How to use task placeholders in Uku

Placeholders automatically insert the current period name (month, quarter, or year) into recurring task titles. Instead of manually updating task names each cycle, set up a placeholder once and Uku fills in the correct value every time the task is generated.

Quick answer

Add placeholders like {{this_month}} or {{this_year}} to task titles in a client’s Workflow or in a company template. Placeholders only work with recurring tasks — single tasks do not use placeholders.

Who can do this

• Any team member with permission to edit tasks in a client Workflow.
• Company Admins and Company Owners can add placeholders to company templates in Settings & Apps → Tasks → Templates.
• Placeholders only work with recurring tasks.

Available placeholders

Current periods

• {{last_year}} — previous calendar year (e.g. 2024)
• {{this_year}} — current calendar year (e.g. 2025)
• {{next_year}} — next calendar year (e.g. 2026)
• {{last_month}} — previous month name (e.g. December)
• {{this_month}} — current month name (e.g. January)
• {{next_month}} — next month name (e.g. February)

Relative periods

• {{x_months_ago}} — the month X months before the task period
• {{x_months_ahead}} — the month X months after the task period
• {{today}} — today’s date (formatted to your locale)

Add placeholders to a client Workflow

1. Open the client profile and select the Workflow tab.

2. Click Edit plan.

3. Select Add task or click an existing recurring task to edit it.

4. In the task title field, type the title and add the placeholder either manually or from the dropdown.

   Example: VAT return {{this_month}} {{this_year}}

5. Set the task’s recurrence (monthly, quarterly, or yearly).

6. Click Confirm plan to save.

If the task appears on the dashboard on January 15, 2025, it will show as “VAT return January 2025”.

Add placeholders to company templates

1. Select Settings & Apps from the main navigation.

2. Click the Tasks app.

3. Open Templates.

4. Create a new template or edit an existing one.

5. Add placeholders to the task title.

   Example: Monthly bookkeeping {{this_month}} {{this_year}}

6. Save the template.

When you apply this template to clients, each generated task will automatically use the correct month and year.

Editing tasks that already use placeholders

Editing a placeholder in the title only affects tasks created in the future. Tasks that have already been generated keep their original names.

Update placeholder across multiple clients at once

1. Open the Clients view.
2. Select the clients whose Workflow you want to update.
3. From the menu, select Plan → Replace.
4. Pick the task template that has the updated placeholders.
5. Confirm the replacement.

Troubleshooting

The placeholder does not get replaced in the title

Check that the task has a recurrence set (monthly, quarterly, or yearly). Placeholders only work with recurring tasks.

The wrong month or year is shown

Placeholders are based on the task’s start date. Check that the start date matches the period you expect.

Existing task titles did not change

Placeholder edits only affect tasks created in the future. Already-generated tasks need to be edited manually if needed.

The placeholder shows up as code instead of the period name

Make sure the syntax is exact — double curly braces with no spaces inside — and that you are using one of the available placeholder names listed above.