Use prompt templates

This document describes how to use prompt templates. A prompt template is a prompt that includes replaceable variables. Prompt templates enable you to test how different prompt formats perform with different prompt data, without requiring you to write multiple individual prompts.

For example, consider the following prompts and their corresponding system instructions:

  • System instructions: Respond to the question concisely.
  • Prompts:
    • Do coyotes eat berries?
    • Do eagles swim?
    • Do squirrels dig holes?

The corresponding prompt template would be similar to the following:

  • Prompt template: Do {animal_name} {animal_activity}?

  • Variable replacements:

    animal_name replacements animal_activity replacements
    Coyotes eat berries
    Eagles swim
    Squirrels dig holes

Limitations

  • System instructions are not supported as a replaceable variable in prompt templates.
  • Prompt templates don't support multimodal prompts.

Create a prompt template

Prompt templates define the format of all of your prompts through replaceable variables. Prompt template variables must meet the following requirements:

  • Variables must be wrapped in curly-braces.
  • Variable names must not contain spaces.

Use the following instructions to create a prompt template.

Console

To create a prompt template by using Vertex AI Studio in the Google Cloud console, follow these steps:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Language page.

    Go to Vertex AI Studio

  2. In the System instructions field, enter system instructions for the prompt. For example, "Respond to the question concisely".

  3. In the Prompt field, enter a prompt that includes prompt variables. Prompt variables must be wrapped in curly-braces and must not contain spaces. For example, Do {animal_name} {animal_activity}?.

    As you add variables, columns appear in the Test section. Each column represents the text that you want to replace the variables with when you run the prompt.

  4. In the Test section, replace the variables with the text that you want to test. For example, enter the following:
    • In the animal_name column, enter "Coyotes".
    • In the animal_activity column, enter "eat berries".
  5. Click send Submit.
  6. To test how the prompt performs with other variables, adjust the variables, then run the prompt again. For example, enter the following and click Submit:
    • In the animal_name column, enter "Eagles".
    • In the animal_activity column, enter "swim".
  7. Optional: To view different results, adjust the prompt, model, or parameters, and click Submit.

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