Prompt templates and variables in Prompt Engineering / GenAI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a prompt template in generative AI?

A prompt template is a pre-written text with placeholders that can be filled with different values to guide the AI in generating specific responses.

beginner

Why do we use variables in prompt templates?

Variables let us insert different pieces of information into the prompt template, making it flexible and reusable for many tasks.

beginner

Example of a simple prompt template with a variable.

Template: "Write a story about a {animal}." Here, {animal} is a variable that can be replaced with any animal name like 'dog' or 'cat'.

intermediate

How do prompt templates improve AI output consistency?

By using templates, we keep the prompt structure consistent, which helps the AI understand the task better and produce more reliable results.

intermediate

What happens if a variable in a prompt template is not filled?

If a variable is left empty, the AI might get confused or produce incomplete or irrelevant answers because the prompt lacks important information.

What is the main purpose of a prompt template?

A To create reusable prompts with placeholders

B To train the AI model

C To store AI output

D To evaluate AI performance

Prompt templates are designed to be reused by filling placeholders with different values.

In the prompt template "Translate {text} to French", what is {text}?

A A variable placeholder

B The AI model name

C The output language

D A fixed word

{text} is a variable placeholder that will be replaced with the text to translate.

What can happen if variables in a prompt template are not filled properly?

A The AI ignores the prompt

B The AI trains itself automatically

C The AI improves accuracy

D The AI produces irrelevant or incomplete answers

Missing variable values can confuse the AI and lead to poor output.

How do prompt templates help when working with generative AI?

A They speed up the AI's hardware

B They reduce the need for training data

C They make prompts consistent and flexible

D They replace the AI model

Templates keep prompt structure consistent and allow easy changes via variables.

Which of these is NOT a benefit of using variables in prompt templates?

A Reusability of prompts

B Automatic AI model updates

C Flexibility to change input

D Clear task instructions

Variables help with prompt flexibility but do not update the AI model itself.

Explain what a prompt template is and how variables work within it.

Think about how you can reuse a sentence by changing some words.

Describe why filling variables correctly in prompt templates is important for AI output.

Consider what happens if you give incomplete instructions to a friend.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using prompt templates in AI?

easy

A. To store large datasets

B. To train the AI model faster

C. To improve the AI's hardware performance

D. To reuse a prompt with different variables easily

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what prompt templates do

   Prompt templates have placeholders that can be replaced with different values to create new prompts without rewriting.

2. Step 2: Identify the main benefit

   This lets you reuse the same prompt structure with different variables, saving time and effort.

3. Final Answer:

   To reuse a prompt with different variables easily -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Prompt templates = reuse with variables [OK]

Hint: Templates save rewriting by using placeholders [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking templates speed up model training
• Confusing templates with data storage
• Assuming templates improve hardware

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a prompt template with a variable named name?

easy

A. "Hello, <name>! How can I help you today?"

B. "Hello, $name! How can I help you today?"

C. "Hello, {name}! How can I help you today?"

D. "Hello, %name%! How can I help you today?"

Solution

1. Step 1: Recognize common placeholder syntax

   Curly braces { } are widely used to mark variables in prompt templates.

2. Step 2: Match the correct syntax

   "Hello, {name}! How can I help you today?" uses {name}, which is the standard placeholder format for variables.

3. Final Answer:

   "Hello, {name}! How can I help you today?" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Variables use curly braces { } [OK]

Hint: Use curly braces {variable} for placeholders [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using $ or % instead of curly braces
• Using angle brackets which are not standard
• Confusing variable syntax with other languages

3. Given the prompt template "Translate '{text}' to French." and the variable text = 'Good morning', what is the final prompt sent to the AI?

medium

A. "Translate 'Good morning' to French."

B. "Translate {text} to French."

C. "Translate 'text' to French."

D. "Translate Good morning to French."

Solution

1. Step 1: Replace the placeholder with the variable value

   The placeholder {text} is replaced by the string 'Good morning'.

2. Step 2: Keep the quotes around the inserted text

   The template includes single quotes around {text}, so the final prompt keeps them around 'Good morning'.

3. Final Answer:

   "Translate 'Good morning' to French." -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Placeholder replaced by variable value [OK]

Hint: Replace placeholders with variable values exactly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Leaving placeholder text unchanged
• Removing quotes around variable
• Replacing with variable name as string

4. You wrote this prompt template: "Summarize the article: {content}". But when you run it, the AI returns an error. What is the most likely mistake?

medium

A. You used curly braces instead of square brackets

B. You forgot to provide a value for the variable content

C. The AI model does not support prompt templates

D. The prompt template is too long

Solution

1. Step 1: Check variable usage in prompt templates

   Prompt templates require all variables to have values before sending to AI.

2. Step 2: Identify common error

   If content is missing, the placeholder {content} remains unresolved, causing errors.

3. Final Answer:

   You forgot to provide a value for the variable content -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Missing variable value causes errors [OK]

Hint: Always assign values to all variables before use [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Changing placeholder syntax incorrectly
• Blaming AI model for template errors
• Ignoring missing variable values

5. You want to create a prompt template that asks for a summary and a sentiment analysis of a text. Which template correctly uses two variables text and task to handle this?

hard

A. "Please perform {task} on the following text: '{text}'."

B. "Please perform {text} on the following task: '{task}'."

C. "{text} and {task} are the inputs."

D. "Analyze '{task}' and summarize '{text}'."

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the roles of variables

   task should specify the action (summary or sentiment), and text is the content to analyze.

2. Step 2: Check template clarity and correctness

   "Please perform {task} on the following text: '{text}'." clearly asks to perform the task on the text, using variables correctly in context.

3. Final Answer:

   "Please perform {task} on the following text: '{text}'." -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Variables used clearly and logically [OK]

Hint: Match variable roles to prompt meaning [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping variable meanings
• Using variables without context
• Mixing variable names incorrectly