Every Templater data source follows the same two-part routine. You build the data so that its column names or property keys match the names of your dynamic layers, and then you enter the data source in the Batch Assets section of the Templater panel. The formats differ in how you build the data and in one preference checkbox, and getting that checkbox wrong for a TSV is a mistake to avoid.
This page walks through the setup and the linking steps for the four sources our help pages cover: a tab-separated file, a JSON file, a Google Sheet and a QUE campaign. It also covers the row range you type under Transport, which has different rules by format. If you are still deciding which kind of source to use, start with our guide to what a data source is and the page on using a URL feed or JSON file. This page assumes you have chosen and want the steps.
What every source needs before you link it
Three rules apply no matter which format you pick, and each one has a reason.
Names must match. The name of each dynamic layer in your project file has to correspond to a column name in your spreadsheet, or to a property key in your JSON objects. Templater finds the layer by that name, so a column called Headline feeds a layer called Headline and nothing else. Check the spelling of each name against the layer name.
Avoid reserved column names. Our help pages warn that there are reserved column names you must avoid when naming dynamic layers. Using one can cause errors when Templater processes the data source. We have not reproduced the list here, so check the Reserved Column Names page in Templater’s help before you name a layer something generic like a status or an ID.
Use UTF-8. TSV and JSON plain text files must be UTF-8 character-encoded so Templater can read all international language characters. If a name with an accent comes through as garbled text, the file’s encoding is the first thing to examine.
What goes in the cells also depends on the layer. Depending on the dynamic layer’s type, you enter text, paths or URLs to footage sources, or hex color values. Local footage references should be relative to the path in the Footage field in the Templater panel under Batch Assets. That is the reason you set the footage folder before you worry about paths: a path like discs/gatsby.png only makes sense relative to a known folder. For Google Sheets, hex values should begin with a # pound symbol so Templater does not interpret certain hex values as numbers rather than strings. A color such as 684489 is all digits, and a spreadsheet will happily treat it as a number.
When you finish linking any source, click Save in the Templater panel. Our help pages describe this as saving your selected data source as a project file preset, so the link comes back when you reopen the project.
Before You Link
What every data source needs first
- Match each dynamic layer name to a column name or property key exactly
- Check the Reserved Column Names page before naming any layer
- Save TSV and JSON files as UTF-8 character-encoded plain text
- Set the footage folder before writing relative paths to footage sources
- Begin hex color values with a # pound symbol in Google Sheets
- Click Save in the Templater panel after linking any source
TSV and Google Sheets: the spreadsheet formats
A tab-separated value file, also called a tab-delimited file, is plain text where tabs separate the columns. You make it in a spreadsheet application and export it. Our setup page names three choices of application: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or Numbers by Apple. You then export the spreadsheet to a TSV file, and the help page points you to your application’s own documentation for how.
Be precise about the format. Tab-separated is not comma-separated. Our linking page states that Templater is not currently compatible with files in CSV format. If your data arrives as a CSV, re-export it as tab-delimited before you link it.
To link the file, enter the absolute path to your TSV file into the Data source field, under Batch Assets. Or click the button with the three dots to choose the file. Then comes the preference step. If your TSV was exported from Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, click Preferences in the Templater panel, open the Data Source settings and check the box labeled Tab delimited data exported from Excel or Numbers. If it was exported from a different application such as Google Sheets, leave that box unchecked.
The preferences page gives the same rule from the other side. Leave the first checkbox enabled if your data source is a tab-delimited file exported from Excel or Numbers. Disable it if your data source is QUE, a local or remote JSON file, or a local TSV file exported from Google Sheets. So the checkbox is a statement about where the file came from. Get it wrong and Templater reads the file the wrong way. We do not have documentation describing exactly what that failure looks like, so treat any odd-looking data after a first link as a prompt to recheck the box.
One limit belongs here. For the command line, our help page says you can use local JSON and TSV files or Google Sheets documents, and it adds that TSV will not work if you are using the command line to launch the Bot. A team planning an unattended Bot run should pick JSON or Sheets instead. The overview of the Templater Bot explains what that edition does.
A Google Sheet works differently, because it is a live document and not an exported file. Create the spreadsheet in Google Sheets, match the layer names to column names, and fill in rows. You do not export anything. Instead you authorize Templater and link a worksheet. The authorization has two grants, one for your account and one in a browser tool called File Picker, and we cover that in a separate guide, using Templater with Google Sheets. Once Templater is authorized, click the Google Drive icon under Batch Assets. In the list under Select your Worksheet, click a sheet name. If you do not see the sheet you want, type a query in the field above the list and click Search. Wait for Templater to retrieve the tab names, select the specific worksheet tab you want, and click OK. Then click Save.
Two facts about Sheets are worth knowing before you commit to it. Versions of Templater earlier than 2.9.5 stopped working with Google Sheets as of March 3, 2020, because Google retired version 3 of its Sheets API. And Templater Bot only supports Google Sheets documents created in 2014 or later. If a very old spreadsheet holds your data, copy it into a new one.
A hypothetical example shows the TSV path end to end. Suppose a producer tracks a set of event badges in Excel, with columns named after the layers in her project: name, title, photo and tint. She saves the sheet as tab-delimited text, enters its path in the Data source field, opens Preferences and checks the Excel and Numbers box, and clicks Save. Had she built the same table in Google Sheets and exported it, she would leave the box unchecked. The data is identical. Only the box differs.
JSON files and URL feeds
JSON is a plain text file holding an array of objects. Each object is one output, and each key in the object names a dynamic layer. Create the file in a plain text editor, then create an array of JSON objects whose keys match the layer names in your project. Our help page gives a sample with keys such as ID, title, caption-1, caption-2, album-cover, disc-face, tint and render-status, where the render-status key holds the value ready.
One practical note, offered as general practice and not from our help page. Strict JSON does not allow a comma after the last object in the array, so write yours without one. If a parser rejects the file, a stray trailing comma is a likely cause.
JSON has a real advantage over a flat spreadsheet. Our documentation notes that JSON files and feeds can have different sets of key and value pairs for each object in the array. That makes it easy to set values that matter only to one output, which helps if your data is used to change targets inside your project or to switch between After Effects project files. In a spreadsheet, every row shares the same columns. In JSON, one object can carry a key the others lack. Our post on unique IDs and switching project files goes further on that idea.
To link a local JSON file, enter its absolute path into the Data source field under Batch Assets, or click the button with the three dots to select it. Leave the Excel and Numbers checkbox off for JSON, as the preferences page states.
The size warning is documented. With an extremely large data set, Templater may hang while it parses the JSON file. The help page suggests splitting your data into multiple files or moving to a server-based remote JSON data source. A very large local file is therefore a reason to switch to a feed, not a reason to keep adding rows.
A remote JSON feed is linked the same way, but it adds one more preference. If you use a remote JSON feed, click Preferences, open Data Source, and click Remote JSON Configuration. Enter the Username and Password to authenticate to the feed with a Basic Authentication scheme. You can also enter optional request headers. Click OK. In the command line options file, the same settings appear under a remote_json property with a username, a password and a headers object. If your feed needs no login, you skip this step. Our saved pages do not give the full URL feed setup steps for the panel, so this page stays with the authentication settings that the preferences page documents.
QUE campaigns, and the row range for each format
A QUE campaign is the fourth source, and its linking has two parts that mirror Sheets. First you authorize. In the Templater panel, under Batch Assets, click the Q icon button. In the QUE Campaign Setup dialog click Sign In, log in to the Dataclay account you want, click the check mark icon to grant permission to your campaign data, and let the browser redirect to a confirmation screen. Switch back to Templater and click Authorize. Confirm that your list of campaigns loads. Once authorized, Templater remains signed into your QUE account, and if After Effects preferences are reset you must grant access again.
Then you link. Click the Q icon button again, click a campaign name in the list, click OK, and click Save. The related page on previewing lets you step through the jobs of the linked campaign directly in your target composition using the transport controls. For QUE, leave the Excel and Numbers checkbox disabled. The QUE source requires Templater 3.0 or later. Our post on how QUE and Templater work together covers why you would choose it.
Link a QUE Campaign
How to authorize and link a QUE campaign
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Click the Q iconUnder Batch Assets, click the Q icon button.
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Sign inIn the QUE Campaign Setup dialog click Sign In, log in to the Dataclay account you want.
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Grant permissionClick the check mark icon to grant permission to your campaign data, and let the browser redirect to a confirmation screen.
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AuthorizeSwitch back to Templater and click Authorize.
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Link and saveClick the Q icon button again, click a campaign name in the list, click OK, and click Save.
Last, the row range. Under Transport you enter the data range a batch will process, and the rules differ by format. Our spot check page states that the start row must be greater than 1 for Google Sheets and tab-delimited files, and greater than 0 for JSON object arrays. For the end row, our page says it must be greater than the start row, while Jon Christoffersen, our technical and support lead, confirmed on October 26, 2026 that the end row must be greater than or equal to the start row. His newer answer is the one to follow, so a single-row range such as 3 to 3 is valid.
All Four Sources
Start-row rule and checkbox setting by source
| Source | Start row must be… | Excel/Numbers checkbox |
|---|---|---|
| TSV | Greater than 1 | On if from Excel or Numbers; off if from Google Sheets |
| JSON | Greater than 0 | Disabled |
| Google Sheets | Greater than 1 | N/A, no file exported |
| QUE | Greater than 0 | Disabled |
The two rules are the reason to keep the formats straight. Our preview page notes that row 1 of a spreadsheet is reserved for column names, which is why the start row for Google Sheets and tab-delimited files must be greater than 1. JSON object arrays have their own, lower limit. If a batch does not start where you expected, compare your start row with the format’s rule before you suspect the data. For a first test, choose a small range with a start row that satisfies the rule for your format. Our post on preview modes and spot checks shows how to check output before a large run.
Bottom line. Pick the source that fits how your data is produced. Use TSV for a file exported from a spreadsheet application, and set the Excel and Numbers checkbox to match where it came from. Use JSON when outputs need different fields or when the data comes from an application, and move to a feed with Basic Authentication if the file grows too large. Use Google Sheets when several people edit the data and you can authorize an account. Use a QUE campaign when jobs live in QUE. Then match names, save the link, and set a row range that follows your format’s rule. If you are starting from scratch, the Templater page and the Learn section are the places to begin.
A few quick answers for the steps that trip people up, drawn from the help pages above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Templater read CSV files?
No. Our linking page states that tab-separated value format is different from comma-separated value format, and that Templater is not currently compatible with files in CSV format. Re-export your data as a tab-delimited file, or use a JSON file, a Google Sheet or a QUE campaign instead.
When do I check the Tab delimited data exported from Excel or Numbers box?
Check it when your TSV came from Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers. Leave it unchecked when the TSV came from another application such as Google Sheets. Our preferences page also says to disable it for QUE and for local or remote JSON files. You find it under Preferences, in the Data Source settings.
What start row and end row can I use?
The start row must be greater than 1 for Google Sheets and tab-delimited files, and greater than 0 for JSON object arrays. Our technical lead confirmed on October 26, 2026 that the end row must be greater than or equal to the start row, so a range with the same start and end is valid.
What encoding do my TSV and JSON files need?
Both must be UTF-8 character-encoded. Our help pages give the reason: it ensures Templater can read all international language characters. If accented names or non-Latin text look wrong after linking, check the file’s encoding first.
How do I connect a remote JSON feed that needs a login?
Click Preferences, open Data Source and click Remote JSON Configuration. Enter the Username and Password for a Basic Authentication scheme, add optional request headers if you need them, and click OK. In the command line options file, these settings live under remote_json with a username, a password and a headers object.
Can I use a TSV file with the command line?
The command line can use local JSON and TSV files or Google Sheets documents. One documented limit applies: TSV will not work if you are using the command line to launch the Bot. For an unattended Bot run, choose JSON or a Google Sheet.
What happens when my JSON file is very large?
Our documentation warns that Templater may hang while it parses an extremely large JSON file. It suggests splitting the data into multiple files or moving to a server-based remote JSON data source. A feed removes the large local file from the equation.
