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To send WhatsApp template messages from Everbridge Incident Templates, you need more than a message preview. The ChatArchitect integration uses a dedicated incident variable named WhatsApp Code to identify the approved WhatsApp template, then builds its parameters from the values entered in the Operator’s Form. The field names, sequence numbers, and parameter order determine how that message is assembled.
This guide explains how to configure that workflow, using a practical three-parameter incident alert. It also covers the mistakes that can change the final message: missing values, extra incident variables, an incorrectly placed ID field, and confusion between the Everbridge template ID and the WhatsApp template ID.
How Everbridge sends a WhatsApp template through ChatArchitect
The approved WhatsApp template supplies the fixed wording. Everbridge supplies the incident-specific values, such as a site, an event description, and a time. ChatArchitect combines the WhatsApp template ID with those values to prepare the template send.
For example, the approved template could say “Incident at {{1}}: {{2}}. Reported at {{3}}.” An operator enters the site, event, and time in separate incident variables. With the correct configuration, those values fill the three placeholders in order.
This article focuses on the message-building behavior introduced between May 31 and June 3, 2025, for an existing Everbridge and ChatArchitect integration. It is a configuration guide, rather than a replacement for initial integration setup. For a broader introduction, read our WhatsApp Business API integration with Everbridge overview.
What you need before configuring the Incident Template
Prepare the following before editing the form:
- An existing Everbridge integration connected to ChatArchitect.
- Access to the relevant organization in the Everbridge Manager Portal and permission to edit its incident variables and templates.
- An approved WhatsApp message template available in ChatArchitect.
- The exact WhatsApp template ID, copied with its curly brackets.
- A list of the template’s placeholders and the value each should receive.
- The Response Subscription Profile configured for your integration.
- Designated test recipients for the first controlled send.
Write down the placeholder order before working in Everbridge. If {{1}} represents the site and {{2}} represents the event, the form must pass the site value before the event value. Clear variable names help the operator, but names alone do not establish the parameter mapping.
Step 1: Copy the correct WhatsApp template ID
Open the ChatArchitect application, choose the required approved WhatsApp template, and copy its ID. Keep the copied value intact, including its curly brackets. You will paste this value into the incident variable named WhatsApp Code.
Do not substitute the Template ID shown in the Everbridge Incident Template header. That identifies the Everbridge template. WhatsApp Code needs the identifier of the WhatsApp message template selected in ChatArchitect.
Keep the roles of the two pieces of content separate: the ID selects the approved WhatsApp template; the incident variables supply its parameter values. Editing the text in Everbridge’s outgoing message is not the same as selecting a different WhatsApp template.
Step 2: Create the incident variables
In the Everbridge Manager Portal, select the appropriate organization and open Communications → Incidents → Variables. Click New Variable, select Textbox, and name the ID variable exactly WhatsApp Code. Choose a character limit suitable for the copied identifier, then click OK.
Create or reuse one variable for each WhatsApp template parameter. For the example in this guide, use Site, Event, and Time. Each should provide one plain-text value. Enter a building name as Building A, for instance, rather than manually adding parameter brackets around it.
The integration reads the first value of each incident variable. A multiple-selection variable does not automatically produce one WhatsApp parameter for every selected option. Single-value fields make the mapping easier to review and avoid that ambiguity.
Step 3: Add and order fields in the Operator’s Form
Open Communications → Incidents → Templates and edit the relevant Incident Template. In Form & Message, include WhatsApp Code and all variables needed by the selected WhatsApp template. Mark fields required where an empty value would prevent a correct message.
Next, open PREVIEW & EDIT → Operator’s Form. Review the numbers displayed beside the variables and arrange the fields by dragging them into position.
WhatsApp Code and every WhatsApp parameter must have a sequence number of 3 or higher. Fields below that threshold are ignored for this template workflow. Place the ID field third or later, then put the parameter fields in the order expected by the approved template.
The displayed form order is a useful guide, but this setup assumes it matches the sequence numbers sent by your deployment. If a field appears correctly placed but is missing from the WhatsApp result, ask the integration administrator to verify the actual sequence numbers.
The revised behavior also includes eligible parameter fields placed before WhatsApp Code. Keeping the ID ahead of the parameters makes the form easier to inspect, but moving it does not remove other eligible fields from the parameter list.
A complete three-parameter incident alert example
Suppose the approved WhatsApp message template contains this wording:
Incident at {{1}}: {{2}}. Reported at {{3}}.
Configure the WhatsApp portion of the Operator’s Form in this order:
- Position 3 — WhatsApp Code: {{your-template-id}}
- Position 4 — Site: Building A
- Position 5 — Event: Power outage
- Position 6 — Time: 14:30
The value {{your-template-id}} is an illustration, not an ID to copy. Replace it with the exact identifier copied from your approved template in ChatArchitect.
The integration builds the following sending string:
{{your-template-id}} {{Building A}} {{Power outage}} {{14:30}}
The intended message received in WhatsApp is:
Incident at Building A: Power outage. Reported at 14:30.
The operator enters Building A, Power outage, and 14:30 as plain text. The integration adds the parameter brackets during message assembly. Preserve the brackets in the copied template ID, but do not add them manually to ordinary parameter values.
Step 4: Check the outgoing message and delivery settings
In Outgoing Message → All delivery methods, keep the template content copied from ChatArchitect, following the integration setup instructions. Then review the Incident Template’s Settings, select WhatsApp as a delivery method, and choose the appropriate Response Subscription Profile. Save the template.
When an eligible WhatsApp Code field is populated, the WhatsApp template send uses that ID and the form values. Changing the outgoing message text alone does not change the selected WhatsApp template or its parameters. To change those, update WhatsApp Code or the relevant incident variables.
Keep this distinction in your operator instructions. Otherwise, someone could edit the outgoing preview and assume the WhatsApp recipient will receive the revised wording, even though the approved template and supplied parameters remain the same.
Step 5: Launch a controlled test and inspect WhatsApp
Open Communications → Incidents → Launch Incident, choose the configured template, and complete the Operator’s Form. Check the template ID, each parameter, and the recipients before continuing.
Proceed through Next, review the incident details and sending options, and use Review and Send. The Review button depends on the organization’s review settings, so the exact review flow can differ.
For the first send after a template change, select designated test recipients. Compare the actual WhatsApp message with the expected result: check the fixed wording, parameter order, spelling, and completeness.
Everbridge’s preview shows the outgoing message configured in Everbridge. It does not replace checking the received WhatsApp template message. Treat a successful end-to-end test as a separate verification step before using the revised form for operational notifications.
Four rules that prevent incorrect parameter mapping
1. Field order determines the placeholder values
The integration sends eligible values in their original field order. Renaming a variable does not move its value into another placeholder. If the received message swaps the site and event, check the form sequence first.
2. Extra populated fields can become parameters
Other incident variables with sequence numbers of 3 or higher are also included when populated. Review the entire form, including fields unrelated to WhatsApp. An extra value before your intended parameters can change the parameter count or shift the mapping.
3. Empty values are skipped
A blank field does not reserve an empty placeholder position. Subsequent populated values can shift forward. In the example above, leaving Site blank could cause Power outage to occupy the first parameter position. Require and complete every value needed by the selected template.
4. WhatsApp Code controls the template workflow
If WhatsApp Code is absent, empty, or below sequence number 3, the integration falls back to Everbridge’s outgoing message text and does not append the other incident variables. That describes message assembly; it is not a guarantee that a fallback message will be delivered through WhatsApp. For this template workflow, always supply the correct eligible ID.
Troubleshooting Everbridge WhatsApp template messages
The wrong information appears in a placeholder. Compare the parameter order with the approved template. Check for blank values and additional populated eligible fields before changing the template wording.
A field is missing from the message. Confirm it has a value, appears in the Operator’s Form, and has an actual sequence number of at least 3. If it is a multiple-selection variable, remember that only its first value is read.
The integration uses the outgoing text instead of the intended template string. Check the exact variable name WhatsApp Code, its copied ID, and its sequence number. Do not use the Everbridge Incident Template header ID.
The Everbridge preview looks correct, but WhatsApp differs. Inspect WhatsApp Code and the form values. An eligible populated ID selects the WhatsApp template independently of edits to the outgoing text.
The expected WhatsApp message does not arrive. Recheck the selected delivery method, integration profile, recipients, and approved template in addition to the form configuration. Correct parameter assembly alone does not verify the complete delivery path.
Frequently asked questions
What is WhatsApp Code in Everbridge?
It is the incident variable used by the ChatArchitect integration to carry the WhatsApp message template ID. Its name must be exactly WhatsApp Code, and its sequence number must be 3 or higher.
Should I wrap incident values in curly brackets?
No. Enter parameter values as plain text. The integration adds their brackets. The template ID is different: preserve its brackets exactly as copied from ChatArchitect.
Can parameter fields come before WhatsApp Code?
Yes. The revised behavior includes eligible non-empty parameter fields even when they precede the ID. Their sequence numbers must still be 3 or higher, and their order must match the template placeholders.
Does changing Outgoing Message select a different template?
No, when an eligible WhatsApp Code is populated. Change that ID to select another approved template, then review the number and order of its parameters.
What should I update in an older Incident Template?
Add or populate WhatsApp Code, include all required parameter variables, and verify their sequence numbers and order. The revised integration retains a plain-text fallback. ChatArchitect separately announced an ID requirement for template sends from August 1, 2025; always copy the correct ID for the template workflow described here.
Prepare your Everbridge WhatsApp workflow with ChatArchitect
A reliable form configuration starts with a precise template ID and a predictable parameter sequence. Keep the operator’s task clear: select the intended template, fill every required value, review the recipients, and verify the received message after configuration changes.
Use the ChatArchitect Everbridge template setup guide as the configuration reference. If you are planning your integration, review ChatArchitect WhatsApp Business API plans and prepare a sample incident message with the fields your team needs.
