are 100% defined by you in your API request payload. If your existing SendGrid template uses {{first_name}}, you can keep {{first_name}} in your AutoSend template as long as you pass "first_name" in your request’s dynamicData object. No variable key renames are required when migrating transactional HTML templates.

Conditional Blocks

Conditional syntax is identical across both platforms:

  • SendGrid:
    {{#if has_discount}}
  Your discount code is {{discount_code}}
{{/if}}
  • AutoSend:
    {{#if has_discount}}
  Your discount code is {{discount_code}}
{{/if}}

API Payload Comparison

While template Handlebars syntax is compatible, the API payload field names differ:

  • SendGrid API: Passes dynamic data inside personalizations[].dynamic_template_data with snake_case parameter template_id.
  • AutoSend API: Passes dynamic data in the dynamicData field with camelCase parameter templateId.

SendGrid Request:

{
  "personalizations": [
    {
      "to": [{ "email": "user@example.com" }],
      "dynamic_template_data": {
        "first_name": "Alex",
        "has_discount": true,
        "discount_code": "SAVE20"
      }
    }
  ],
  "template_id": "d-123456"
}

AutoSend Request:

{
  "from": { "email": "auth@yourdomain.com", "name": "App" },
  "to": { "email": "user@example.com" },
  "templateId": "tpl_welcome_123",
  "dynamicData": {
    "first_name": "Alex",
    "has_discount": true,
    "discount_code": "SAVE20"
  }
}

Relevant Documentation