diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 9f5a391..89ad41e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-name: 'CI'
+name: "CI"
 on:
   push:
     tags:
-      - '*'
+      - "*"
   pull_request:
 
 concurrency:
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install NPM
         run: |
           npm install
-          
+
       - name: Run NPM
         run: |
           npm run all
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          
+
   test:
     if: github.event_name  == 'pull_request'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
             }
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-      
+
       - name: Echo Configuration without Checkout Changelog
         env:
           CHANGELOG: ${{ steps.without_checkout.outputs.changelog }}
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-      
+
       - name: Echo Minimal Configuration Changelog
         env:
           CHANGELOG: ${{ steps.minimal_release.outputs.changelog }}
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ jobs:
           token: ${{ secrets.PERSONAL_TOKEN }}
           exportCache: true
           exportOnly: true
-      
+
       - name: "External Repo Configuration"
         id: external_changelog
         uses: ./
@@ -188,4 +188,3 @@ jobs:
           prerelease: ${{ contains(github.ref, '-rc') || contains(github.ref, '-b') || contains(github.ref, '-a') }}
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
diff --git a/.prettierrc.json b/.prettierrc.json
index 0667e0d..939a8bd 100644
--- a/.prettierrc.json
+++ b/.prettierrc.json
@@ -6,5 +6,13 @@
   "singleQuote": true,
   "trailingComma": "none",
   "bracketSpacing": false,
-  "arrowParens": "avoid"
+  "arrowParens": "avoid",
+  "overrides": [
+    {
+      "files": ["*.yml", "*.yaml"],
+      "options": {
+        "singleQuote": false
+      }
+    }
+  ]
 }
diff --git a/__tests__/main.test.ts b/__tests__/main.test.ts
index 99d6577..7766dbd 100644
--- a/__tests__/main.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/main.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ test('missing values should result in failure', () => {
   }
   try {
     cp.execSync(`node ${ip}`, options).toString()
-  } catch (error: any) {
+  } catch (error: unknown) {
     expect(true).toBe(true)
   }
 })
diff --git a/__tests__/releaseNotesBuilder.test.ts b/__tests__/releaseNotesBuilder.test.ts
index 952f172..330c804 100644
--- a/__tests__/releaseNotesBuilder.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/releaseNotesBuilder.test.ts
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ it('[Github] Uncategorized category', async () => {
 })
 
 it('[Github] Verify commit based changelog', async () => {
-  const configuration = mergeConfiguration(undefined, resolveConfiguration('', 'configs_test/configuration_commits.json'))
+  const configuration = mergeConfiguration(undefined, resolveConfiguration('', 'configs_test/configuration_commits.json'), 'COMMIT')
   const releaseNotesBuilder = new ReleaseNotesBuilder(
     null,
     githubRepository,
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ it('[Github] Verify commit based changelog', async () => {
 })
 
 it('[Github] Verify commit based changelog, with emoji categorisation', async () => {
-  const configuration = mergeConfiguration(undefined, resolveConfiguration('', 'configs_test/configuration_commits_emoji.json'))
+  const configuration = mergeConfiguration(undefined, resolveConfiguration('', 'configs_test/configuration_commits_emoji.json'), 'COMMIT')
   const releaseNotesBuilder = new ReleaseNotesBuilder(
     null,
     githubRepository,
diff --git a/__tests__/transform.test.ts b/__tests__/transform.test.ts
index 9407846..3d336c9 100644
--- a/__tests__/transform.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/transform.test.ts
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ it('Extract label from title, split regex', async () => {
       on_property: 'title'
     }
   ]
+
   expect(buildChangelogTest(configuration, mergedPullRequests, repositoryUtils)).toStrictEqual(
     `## 🚀 Features\n\n- [Feature][AB-1234] - this is a PR 1 title message\n   - PR: #1\n- [Issue][Feature][AB-1234321] - this is a PR 3 title message\n   - PR: #3\n\n## 🐛 Fixes\n\n- [Issue][AB-4321] - this is a PR 2 title message\n   - PR: #2\n- [Issue][Feature][AB-1234321] - this is a PR 3 title message\n   - PR: #3\n\n`
   )
@@ -448,7 +449,8 @@ it('Use empty_content for empty category', async () => {
       labels: ['Feature']
     }
   ]
-  expect(buildChangelogTest(customConfig, pullRequestsWithLabels, repositoryUtils)).toStrictEqual(
+  const changelog = buildChangelogTest(customConfig, pullRequestsWithLabels, repositoryUtils)
+  expect(changelog).toStrictEqual(
     `## 🚀 Features and 🐛 Issues\n\n- No PRs in this category\n\n## 🚀 Features\n\n- [ABC-1234] - this is a PR 1 title message\n   - PR: #1\n- [ABC-1234] - this is a PR 3 title message\n   - PR: #3\n\n`
   )
 })
diff --git a/src/configuration.ts b/src/configuration.ts
index ff2e1c6..ce758d0 100644
--- a/src/configuration.ts
+++ b/src/configuration.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
-import {Extractor, PullConfiguration, Regex, Rule, Sort} from './pr-collector/types'
+import {Extractor, PullConfiguration, Regex, Rule} from './pr-collector/types'
 
 export interface Configuration extends PullConfiguration {
-  max_tags_to_fetch: number
-  max_pull_requests: number
-  max_back_track_time_days: number
-  exclude_merge_branches: string[]
-  sort: Sort | string // "ASC" or "DESC"
   template: string
   pr_template: string
   empty_template: string
@@ -15,8 +10,6 @@ export interface Configuration extends PullConfiguration {
   duplicate_filter?: Extractor // extract an identifier from a PR used to detect duplicates, will keep the last match (depends on `sort`)
   reference?: Extractor // extracts a reference from a PR, used to establish parent child relations. This will remove the child from the main PR list.
   transformers: Regex[]
-  tag_resolver: TagResolver
-  base_branches: string[]
   custom_placeholders?: Placeholder[]
   trim_values: boolean
 }
@@ -63,6 +56,8 @@ export interface Placeholder {
   transformer: Regex // the transformer to use to transform the original placeholder into the custom placeheolder
 }
 
+export class PlaceholderGroup extends Map<string, Placeholder[]> {}
+
 export const DefaultConfiguration: Configuration = {
   max_tags_to_fetch: 200, // the amount of tags to fetch from the github API
   max_pull_requests: 200, // the amount of pull requests to process
@@ -110,14 +105,8 @@ export const DefaultConfiguration: Configuration = {
 }
 
 export const DefaultCommitConfiguration: Configuration = {
-  max_tags_to_fetch: DefaultConfiguration.max_tags_to_fetch,
-  max_pull_requests: DefaultConfiguration.max_pull_requests,
-  max_back_track_time_days: DefaultConfiguration.max_back_track_time_days,
-  exclude_merge_branches: DefaultConfiguration.exclude_merge_branches,
-  sort: DefaultConfiguration.sort,
-  template: '#{{CHANGELOG}}', // the global template to host the changelog
-  pr_template: '- #{{TITLE}}', // the per PR template to pick for commit based mode
-  empty_template: DefaultConfiguration.empty_template,
+  ...DefaultConfiguration,
+  pr_template: '- #{{TITLE}}', // the per PR template to pick
   categories: [
     {
       title: '## 🚀 Features',
@@ -135,17 +124,11 @@ export const DefaultCommitConfiguration: Configuration = {
       title: '## 📦 Other',
       labels: []
     }
-  ], // the categories to support for the ordering
-  ignore_labels: DefaultConfiguration.ignore_labels,
+  ],
   label_extractor: [
     {
       pattern: '^(build|chore|ci|docs|feat|fix|perf|refactor|revert|style|test){1}(\\([\\w\\-\\.]+\\))?(!)?: ([\\w ])+([\\s\\S]*)',
       target: '$1'
     }
-  ],
-  transformers: DefaultConfiguration.transformers,
-  tag_resolver: DefaultConfiguration.tag_resolver,
-  base_branches: DefaultConfiguration.base_branches,
-  custom_placeholders: DefaultConfiguration.custom_placeholders,
-  trim_values: DefaultConfiguration.trim_values
+  ]
 }
diff --git a/src/pr-collector/pullRequests.ts b/src/pr-collector/pullRequests.ts
index 938d41e..8555692 100644
--- a/src/pr-collector/pullRequests.ts
+++ b/src/pr-collector/pullRequests.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ export interface PullRequestInfo {
   status: 'open' | 'merged'
 }
 
+export interface PullRequestData extends PullRequestInfo {
+  childPrs?: PullRequestInfo[]
+}
+
 export interface CommentInfo {
   id: number
   htmlURL: string
@@ -79,7 +83,7 @@ export class PullRequests {
   ) {}
 
   async getForCommitHash(owner: string, repo: string, commit_sha: string, maxPullRequests: number): Promise<PullRequestInfo[]> {
-    return sortPrs(await this.repositoryUtils.getForCommitHash(owner, repo, commit_sha, maxPullRequests))
+    return sortPrsByMergedAt(await this.repositoryUtils.getForCommitHash(owner, repo, commit_sha, maxPullRequests))
   }
 
   async getBetweenDates(
@@ -89,11 +93,11 @@ export class PullRequests {
     toDate: moment.Moment,
     maxPullRequests: number
   ): Promise<PullRequestInfo[]> {
-    return sortPrs(await this.repositoryUtils.getBetweenDates(owner, repo, fromDate, toDate, maxPullRequests))
+    return sortPrsByMergedAt(await this.repositoryUtils.getBetweenDates(owner, repo, fromDate, toDate, maxPullRequests))
   }
 
   async getOpen(owner: string, repo: string, maxPullRequests: number): Promise<PullRequestInfo[]> {
-    return sortPrs(await this.repositoryUtils.getOpen(owner, repo, maxPullRequests))
+    return sortPrsByMergedAt(await this.repositoryUtils.getOpen(owner, repo, maxPullRequests))
   }
 
   async getReviews(owner: string, repo: string, pr: PullRequestInfo): Promise<void> {
@@ -221,7 +225,7 @@ export class PullRequests {
   }
 }
 
-function sortPrs(pullRequests: PullRequestInfo[]): PullRequestInfo[] {
+function sortPrsByMergedAt(pullRequests: PullRequestInfo[]): PullRequestInfo[] {
   return sortPullRequests(pullRequests, {
     order: 'ASC',
     on_property: 'mergedAt'
diff --git a/src/pr-collector/types.ts b/src/pr-collector/types.ts
index 9189dcf..43c623f 100644
--- a/src/pr-collector/types.ts
+++ b/src/pr-collector/types.ts
@@ -58,3 +58,20 @@ export interface RegexTransformer {
   method?: 'replace' | 'replaceAll' | 'match' | 'regexr'
   onEmpty?: string
 }
+
+export class GroupedTemplateContext extends Map<string, string[]> {}
+export class TemplateContext extends Map<string, string> {}
+
+export type ChangelogStrings = {
+  categorized: string
+  uncategorized: string
+  open: string
+  ignored: string
+}
+
+export type PrStrings = {
+  categorizedList: string[]
+  uncategorizedList: string[]
+  openList: string[]
+  ignoredList: string[]
+}
diff --git a/src/regexUtils.ts b/src/regexUtils.ts
index 749cf6c..ce2b01e 100644
--- a/src/regexUtils.ts
+++ b/src/regexUtils.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import {validateRegex} from './pr-collector/regexUtils'
 /**
  * Checks if any of the rules match the given PR
  */
-export function matchesRules(rules: Rule[], pr: PullRequestInfo, exhaustive: Boolean): boolean {
-  const transformers: RegexTransformer[] = rules.map(rule => validateRegex(rule)).filter(t => t !== null) as RegexTransformer[]
+export function matchesRules(rules: Rule[], pr: PullRequestInfo, exhaustive: boolean): boolean {
+  const transformers: RegexTransformer[] = rules.map(rule => validateRegex(rule)).filter(t => t !== null)
   if (exhaustive) {
     return transformers.every(transformer => {
       return matches(pr, transformer, 'rule')
diff --git a/src/releaseNotesBuilder.ts b/src/releaseNotesBuilder.ts
index 376b61a..949e3d2 100644
--- a/src/releaseNotesBuilder.ts
+++ b/src/releaseNotesBuilder.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 import * as core from '@actions/core'
 import {Configuration} from './configuration'
 import {checkExportedData, writeCacheData} from './utils'
-import {buildChangelog, PullRequestData} from './transform'
+import {buildChangelog} from './transform'
 import {PullRequestCollector} from './pr-collector/prCollector'
 import {failOrError} from './pr-collector/utils'
 import {TagInfo} from './pr-collector/tags'
 import {DiffInfo} from './pr-collector/commits'
-import {PullRequestInfo} from './pr-collector/pullRequests'
+import {PullRequestData, PullRequestInfo} from './pr-collector/pullRequests'
 import {BaseRepository} from './repositories/BaseRepository'
 
 export interface ReleaseNotesOptions {
diff --git a/src/transform.ts b/src/transform.ts
index 547208a..f3404e3 100644
--- a/src/transform.ts
+++ b/src/transform.ts
@@ -1,38 +1,34 @@
 import * as core from '@actions/core'
-import {Category, Configuration, Placeholder, Property} from './configuration'
-import {createOrSet, haveCommonElementsArr, haveEveryElementsArr} from './utils'
+import {Category, Configuration, Placeholder, PlaceholderGroup, Property} from './configuration'
+import {createOrSet, groupPlaceholders, haveCommonElementsArr, haveEveryElementsArr, mergeMaps} from './utils'
 import {
   CommentInfo,
   EMPTY_COMMENT_INFO,
   EMPTY_PULL_REQUEST_INFO,
+  PullRequestData,
   PullRequestInfo,
   retrieveProperty,
   sortPullRequests
 } from './pr-collector/pullRequests'
 import {DiffInfo} from './pr-collector/commits'
 import {transformStringToOptionalValue, transformStringToValues, validateRegex} from './pr-collector/regexUtils'
-import {Regex, RegexTransformer} from './pr-collector/types'
+import {ChangelogStrings, GroupedTemplateContext, PrStrings, Regex, RegexTransformer, TemplateContext} from './pr-collector/types'
 import {ReleaseNotesOptions} from './releaseNotesBuilder'
 import {matchesRules} from './regexUtils'
 
-const EMPTY_MAP = new Map<string, string>()
 let CLEAR = false
 
 export function clear(): void {
   CLEAR = true
 }
 
-export interface PullRequestData extends PullRequestInfo {
-  childPrs?: PullRequestInfo[]
-}
-
 export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], options: ReleaseNotesOptions): string {
   core.startGroup('📦 Build changelog')
 
   let prs: PullRequestData[] = origPrs
   if (prs.length === 0) {
     core.warning(`⚠️ No pull requests found`)
-    const result = replaceEmptyTemplate(options.configuration.empty_template, options)
+    const result = renderEmptyChangelogTemplate(options.configuration.empty_template, options)
     core.endGroup()
     return result
   }
@@ -123,31 +119,32 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
     }
   }
 
-  // keep reference for the placeholder values
-  const placeholders = new Map<string, Placeholder[]>()
-  for (const ph of config.custom_placeholders || []) {
-    createOrSet(placeholders, ph.source, ph)
-  }
-  const placeholderPrMap = new Map<string, string[]>()
+  const groupedPlaceholders = groupPlaceholders(config.custom_placeholders || [])
+
+  const customPlaceholdersTemplateContext = new GroupedTemplateContext()
 
   const validatedTransformers = validateTransformers(config.transformers)
-  const transformedMap = new Map<PullRequestInfo, string>()
-  // convert PRs to their text representation
-  for (const pr of prs) {
-    transformedMap.set(pr, transform(fillPrTemplate(pr, config.pr_template, placeholders, placeholderPrMap, config), validatedTransformers))
-  }
+
   core.info(`ℹ️ Used ${validatedTransformers.length} transformers to adjust message`)
-  core.info(`✒️ Wrote messages for ${prs.length} pull requests`)
+
+  for (const pr of prs) {
+    const prAsObject = pr as unknown as Record<string, unknown>
+    transformObject(prAsObject, validatedTransformers)
+  }
+
+  core.info(`✒️ Wrote messages for ${prs.length} commits`)
+
+  const prInfoMap = buildInfoMapAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+    prs,
+    config.pr_template,
+    groupedPlaceholders,
+    customPlaceholdersTemplateContext,
+    config
+  )
 
   // bring PRs into the order of categories
   const categories = config.categories
-  const ignoredLabels = config.ignore_labels
-
   const flatCategories = flatten(config.categories)
-  const categorizedPrs: string[] = []
-  const ignoredPrs: string[] = []
-  const openPrs: string[] = []
-  const uncategorizedPrs: string[] = []
 
   // set-up the category object
   for (const category of flatCategories) {
@@ -156,8 +153,109 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
     }
   }
 
+  const prStrings = buildPrStringsAndFillCategoryEntries(prInfoMap, config.ignore_labels, categories, flatCategories)
+  core.info(`ℹ️ Ordered all pull requests into ${categories.length} categories`)
+
+  // serialize and provide the categorized content as json
+  const transformedCategorized = buildCategorizedOutput(flatCategories)
+  core.setOutput('categorized', JSON.stringify(transformedCategorized))
+
+  // construct final changelog
+  const changelogStrings = buildChangelogStrings(flatCategories, prStrings)
+
+  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${changelogStrings.categorized.length} categorized pull requests down`)
+  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${changelogStrings.uncategorized.length} non categorized pull requests down`)
+  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${changelogStrings.open.length} open pull requests down`)
+  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${changelogStrings.ignored.length} ignored pull requests down`)
+
+  core.setOutput('categorized_prs', changelogStrings.categorized.length)
+  core.setOutput('uncategorized_prs', changelogStrings.uncategorized.length)
+  core.setOutput('open_prs', changelogStrings.open.length)
+  core.setOutput('ignored_prs', changelogStrings.ignored.length)
+
+  // collect all contributors
+  const contributorsSet: Set<string> = new Set(prs.map(pr => `@${pr.author}`))
+  const contributorsArray = Array.from(contributorsSet)
+  const contributorsString = contributorsArray.join(', ')
+  const externalContributorString = contributorsArray.filter(value => value !== options.owner).join(', ')
+  core.setOutput('contributors', JSON.stringify(contributorsSet))
+
+  const releaseNotesTemplateContext = buildReleaseNotesTemplateContext(
+    changelogStrings,
+    contributorsString,
+    externalContributorString,
+    prStrings,
+    diffInfo,
+    options
+  )
+
+  let renderedReleaseNotesTemplate = renderTemplateAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+    config.template,
+    releaseNotesTemplateContext,
+    groupedPlaceholders,
+    customPlaceholdersTemplateContext,
+    config
+  )
+
+  renderedReleaseNotesTemplate = renderTemplateWithContext(renderedReleaseNotesTemplate, customPlaceholdersTemplateContext, config)
+  renderedReleaseNotesTemplate = cleanupPrPlaceholders(renderedReleaseNotesTemplate, groupedPlaceholders)
+  renderedReleaseNotesTemplate = cleanupPlaceholders(renderedReleaseNotesTemplate)
+
+  core.info(`ℹ️ Filled template`)
+  core.endGroup()
+
+  return renderedReleaseNotesTemplate
+}
+
+function buildInfoMapAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+  prData: PullRequestData[],
+  template: string,
+  groupedPlaceholders: Map<string, Placeholder[]>,
+  customPlaceholdersTemplateContext: GroupedTemplateContext,
+  config: Configuration
+): Map<PullRequestInfo, string> {
+  const infoMap = new Map<PullRequestInfo, string>()
+
+  for (const pr of prData) {
+    const [prTemplateContext, prArrayTemplateContext] = buildPrTemplateContext(pr)
+
+    let renderedTemplate = template
+
+    renderedTemplate = renderTemplateAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+      renderedTemplate,
+      prArrayTemplateContext,
+      groupedPlaceholders,
+      customPlaceholdersTemplateContext,
+      config
+    )
+
+    renderedTemplate = renderTemplateAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+      renderedTemplate,
+      prTemplateContext,
+      groupedPlaceholders,
+      customPlaceholdersTemplateContext,
+      config
+    )
+
+    infoMap.set(pr, renderedTemplate)
+  }
+
+  return infoMap
+}
+
+function buildPrStringsAndFillCategoryEntries(
+  prInfoMap: Map<PullRequestInfo, string>,
+  ignoredLabels: string[],
+  categories: Category[],
+  flatCategories: Category[]
+): PrStrings {
+  const categorizedPrs: string[] = []
+  const ignoredPrs: string[] = []
+  const openPrs: string[] = []
+  const uncategorizedPrs: string[] = []
+
   // bring elements in order
-  prLoop: for (const [pr, body] of transformedMap) {
+  prLoop: for (const [pr, body] of prInfoMap) {
     if (
       haveCommonElementsArr(
         ignoredLabels.map(lbl => lbl.toLocaleLowerCase('en')),
@@ -184,7 +282,7 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
     if (!matchedOnce) {
       // we allow to have pull requests included in an "uncategorized" category
       for (const category of flatCategories) {
-        const pullRequests = category.entries || []
+        category.entries = category.entries || []
         if ((category.labels === undefined || category.labels.length === 0) && category.rules === undefined) {
           // check if any exclude label matches for the "uncategorized" category
           if (category.exclude_labels !== undefined) {
@@ -194,7 +292,7 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
                 pr.labels
               )
             ) {
-              pullRequests.push(body)
+              category.entries.push(body)
             } else if (core.isDebug()) {
               const excludeLabels = JSON.stringify(category.exclude_labels)
               core.debug(
@@ -202,7 +300,7 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
               )
             }
           } else {
-            pullRequests.push(body)
+            category.entries.push(body)
           }
 
           break
@@ -215,106 +313,126 @@ export function buildChangelog(diffInfo: DiffInfo, origPrs: PullRequestInfo[], o
       categorizedPrs.push(body)
     }
   }
-  core.info(`ℹ️ Ordered all pull requests into ${categories.length} categories`)
 
-  // serialize and provide the categorized content as json
-  const transformedCategorized = {}
-  for (const category of flatCategories) {
-    Object.assign(transformedCategorized, {[category.key || category.title]: category.entries})
+  const prStrings: PrStrings = {
+    categorizedList: categorizedPrs,
+    uncategorizedList: uncategorizedPrs,
+    openList: openPrs,
+    ignoredList: ignoredPrs
   }
-  core.setOutput('categorized', JSON.stringify(transformedCategorized))
 
-  // construct final changelog
-  let changelog = ''
+  return prStrings
+}
+
+function buildChangelogStrings(flatCategories: Category[], prStrings: PrStrings): ChangelogStrings {
+  const {categorizedList, uncategorizedList, openList, ignoredList} = prStrings
+
+  let changelogCategorized = ''
   for (const category of flatCategories) {
     const pullRequests = category.entries || []
-    changelog = attachCategoryChangelog(changelog, category, pullRequests)
+    changelogCategorized += buildCategorizedChangelogString(category, pullRequests)
   }
-  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${categorizedPrs.length} categorized pull requests down`)
   if (core.isDebug()) {
-    for (const pr of categorizedPrs) {
+    for (const pr of categorizedList) {
       core.debug(`    ${pr}`)
     }
   }
-  core.setOutput('categorized_prs', categorizedPrs.length)
 
   let changelogUncategorized = ''
-  for (const pr of uncategorizedPrs) {
+  for (const pr of uncategorizedList) {
     changelogUncategorized = `${changelogUncategorized + pr}\n`
   }
-  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${uncategorizedPrs.length} non categorized pull requests down`)
   if (core.isDebug()) {
-    for (const pr of uncategorizedPrs) {
+    for (const pr of uncategorizedList) {
       core.debug(`    ${pr}`)
     }
   }
-  core.setOutput('uncategorized_prs', uncategorizedPrs.length)
 
   let changelogOpen = ''
-  if (openPrs.length > 0) {
-    for (const pr of openPrs) {
+  if (openList.length > 0) {
+    for (const pr of openList) {
       changelogOpen = `${changelogOpen + pr}\n`
     }
-    core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${openPrs.length} open pull requests down`)
     if (core.isDebug()) {
-      for (const pr of openPrs) {
+      for (const pr of openList) {
         core.debug(`    ${pr}`)
       }
     }
-    core.setOutput('open_prs', openPrs.length)
   }
 
   let changelogIgnored = ''
-  for (const pr of ignoredPrs) {
+  for (const pr of ignoredList) {
     changelogIgnored = `${changelogIgnored + pr}\n`
   }
   if (core.isDebug()) {
-    for (const pr of ignoredPrs) {
+    for (const pr of ignoredList) {
       core.debug(`    ${pr}`)
     }
   }
-  core.info(`✒️ Wrote ${ignoredPrs.length} ignored pull requests down`)
 
-  // collect all contributors
-  const contributorsSet: Set<String> = new Set()
-  for (const pr of prs) {
-    contributorsSet.add(`@${pr.author}`)
+  const changelogStrings: ChangelogStrings = {
+    categorized: changelogCategorized,
+    uncategorized: changelogUncategorized,
+    open: changelogOpen,
+    ignored: changelogIgnored
   }
-  const contributorsArray = Array.from(contributorsSet)
-  const contributorsString = contributorsArray.join(', ')
-  const externalContributorString = contributorsArray.filter(value => value !== options.owner).join(', ')
-  core.setOutput('contributors', JSON.stringify(contributorsSet))
 
-  // fill template
-  const placeholderMap = new Map<string, string>()
-  placeholderMap.set('CHANGELOG', changelog)
-  placeholderMap.set('UNCATEGORIZED', changelogUncategorized)
-  placeholderMap.set('OPEN', changelogOpen)
-  placeholderMap.set('IGNORED', changelogIgnored)
+  return changelogStrings
+}
+
+function buildReleaseNotesTemplateContext(
+  changelogStrings: ChangelogStrings,
+  contributorsString: string,
+  externalContributorString: string,
+  prStrings: PrStrings,
+  diffInfo: DiffInfo,
+  options: ReleaseNotesOptions
+): TemplateContext {
+  const {
+    categorized: changelogCategorized,
+    uncategorized: changelogUncategorized,
+    open: changelogOpen,
+    ignored: changelogIgnored
+  } = changelogStrings
+
+  const {categorizedList, uncategorizedList, openList, ignoredList} = prStrings
+
+  let releaseNotesTemplateContext = new TemplateContext()
+
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('CHANGELOG', changelogCategorized)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('UNCATEGORIZED', changelogUncategorized)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('OPEN', changelogOpen)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('IGNORED', changelogIgnored)
   // fill special collected contributors
-  placeholderMap.set('CONTRIBUTORS', contributorsString)
-  placeholderMap.set('EXTERNAL_CONTRIBUTORS', externalContributorString)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('CONTRIBUTORS', contributorsString)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('EXTERNAL_CONTRIBUTORS', externalContributorString)
   // fill other placeholders
-  placeholderMap.set('CATEGORIZED_COUNT', categorizedPrs.length.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('UNCATEGORIZED_COUNT', uncategorizedPrs.length.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('OPEN_COUNT', openPrs.length.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('IGNORED_COUNT', ignoredPrs.length.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('CATEGORIZED_COUNT', categorizedList.length.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('UNCATEGORIZED_COUNT', uncategorizedList.length.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('OPEN_COUNT', openList.length.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('IGNORED_COUNT', ignoredList.length.toString())
   // code change placeholders
-  placeholderMap.set('CHANGED_FILES', diffInfo.changedFiles.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('ADDITIONS', diffInfo.additions.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('DELETIONS', diffInfo.deletions.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('CHANGES', diffInfo.changes.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('COMMITS', diffInfo.commits.toString())
-  fillAdditionalPlaceholders(options, placeholderMap)
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('CHANGED_FILES', diffInfo.changedFiles.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('ADDITIONS', diffInfo.additions.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('DELETIONS', diffInfo.deletions.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('CHANGES', diffInfo.changes.toString())
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext.set('COMMITS', diffInfo.commits.toString())
 
-  let transformedChangelog = config.template
-  transformedChangelog = replacePlaceholders(transformedChangelog, EMPTY_MAP, placeholderMap, placeholders, placeholderPrMap, config)
-  transformedChangelog = replacePrPlaceholders(transformedChangelog, placeholderPrMap, config)
-  transformedChangelog = cleanupPrPlaceholders(transformedChangelog, placeholders)
-  transformedChangelog = cleanupPlaceholders(transformedChangelog)
-  core.info(`ℹ️ Filled template`)
-  core.endGroup()
-  return transformedChangelog
+  const coreReleasesNotesContext = buildCoreReleaseNotesTemplateContext(options)
+
+  releaseNotesTemplateContext = mergeMaps(releaseNotesTemplateContext, coreReleasesNotesContext)
+
+  return releaseNotesTemplateContext
+}
+
+function buildCategorizedOutput(flatCategories: Category[]): Record<string, string[]> {
+  const transformedCategorized = {}
+
+  for (const category of flatCategories) {
+    Object.assign(transformedCategorized, {[category.key || category.title]: category.entries})
+  }
+
+  return transformedCategorized
 }
 
 function recursiveCategorizePr(category: Category, pr: PullRequestInfo, body: string): boolean[] {
@@ -334,10 +452,11 @@ function recursiveCategorizePr(category: Category, pr: PullRequestInfo, body: st
 
   // if consumed we don't handle it anymore, as it was matched in a child, don't handle anymore
   if (!consumed && !matched) {
-    const pullRequests = category.entries || []
+    category.entries = category.entries || []
+
     matched = matchesParent
     if (matched) {
-      pullRequests.push(body) // if matched add the PR to the list
+      category.entries.push(body) // if matched add the PR to the list
     }
   }
   if (matched && category.consume) {
@@ -401,156 +520,185 @@ function categorizePr(category: Category, pr: PullRequestInfo): boolean {
   return matched
 }
 
-function attachCategoryChangelog(changelog: string, category: Category, pullRequests: string[]): string {
+function buildCategorizedChangelogString(category: Category, pullRequests: string[]): string {
+  let categorizedString = ''
+
   if (pullRequests.length > 0 || hasChildWithEntries(category)) {
     if (category.title) {
-      changelog = `${changelog + category.title}\n\n`
+      categorizedString = `${categorizedString + category.title}\n\n`
     }
 
     for (const pr of pullRequests) {
-      changelog = `${changelog + pr}\n`
+      categorizedString = `${categorizedString + pr}\n`
     }
-    changelog = `${changelog}\n` // add space between sections
+    categorizedString = `${categorizedString}\n` // add space between sections
   } else if (category.empty_content !== undefined) {
     if (category.title) {
-      changelog = `${changelog + category.title}\n\n`
+      categorizedString = `${categorizedString + category.title}\n\n`
     }
-    changelog = `${changelog + category.empty_content}\n\n`
+    categorizedString = `${categorizedString + category.empty_content}\n\n`
   }
-  return changelog
+  return categorizedString
 }
 
-export function replaceEmptyTemplate(template: string, options: ReleaseNotesOptions): string {
+export function renderEmptyChangelogTemplate(template: string, options: ReleaseNotesOptions): string {
   const placeholders = new Map<string, Placeholder[]>()
   for (const ph of options.configuration.custom_placeholders || []) {
     createOrSet(placeholders, ph.source, ph)
   }
-  const placeholderMap = new Map<string, string>()
-  fillAdditionalPlaceholders(options, placeholderMap)
-  return replacePlaceholders(template, EMPTY_MAP, placeholderMap, placeholders, undefined, options.configuration)
+
+  const releaseNotesTemplateContext = buildCoreReleaseNotesTemplateContext(options)
+
+  const renderedEmptyChangelogTemplate = renderTemplateAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+    template,
+    releaseNotesTemplateContext,
+    placeholders,
+    undefined,
+    options.configuration
+  )
+
+  return renderedEmptyChangelogTemplate
 }
 
-function fillAdditionalPlaceholders(
-  options: ReleaseNotesOptions,
-  placeholderMap: Map<string, string> /* placeholderKey and original value */
-): void {
-  placeholderMap.set('OWNER', options.owner)
-  placeholderMap.set('REPO', options.repo)
-  placeholderMap.set('FROM_TAG', options.fromTag.name)
-  placeholderMap.set('FROM_TAG_DATE', options.fromTag.date?.toISOString() || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('TO_TAG', options.toTag.name)
-  placeholderMap.set('TO_TAG_DATE', options.toTag.date?.toISOString() || '')
+function buildCoreReleaseNotesTemplateContext(options: ReleaseNotesOptions): TemplateContext {
+  const templateContext = new TemplateContext()
+
+  templateContext.set('OWNER', options.owner)
+  templateContext.set('REPO', options.repo)
+  templateContext.set('FROM_TAG', options.fromTag.name)
+  templateContext.set('FROM_TAG_DATE', options.fromTag.date?.toISOString() || '')
+  templateContext.set('TO_TAG', options.toTag.name)
+  templateContext.set('TO_TAG_DATE', options.toTag.date?.toISOString() || '')
   const fromDate = options.fromTag.date
   const toDate = options.toTag.date
   if (fromDate !== undefined && toDate !== undefined) {
-    placeholderMap.set('DAYS_SINCE', toDate.diff(fromDate, 'days').toString() || '')
+    templateContext.set('DAYS_SINCE', toDate.diff(fromDate, 'days').toString() || '')
   } else {
-    placeholderMap.set('DAYS_SINCE', '')
+    templateContext.set('DAYS_SINCE', '')
   }
-  placeholderMap.set(
+  templateContext.set(
     'RELEASE_DIFF',
     `${options.repositoryUtils.homeUrl}/${options.owner}/${options.repo}/compare/${options.fromTag.name}...${options.toTag.name}`
   )
+
+  return templateContext
 }
 
-function fillPrTemplate(
-  pr: PullRequestData,
-  template: string,
-  placeholders: Map<string, Placeholder[]> /* placeholders to apply */,
-  placeholderPrMap: Map<string, string[]> /* map to keep replaced placeholder values with their key */,
-  configuration: Configuration
-): string {
-  const arrayPlaceholderMap = new Map<string, string>()
-  fillReviewPlaceholders(arrayPlaceholderMap, 'REVIEWS', pr.reviews || [])
-  fillChildPrPlaceholders(arrayPlaceholderMap, 'REFERENCED', pr.childPrs || [])
-  const placeholderMap = new Map<string, string>()
-  placeholderMap.set('NUMBER', pr.number.toString())
-  placeholderMap.set('TITLE', pr.title)
-  placeholderMap.set('URL', pr.htmlURL)
-  placeholderMap.set('STATUS', pr.status)
-  placeholderMap.set('CREATED_AT', pr.createdAt.toISOString())
-  placeholderMap.set('MERGED_AT', pr.mergedAt?.toISOString() || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('MERGE_SHA', pr.mergeCommitSha)
-  placeholderMap.set('AUTHOR', pr.author)
-  placeholderMap.set('AUTHOR_NAME', pr.authorName || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('LABELS', [...pr.labels]?.filter(l => !l.startsWith('--rcba-'))?.join(', ') || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('MILESTONE', pr.milestone || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('BODY', pr.body)
-  fillArrayPlaceholders(arrayPlaceholderMap, 'ASSIGNEES', pr.assignees || [])
-  placeholderMap.set('ASSIGNEES', pr.assignees?.join(', ') || '')
-  fillArrayPlaceholders(arrayPlaceholderMap, 'REVIEWERS', pr.requestedReviewers || [])
-  placeholderMap.set('REVIEWERS', pr.requestedReviewers?.join(', ') || '')
-  fillArrayPlaceholders(arrayPlaceholderMap, 'APPROVERS', pr.approvedReviewers || [])
-  placeholderMap.set('APPROVERS', pr.approvedReviewers?.join(', ') || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('BRANCH', pr.branch || '')
-  placeholderMap.set('BASE_BRANCH', pr.baseBranch)
-  return replacePlaceholders(template, arrayPlaceholderMap, placeholderMap, placeholders, placeholderPrMap, configuration)
+function buildPrTemplateContext(pr: PullRequestData): [TemplateContext, TemplateContext] {
+  const prTemplateContext = new TemplateContext()
+
+  prTemplateContext.set('NUMBER', pr.number.toString())
+  prTemplateContext.set('TITLE', pr.title)
+  prTemplateContext.set('URL', pr.htmlURL)
+  prTemplateContext.set('STATUS', pr.status)
+  prTemplateContext.set('CREATED_AT', pr.createdAt.toISOString())
+  prTemplateContext.set('MERGED_AT', pr.mergedAt?.toISOString() || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('MERGE_SHA', pr.mergeCommitSha)
+  prTemplateContext.set('AUTHOR', pr.author)
+  prTemplateContext.set('AUTHOR_NAME', pr.authorName || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('LABELS', [...pr.labels]?.filter(l => !l.startsWith('--rcba-'))?.join(', ') || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('MILESTONE', pr.milestone || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('BODY', pr.body)
+  prTemplateContext.set('ASSIGNEES', pr.assignees?.join(', ') || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('REVIEWERS', pr.requestedReviewers?.join(', ') || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('APPROVERS', pr.approvedReviewers?.join(', ') || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('BRANCH', pr.branch || '')
+  prTemplateContext.set('BASE_BRANCH', pr.baseBranch)
+
+  const prArrayTemplateContext = new TemplateContext()
+  fillReviewPlaceholders(prArrayTemplateContext, 'REVIEWS', pr.reviews || [])
+  fillChildPrPlaceholders(prArrayTemplateContext, 'REFERENCED', pr.childPrs || [])
+  fillArrayPlaceholders(prArrayTemplateContext, 'ASSIGNEES', pr.assignees || [])
+  fillArrayPlaceholders(prArrayTemplateContext, 'REVIEWERS', pr.requestedReviewers || [])
+  fillArrayPlaceholders(prArrayTemplateContext, 'APPROVERS', pr.approvedReviewers || [])
+
+  return [prTemplateContext, prArrayTemplateContext]
 }
 
-function replacePlaceholders(
+function renderTemplateAndFillPlaceholderContext(
   template: string,
-  arrayPlaceholderMap: Map<string, string> /* arrayPlaceholderKey and original value */,
-  placeholderMap: Map<string, string> /* placeholderKey and original value */,
-  placeholders: Map<string, Placeholder[]> /* placeholders to apply */,
-  placeholderPrMap: Map<string, string[]> | undefined /* map to keep replaced placeholder values with their key */,
+  templateContext: TemplateContext /* placeholderKey and original value */,
+  customPlaceholders: PlaceholderGroup /* placeholders to apply */,
+  customPlaceholdersTemplateContext: GroupedTemplateContext | undefined /* map to keep replaced placeholder values with their key */,
   configuration: Configuration
 ): string {
   let transformed = template
 
-  // replace array placeholders first
-  for (const [key, value] of arrayPlaceholderMap) {
-    transformed = handlePlaceholder(transformed, key, value, placeholders, placeholderPrMap, configuration)
-  }
-
+  const trimValues = configuration.trim_values
   // replace traditional placeholders
-  for (const [key, value] of placeholderMap) {
-    transformed = handlePlaceholder(transformed, key, value, placeholders, placeholderPrMap, configuration)
+  for (const [key, value] of templateContext) {
+    transformed = transformed.replaceAll(`#{{${key}}}`, trimValues ? value.trim() : value)
+
+    const extractedValues = extractPlaceholderValuesAndFillPlaceholderContext(
+      key,
+      value,
+      customPlaceholders,
+      customPlaceholdersTemplateContext
+    )
+
+    for (const [placeholderName, extractedValue] of extractedValues) {
+      transformed = transformed.replaceAll(`#{{${placeholderName}}}`, trimValues ? extractedValue.trim() : extractedValue)
+    }
   }
 
   return transformed
 }
 
-function handlePlaceholder(
-  template: string,
+function extractPlaceholderValuesAndFillPlaceholderContext(
   key: string,
   value: string,
-  placeholders: Map<string, Placeholder[]> /* placeholders to apply */,
-  placeholderPrMap: Map<string, string[]> | undefined /* map to keep replaced placeholder values with their key */,
-  configuration: Configuration
-): string {
-  let transformed = template.replaceAll(`#{{${key}}}`, configuration.trim_values ? value.trim() : value)
-  // replace custom placeholders
-  const phs = placeholders.get(key)
-  if (phs) {
-    for (const placeholder of phs) {
-      const transformer = validateRegex(placeholder.transformer)
-      if (transformer?.pattern) {
-        const extractedValue = transformStringToOptionalValue(value, transformer)
-        // note: `.replace` will return the full string again if there was no match
-        // note: This is mostly backwards compatibility
-        if (extractedValue && ((transformer.method && transformer.method !== 'replace') || extractedValue !== value)) {
-          if (placeholderPrMap) {
-            createOrSet(placeholderPrMap, placeholder.name, extractedValue)
-          }
-          transformed = transformed.replaceAll(
-            `#{{${placeholder.name}}}`,
-            configuration.trim_values ? extractedValue.trim() : extractedValue
-          )
+  customPlaceholders: PlaceholderGroup,
+  customPlaceholdersTemplateContext: GroupedTemplateContext | undefined
+): TemplateContext {
+  // Replace custom placeholders
+  const placeholdersForKey = customPlaceholders.get(key)
 
-          if (core.isDebug()) {
-            core.debug(`    Custom Placeholder successfully matched data - ${extractedValue} (${placeholder.name})`)
-          }
-        } else if (core.isDebug() && extractedValue === value) {
-          core.debug(`    Custom Placeholder did result in the full original value returned. Skipping. (${placeholder.name})`)
-        }
+  const extractedValues = new TemplateContext()
+
+  if (!placeholdersForKey) {
+    return extractedValues
+  }
+
+  for (const placeholder of placeholdersForKey) {
+    const extractedValue = extractTransformedValue(value, placeholder)
+
+    if (extractedValue) {
+      extractedValues.set(placeholder.name, extractedValue)
+
+      if (customPlaceholdersTemplateContext) {
+        createOrSet(customPlaceholdersTemplateContext, placeholder.name, extractedValue)
       }
     }
   }
-  return transformed
+
+  return extractedValues
+}
+
+function extractTransformedValue(value: string, placeholder: Placeholder): string | undefined {
+  const transformer = validateRegex(placeholder.transformer)
+
+  if (!transformer?.pattern) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+
+  const extractedValue = transformStringToOptionalValue(value, transformer)
+
+  if (extractedValue && ((transformer.method && transformer.method !== 'replace') || extractedValue !== value)) {
+    if (core.isDebug()) {
+      core.debug(`    Custom Placeholder successfully matched data - ${extractedValue} (${placeholder.name})`)
+    }
+    return extractedValue
+  }
+
+  if (core.isDebug() && extractedValue === value) {
+    core.debug(`    Custom Placeholder did result in the full original value returned. Skipping. (${placeholder.name})`)
+  }
+
+  return undefined
 }
 
 function fillArrayPlaceholders(
-  placeholderMap: Map<string, string> /* placeholderKey and original value */,
+  placeholderMap: TemplateContext /* placeholderKey and original value */,
   key: string,
   values: string[]
 ): void {
@@ -562,7 +710,7 @@ function fillArrayPlaceholders(
 }
 
 function fillReviewPlaceholders(
-  placeholderMap: Map<string, string> /* placeholderKey and original value */,
+  placeholderMap: TemplateContext /* placeholderKey and original value */,
   parentKey: string,
   values: CommentInfo[]
 ): void {
@@ -580,7 +728,7 @@ function fillReviewPlaceholders(
 }
 
 function fillChildPrPlaceholders(
-  placeholderMap: Map<string, string> /* placeholderKey and original value */,
+  placeholderMap: TemplateContext /* placeholderKey and original value */,
   parentKey: string,
   values: PullRequestInfo[]
 ): void {
@@ -597,13 +745,13 @@ function fillChildPrPlaceholders(
   }
 }
 
-function replacePrPlaceholders(
+function renderTemplateWithContext(
   template: string,
-  placeholderPrMap: Map<string, string[]> /* map with all pr related custom placeholder values */,
+  templateContext: GroupedTemplateContext /* map with all pr related custom placeholder values */,
   configuration: Configuration
 ): string {
   let transformed = template
-  for (const [key, values] of placeholderPrMap) {
+  for (const [key, values] of templateContext) {
     for (let i = 0; i < values.length; i++) {
       transformed = transformed.replaceAll(`#{{${key}[${i}]}}`, configuration.trim_values ? values[i].trim() : values[i])
     }
@@ -612,7 +760,7 @@ function replacePrPlaceholders(
   return transformed
 }
 
-function cleanupPrPlaceholders(template: string, placeholders: Map<string, Placeholder[]>): string {
+function cleanupPrPlaceholders(template: string, placeholders: PlaceholderGroup): string {
   let transformed = template
   for (const [, phs] of placeholders) {
     for (const ph of phs) {
@@ -630,6 +778,27 @@ function cleanupPlaceholders(template: string): string {
   return transformed
 }
 
+function transformObject(obj: Record<string, unknown>, transformers: RegexTransformer[]): void {
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(obj)) {
+    if (value === undefined) {
+      continue
+    }
+    if (Array.isArray(value)) {
+      if (value.every(item => typeof item === 'string')) {
+        // If the array contains only strings, apply the transformation to each string
+        obj[key] = value.map(item => transform(item, transformers))
+      } else {
+        // If the array contains objects, recursively apply the transformation to each object
+        for (const child of value) {
+          transformObject(child as Record<string, unknown>, transformers)
+        }
+      }
+    } else if (typeof value === 'string') {
+      obj[key] = transform(value, transformers)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 function transform(filled: string, transformers: RegexTransformer[]): string {
   if (transformers.length === 0) {
     return filled
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index e3c9884..fc462d7 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import * as core from '@actions/core'
 import * as fs from 'fs'
 import * as path from 'path'
-import {Configuration, DefaultCommitConfiguration, DefaultConfiguration} from './configuration'
+import {Configuration, DefaultCommitConfiguration, DefaultConfiguration, Placeholder} from './configuration'
 import moment from 'moment'
 import {DiffInfo} from './pr-collector/commits'
 import {PullRequestInfo} from './pr-collector/pullRequests'
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ export function resolveMode(mode: string | undefined, commitMode: boolean): 'PR'
   }
 
   if (mode !== undefined) {
-    const upperCaseMode = mode.toUpperCase();
+    const upperCaseMode = mode.toUpperCase()
     if (upperCaseMode === 'COMMIT') {
       return 'COMMIT'
     } else if (upperCaseMode === 'HYBRID') {
@@ -243,6 +243,27 @@ export function createOrSet<T>(map: Map<string, T[]>, key: string, value: T): vo
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Groups an array of Placeholder objects by their source attribute.
+ *
+ * @param {Placeholder[]} placeholders - An array of Placeholder objects to be grouped.
+ * @returns {Map<string, Placeholder[]>} A map where the key is the source attribute of the Placeholder objects,
+ * and the value is an array of Placeholder objects that share the same source attribute.
+ */
+export function groupPlaceholders(placeholders: Placeholder[]): Map<string, Placeholder[]> {
+  const map = new Map<string, Placeholder[]>()
+  for (const ph of placeholders) {
+    const key = ph.source
+    const entry = map.get(key)
+    if (entry === undefined) {
+      map.set(key, [ph])
+    } else {
+      entry.push(ph)
+    }
+  }
+  return map
+}
+
 export function haveCommonElements(arr1: string[], arr2: Set<string>): boolean {
   return arr1.some(item => arr2.has(item))
 }
@@ -258,3 +279,7 @@ export function haveEveryElements(arr1: string[], arr2: Set<string>): boolean {
 export function haveEveryElementsArr(arr1: string[], arr2: string[]): boolean {
   return haveEveryElements(arr1, new Set(arr2))
 }
+
+export function mergeMaps<T, U>(map1: Map<T, U>, map2: Map<T, U>): Map<T, U> {
+  return new Map<T, U>([...map1, ...map2])
+}