How to create a smart template with the Template Designer?

About this article

This article will explain which high-level steps one should go through to create a smart template in Templafy, it will be assumed that the user profile form, as well as the necessary data sources, are already created and ready to be utilized. 

 

Prerequisites

Library and at least one Dynamics modules enabled Templafy Desktop and Office VSTO add-in installed Tenant admin/owner access or Space owner access

 

How to create a smart template with the Template Designer?

Creating a best-in-class smart template with the Template Designer can require up to 7 different steps: 

1. Inspecting the requirements for the smart template
2. Enabling the desired file as a smart template 
3. Creating a response form when applicable 
4. Adding the required smart fields in the template 
5. Setting the document settings and properties necessary for the template
6. Uploading and verifying that the smart template is behaving as expected
7. Distributing the template to all relevant users 

Please note that all these steps are an indication and are not always required.

 

1. Inspecting the requirement for the smart template

Before transforming a file from static to smart and dynamic, it is recommended to inspect the required file to get a better understanding of which data will be required and where it can be pulled from. 

 

Example with the letter template in Word where the information that will come from the user profile is highlighted in green, the information that will come from the response form in yellow, and the information coming directly from a data source in blue.

 

Going through this exercise will allow for a better understanding of the steps required to finalize the template. For example, if no information is needed from the response form it means that step 3 can be skipped. 

 

Remember to keep track of the document settings and properties that need to be set up for the smart template as these will be hidden inside the document and not necessarily visible on the template.

 

2. Enabling the desired file as a smart template 

In order to start creating a smart template, the first step is to enable the desired dynamic capabilities on the desired file: 

1. Open the desired file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
2. Open the Template Designer 
3. Click the Create template button
   • The file will be enabled as a template and the document updater will be activated by default, this can be edited in the Template Designer settings 
   • Additional tabs will appear in the Template Designer allowing to build the dynamic components necessary for the smart template 

Example in Word

 

3. Creating a response form when applicable

Some of the information required for the smart template might require creating questions for the end-user to answer in order to fill in the template. Creating questions can be done through the response form available in the Form tab of the Template Designer. 

1. In the Template Designer, navigate to the Form tab
2. Click on the Add question button and choose the desired question type
   
   • Text: allow the user to input free text in the response form
   • Date: allow the user to pick a date in the response form
   • Number: allow the user to only input numbers in the response form
   • Dropdown: allow the user to select an answer from a list originating from data sources in the response form?
   • Flexible dropdown: allow the user to select an answer from a list originating from data sources or input a different answer in the response form
   • Data Connector: allow the user to select an answer from a list originating from external data sources in the response form
   • Checkbox: allow the user to check or uncheck a checkbox in the response form
   • Header: add guidance or supportive description in the response form
   • Description: add guidance or supportive description in the response form
3. Click Add to form
4. Repeat the above steps as many times as required to create the necessary form

Example of adding a date picker in the response form as well as the preview of the overall response form that will be presented to the end-users

 

Once the questions have been created they can be reordered, edited, or deleted. Once the response form has been created, it can be previewed by clicking on Preview form in the Form tab. Dropdowns and flexible dropdowns can be filtered to narrow down the results

 

4. Adding the required smart fields in the template 

Based on the information that should be injected into the smart template, the relevant smart fields should be added to the template through the Template tab. 

Please note that the Template tab is only available in Word and PowerPoint, injecting information into a Spreadsheet for Excel or Google Sheets can be done through the Header Footer in the Advanced tab.

1. In the Template Designer, navigate to the Template tab
2. In the template, place the cursor or select the area where the smart field should be inserted
3. In the Template Designer, click on the relevant smart field and select the required data 
   • User profile: insert user profile information in a template
   • Form responses: insert answers from the response form in a template
   • Data: insert specific data from a data source in a template
   • External data: insert specific data from an external data source in a template
   • Text element (in Word only): dynamically insert text elements from the Library in a document
   • Slide(s) (in PowerPoint only): dynamically insert slides from the Library in a presentation
   • Group (in Word only): group elements to adjust their visibility
   • Custom text binding: insert custom text bindings to accommodate complex use cases
   • Custom image binding: insert custom image bindings to accommodate complex use cases
   • Custom repeating group: repeat specific items from an array based on variable data input
   • Repeating item (only displayed once an adaptive section was created for a Data connector): repeat specific items from an array based on variable data input
4. Click Add to template
5. Repeat the above steps as many times as required to create the necessary smart fields

Example of adding a user profile information and a form response into a template

 

Once a smart field is created it will be displayed in the Template Designer, the smart fields can be clicked to locate their position inside the template.  To create complex smart fields, one can utilize functions, conditions, and operators either by editing the binding within the element or by using a Custom text bindingsmart field.

 

5. Setting the template settings and properties necessary for the template

In addition to smart fields, specific template settings and properties can be added to a smart template through the Advanced tab. In order to utilize the Advanced tab, one must understand the binding syntax to generate the expected result. 

1. In the Template Designer, navigate to the Advanced tab
2. Click Add property and select the desired setting or property
   • Color Theme: apply color themes to a template
   • Document Name: set the name of a template
   • Proofing Language: set the proofing language of a template
   • Image Header (in Word only): set the image header of a document
   • Header Footer (in Excel only): set the header or footer of a spreadsheet
   • Page Setup (in Word only): set the page layout of a document
   • Document Property: document property in the metadata of a template
   • Custom document property: set a custom document property in the metadata of a template
   • Custom XML Value / DateTime Value / Managed Metadata: set a custom XML value in the metadata of a template
3. Click Add to document

Example of adding the subject response form as document name and the user profile name as an author of a template

 

To create complex bindings in template settings and properties, one can utilize functions, conditions, and operators.

 

6. Uploading and verifying that the smart template is behaving as expected

Once the smart template contains all the desired questions in the response form, smart fields, and template settings and properties, it is recommended to verify that the template is behaving as expected before deploying it to all relevant users. 

1. In Admin Center, navigate to the relevant Library
2. Navigate to a filtered folder or create a filtered folder
3. Upload the smart template into the filtered folder
4. Access the Library WebApp or the relevant application 
5. Create the smart template and verify its behavior
   • The response form behaves as expected
   • Smart fields are created as expected
   • The template settings and properties are generated as expected

The response form can be tested within the Template Designer directly by using the Preview form button in the Form tab.

 

7. Distributing the template to all relevant users 

Once the smart template, it can safely be distributed to the rest of the users. To do so, one can: 

• Either remove the filter on the folder
• Move the smart template into another folder available to end-users

 

Related articles

What are Dynamics and smart templates? What data can be used to create a smart template? What is the binding syntax used in smart templates? What are smart fields? What is a response form? What are functions, conditions, and operators? What are template settings and properties?