Context

When writing a sequence message step in Topo, you may see a "No fallback value" warning next to a variable like {{recipient_first_name}} or {{recipient_company_name}}. This article explains what that warning means and how to fix it.

Answer

A fallback value is a default text that Topo uses when it cannot match a contact's data to a variable in your message. If no fallback is provided and the variable cannot be resolved, the message step will fail and the contact will not receive the message.

Best Practice: Add a fallback for each variable to avoid send failures when contact data is missing. This ensures messages can still be sent even when certain fields are empty.

To add a fallback value, use the following syntax:

{{variable_name | fallback: "your fallback text"}}

For example:

• {{recipient_first_name | fallback: "there"}} — if the first name is missing, the message will use "there" instead.

• {{recipient_company_name | fallback: "your company"}} — if the company name is missing, the message will use "your company" instead.

• {{recipient_company_name | fallback: ""}} — if using an empty string as a fallback, adjust surrounding punctuation accordingly (e.g., remove commas or periods that would appear awkward if the variable is absent).

Alternatively, you can click on the exclamation mark icon. A banner will then appear, and you will be able to insert your fallback value.

Important: Make sure to always use double curly braces around your variables. Using single braces (e.g., {recipient_first_name}) or mispelled variables is incorrect and will cause an error when saving the sequence, preventing you from saving your messaging structure.

• ✅ Correct: {{recipient_first_name}}

• ❌ Incorrect: {recipient_first_name}

For more information on variables, refer to the Topo Variables documentation.