Viewing and Editing Document Templates
Overview
This page details how to view, edit, and configure document template metadata and content. Document template content is edited using the AceOffix editor.
Editing Document Template Metadata
To edit document template metadata:
Navigate to Admin > Document Templates.
Click the Open button next to an existing template, or click the Add New Document Template button to create a new one.
Main Fields
The following fields appear on the Configure Document Template page.
Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Template Name | The name of the document template. |
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Template Description | An internal description of the document template. |
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Security Classification | Visibility settings for the template (public, internal, or authorized users). |
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Functional Area | The functional area to which documents made using this template apply. |
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Document Category | The category to which documents made using this template apply. | Custom categories can be configured to group templates. |
Program Area | The program area related to the template. | This value is derived from the selected document category. |
Base Datasource | The merge field list available for the template. |
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Dynamic Datasources | The forms and reports from which fields in the document template can be merged. | Available forms depend on the selected functional area:
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Right Sidebar Fields
The following fields are available in the right sidebar of the Configure Document Template page.
Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Inactive/Active | A toggle that controls the template’s availability for use. | When saving changes to an active document template in a production environment, a dialog box appears prompting the user to provide a description of the edits made. |
Allow multiple documents to be finalized | The option to allow more than one document to be generated for a given entity using this template. | If unchecked, only one document may be generated for a given entity using this template. |
Auto-create event upon finalization | The option to automatically create a new “Document Generated” event when a document is generated using this template. | Notifications can also be configured to be sent when an event is created by adding a system action for the corresponding functional area event. |
Allow security classification changes | The option to allow the security classification of documents generated using this template to be changed. |
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Allow file name changes | The option to prompt users to enter a unique name for a document made from this template before it is generated. | If unchecked, the name of the generated document will be the same as the template name. |
Prefix Generated File Name with Record Identifier | The option to add the current record’s business identifier (such as the permit number, compliance action number, or site number) to the beginning of the name of a document generated using this template. |
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An audit of metadata changes made over time. |
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The Preview Button
The AceOffix browser plug-in and a local installation of Microsoft Word are required to preview document template content.
Clicking the Preview button at the bottom of the Configure Document Template page opens a read-only version of the template with actual data merged from the selected source.
Editing Document Template Content using AceOffix
The AceOffix browser plug-in and a local installation of Microsoft Word are required to edit document template content.
To edit template content:
Navigate to Admin > Document Templates.
Click the Open button next to an existing template, or click the Add New Document Template button to create a new one. Clicking either button opens a page on which a template can be configured.
Click the Edit button. This opens the template in an AceOffix window, where the document appears as an editable Microsoft Word file with a list of available insertable fields in a panel on the left side of the screen.
When the AceOffix editor is open, a pop-up window will indicate that AceOffix is running separately from the main application.
Insertable Fields
The following insertable fields can be added to templates to dynamically merge data from the system into a document:
Single Insertable Fields: Appear in non-bold text and are inserted as placeholders (for example,
<<[FieldName]>>).Looping Insertable Fields: Appear in bold text and represent repeating data structures (for example, a list of contacts). These use
<<foreach [item in items]>> … <</foreach>>syntax.
The available fields are determined by the data sources selected on the Configure Document Template page (see above).
To insert a field:
Double-click a non-bold field to insert it at the cursor location.
Double-click a bold field to insert a loop structure at the cursor location.
Click a bold field once to display its available subfields.
For more information on looping and advanced syntax, see the Using Loops in Document Templates page.
Variables, Formulas, Formatting Content and Controlling Logic
Document templates are powerful tools that can generate complicated documents based on logic and data sources. They can also perform data manipulation and calculations. For more information and to explore some of the codes that can be used in a document template, see the Document Template Syntax Guide page.
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