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

Updated August 23, 2024 11:44

About this article

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

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

Prerequisites

Library and at least one Dynamics module 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

The document property Title sets the name for a document created with Word*.
When you (also) want to set the name for a document created with the Templafy WebApp then you need to use the Document Name.
If the property that should be set in the template isn't displayed in the document properties, a custom document property can be created.
Document properties are only supported with files that are stored in Template Libraries (Documents, Presentations and Spreadsheets).
Assets (Text elements**, Email elements, Slides and Slide elements) will inherit document properties from the Document, Presentation or Spreadsheet upon insertion.

* Set the name with document property Title is not supported with PowerPoint (this is a Microsoft limitation).
** Only when a text element is opened directly from the WebApp (as if it were a document) then a configured document property will work.

How to set a document property in a smart template

When building the template settings and properties, the Document Property can be used to set the standard properties for the smart template. To set the Document Property follow the steps below:

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, for example Creator.
Enter a static value or the required binding in Property Value, for example {{UserProfile.Name}}.
Click Add to document.

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

Document properties examples

Example 1

Using Document Property to always use 'MyCompany' (without quotes) as the Company property.

Binding	MyCompany
Output	Company property = "MyCompany"

Example 2

Using the Document Property to set the Subject property of the template based on the value of thet 'Subject' question originating from the response form.

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

Example 3

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

Binding	{{Form.Category.Name}}
Input	"Contract"	"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 document by combining the text 'Memo', the value of the 'Subject' question originating from the response form and the 'Name' field originating from the user profile, separated by a space.

Binding	{{StringJoin(" ", "Memo", Form.Subject, UserProfile.Name)}}
Output	Title property = "Memo Invitation Jane Doe"	Title property = "Memo Party John Doe"

Binding

Input

Subject = "Invitation"

Name = "Jane Doe"

Subject = "Party"

Name = "John Doe"

Output

Title property = "Memo Invitation Jane Doe"

Title property = "Memo Party John Doe"

If you use "-" or "_" as separator (e.g. {{StringJoin("_", "Memo", Form.Subject, UserProfile.Name)}} then the output will not be e.g. "Memo_Party_John Doe.docx" but "Memo.docx" as the name will be truncated by Word (this is a Microsoft limitation). So it's best not to use "-" or "_" as separator.
If you (also) want to set the title for a document created with the Templafy WebApp then use the Document Name.

In Template Designer the binding {{StringJoin(" ", "Memo", Form.Subject, UserProfile.Name)}} is used:

When a document is created then in the Properties form and 'Save As' dialog the result looks like this:

The default behavior of the 'Save As' dialog in Word:
- If the 'Title' field contains a value (like in the screenshot above) then that name
is suggested as file name.
- If the 'Title' field is empty then (part of) the first line of text in the document is used.
- If the document is empty then e.g. 'Doc1.docx' is suggested (when the document is 'Document1').

Related to

metadata document templates document property document name title property

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