You can create a text template outside of the Text Templates user interface. However, it cannot be the first text template that your brand creates for use on your Helpshift instance.
This restriction is due to the requirement that you use a specially crafted CSV file. The only way for you to obtain a sample CSV file for this purpose — a file that meets our structural and formatting requirements exactly — is to export a usable text template to CSV.
This procedure explains how to obtain a sample CSV file, edit it to suit your current need, and then upload it to your Helpshift instance for use as a text template.
- Click Settings (
) on the Helpshift toolbar, and then click Text Templates in the Workflows area.
The Text Templates page opens.
- To prepare one of your defined text templates for export, click the gear icon (
) in the same row that describes the template. Then, choose Edit from the list.
- Do not change any text in the Title field.
- Do not change the active selection in the Folder list.
- If the default language is correct for your current need, do not change it or any of its associated text. But if it is wrong, fix it.
- If the languages for translated versions are correct for your current need, do not change them or any of their associated text. But if any of them are wrong, fix them.
- Click the gear icon (
) next to the search field, and then choose Export Text Templates as CSV from the list.

The Export Text Templates as CSV dialog box opens.
- Complete the “Export and download a text template in CSV format” procedure, elsewhere in this article.
- Open the downloaded CSV file with your preferred spreadsheet software. Then, update or replace its values where appropriate, being careful not to break any aspect of its fundamental organization.
- Save your work in the CSV file, being careful not to save it with any other file format than CSV.
- Return to the Helpshift user interface for text templates.
- Click the gear icon (
) next to the search field, and then choose Create/Update Text Templates via CSV upload from the list.

The Create/Update Text Templates via CSV Upload dialog box opens.
- Click SELECT FILE to locate and choose your edited CSV file for upload.
- Click Verify Changes to view the summary of changes made to the CSV file, as well as any errors.

- Click Confirm Update to upload and apply your work.
TIP: In the event of an error, we recommend that you correct the CSV file and then click Re-Upload. Doing so returns you to the Create/Update Text Templates via CSV Upload dialog box, where you can repeat the same steps as before to upload the CSV file.
- Click the gear icon (
)next to the search field, and then choose Export Text Templates as CSV.

- The Export Text Templates as CSV dialog box opens.
- Click a radio button to choose if the exported file should include only the text from the default language, or if it should also include whichever other language versions your brand has prepared for this text template. Then, click Export.NOTE: Export all Text Templates is the default selection.

Download then begins for the language version (or versions) that you specified.
Administrators can grant supervisors the permission to create and manage text templates.
- Click Settings (
) on the Helpshift toolbar, and then click Permissions in the Organization area.
The Feature Access table lists which permission settings you can toggle on or off for people with certain assigned user roles. Its row for text template permissions helps you to control whether someone with the supervisor user role can manage your brand’s text templates.
When the toggle is in its rightmost position, and is colored green, supervisors are permitted to manage text templates. Their access is turned On.
When the toggle is in its leftmost position, and is colored gray, supervisors are prevented from managing text templates. Their access is turned Off.
- Click the toggle to switch this permission setting on or off.Supervisors can see and use features on the Text Templates page only while they have permission to manage text templates.
Custom bots support the use of text templates. For details, see Localization of Custom Bots.