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A Template is a reusable content blueprint that defines the fields, structure, and default values for a notification. Templates are powered by the opscale-co/nova-dynamic-resources package, which provides dynamic field rendering inside Laravel Nova.

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What a Template Does

Instead of filling in every notification field from scratch each time, a template pre-defines the shape of the notification content. When a notification references a template, the Nova edit form renders the fields declared by that template, allowing editors to fill in the content in a structured, validated way. Templates can specify:
  • Fields — the input fields shown when editing a notification (e.g., subject line, body copy, CTA label, image URL).
  • Default values — pre-populated content that editors can override.
  • Notification type — a template can lock in a specific NotificationType, ensuring all notifications created from it use the correct delivery strategy.

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Integration with Nova Dynamic Resources

The Notification model uses the UsesTemplate concern from opscale-co/nova-dynamic-resources: 
use Opscale\NovaDynamicResources\Models\Concerns\UsesTemplate;

class Notification extends Model
{
    use HasUlids, SoftDeletes, UsesTemplate, ValidatorTrait;

    // ...

    protected $fillable = [
        // ...
        'template_id',  // Foreign key to the template
        'data',         // JSON bag for template-defined field values
    ];

    protected $casts = [
        // ...
        'data' => 'array',
    ];
}
The data field stores all values for the template-defined fields as a JSON object. The UsesTemplate concern handles loading the correct field definitions and merging them with the notification’s stored data at render time.

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How Templates Define Fields for Notifications

Each template class extends the Nova Dynamic Resources base and declares a fields() method, returning an array of Nova field instances. These fields are injected into the notification create/edit form in Nova automatically when a template is selected. This means:
  • Different templates can expose entirely different sets of input fields.
  • Field validation rules are defined once in the template and reused across all notifications that reference it.
  • Template fields are stored in the notification’s data column, keeping the notifications table schema stable regardless of template variations.

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Defining Notification Type in a Template

A template can prescribe a NotificationType, which is then applied to any notification created from that template. This is useful when you have channel-specific or purpose-specific templates (e.g., an “Urgent Alert” template that always maps to the Alert type and its fast-escalation strategy).
By encoding the notification type in the template, you prevent editors from accidentally choosing the wrong strategy for a given message type.

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Managing Templates in Nova

1

Navigate to Templates

Open the Nova dashboard and select Templates from the sidebar.
2

Create a template

Click Create Template, give it a name, and define its fields and any default notification type.
3

Attach to a notification

When creating or editing a notification, select the template from the Template field. The form will update to show the template’s fields.
4

Fill in content

Complete the template-defined fields. Values are saved to the notification’s data column.
A notification does not require a template. If no template_id is set, the standard subject, body, summary, and action fields are used directly.

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