---
title: "Pre-designing variable templates | Customer's Canvas Hub"
canonical: "https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/dev-center/scenarios/direct-mail/pre-designing-variable-templates/"
---

# Pre-designing variable templates

> Customer's Canvas supports templates created in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and the Customer's Canvas Template Editor. To learn how you can add variable fields in these editors, let's first list elements that can become variable and be personalized:

- In-string, interpolation, and text placeholders
- Image placeholders
- Barcode placeholders

[In-string placeholders](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/design-anatomy/instring-placeholders.md) in the `[#]` format can only be added when creating a template in Adobe software.

[Interpolation placeholders](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/adobe/indesign/how-to-create-designs/text.md#interpolation-placeholders) in the `{{}}` format can be added when preparing a template as well as at the personalization time by the user.

[Text placeholders](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/adobe/indesign/how-to-create-designs/text.md#placeholders), [image placeholders](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/template-editor/how-to-create-designs/image-placeholders.md), and [barcode placeholders](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/design-anatomy/barcode-placeholders.md) can be added by using markers in Adobe software or changing the element type to **Placeholder** in the Template Editor.

When you are creating templates in Adobe editors, you can add the `<VAR>` marker to enable this property.

You may want to add special buttons to the editor's toolbox so that your users can create variable fields of the text, image, or barcode type in personalized designs. To do so, you need to change the configuration of the `Toolbox` and add predefined buttons with the `isVariable` property set to `true`.

You can also create [variables](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/template-editor/setup-behavior/variables.md) in the Template Editor by switching the **Variable field** toggle.

Learn more about creating design files in the [Photoshop](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/adobe/photoshop.md), [InDesign](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/adobe/indesign.md), and [Template Editor](https://customerscanvas.com/docs/hub/designers-manual/template-editor.md) sections of Customer's Canvas Help Center.