How to set a document property in the metadata of a template?

About this article

This article will explain what the document properties are and provide examples of how they can be utilized with the binding syntax in smart templates.

What are document properties?
How to set document properties in a smart template?
Document properties examples

Prerequisites

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

What are document properties?

Document properties are data that sit on top of the document, they are also known as metadata. Document properties are often used for archiving purposes in Document Management Systems (DMS) such as SharePoint. These values can be set statically using plain text or dynamically using the binding syntax.

Standard document properties available

Document

Category sets the Categories property in the template
Creator sets the Author property in the template
Description sets the Comments property in the template
Keywords sets the Tags property in the template
Subject sets the Subject property in the template
Title sets the Title property in the template
Manager sets the Manager property in the template
Company sets the Company property in the template
Hyperlink Base sets the Hyperlink Base property in the template
Status sets the Status property in the template

If the property that should be set in the template isn't displayed in the document properties, custom properties can be created.
Document properties are only supported with files that will be stored in the Template Libraries (Documents, Presentations, and Spreadsheets Libraries). Assets (Text elements, Email elements, Slides, and Slide elements Libraries) will inherit from the setting upon insertion.

How to set a document property in a smart template?

When building the template settings and properties, the Document Property can be utilized to set the standard properties for the smart template. Setting the Document Property can be achieved by following these steps:

In the Template Designer, navigate to the Advanced tab
Click Add property
Select Document Property in the Type dropdown
Select the desired property in the Property Name dropdown
Enter a static value or the required binding in Property Value
Optionally, set an additional option to the property
- Disable updates: Disallow the setting from being updated after its generation when edited by the user through the document content updater. This option will not be visible if the document content updater is not enabled on the smart template.
Click Add to document
- The Document Property will be added to the smart template

Once the property has been created, it can be edited or deleted.

Document properties examples

Example 1

Using the Document Property to always use "My Company" as the Company property

Binding	"My Company"
Output	`Company` property = "My Company"

Example 2

Using the Document Property to set the Subject property of the template based on the "Subject" question originating from the response form

Binding	{{Form.Subject}}
Input	"RFP"	"Memo"
Output	`Subject` property = "RFP"	`Subject` property = "Memo"

Example 3

Using the Document Property to set the Category property of the template based on the "Category" dropdown question originating from the response form

Binding	{{UserProfile.Office.BrandedTheme.ColorTheme}}
Input	Form.Category.Name = "Contract"	Form.Category.Name = "Proposal"
Output	`Category` property = "Contract"	`Category` property = "Proposal"

Example 4

Using the Document Property together with the StringJoin() function to set the Title property of the template based on the "Subject" question originating from the response form and the "Name" field originating from the user profile, separated by a space

Binding {{StringJoin(" ", Form.Subject, UserProfile.Name)}}

Input

Subject = "Invitation"

FullName = "Jane Doe"

Subject = "Memo"

FullName = "John Doe"

Output Title property = "Invitation Jane Doe.docx" Title property = "Memo John Doe.docx"

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