Templates can be set up and maintained by an FYI Admin, or a user in a User Group with Permissions enabled for Templates (refer to Managing Users and Managing User Groups).
You can create FYI Templates for Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the following ways:
- Create Templates directly in FYI in the same way as you would create Word, Spreadsheet or Presentation documents in FYI.
- Create the Templates and copy and paste the images and text from existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and make any modifications in FYI.
- Drag and Drop an existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint file onto the Knowledge - Templates list to import the file
- Where you have an existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint file (such as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx) you can create the Word, Spreadsheet or Presentation template and then upload the file in the Upload section of the drawer.
- Stationery for Word is created in the same way as Templates but with the addition of ticking the Stationery indicator to mark them as Stationery. Refer to Creating Stationery for Word.
Creating Word, Spreadsheet and Presentation Templates in FYI
There are the following steps when creating the Template:
Step 1 - Create the Template and select the Template Filing details
Step 2 - Add the Template Contents
Step 3 - Set the Template Status and, if required, the AutoFile Defaults
Note: When you create a new template, by default the Status is set to "Draft". If you have the "Active" view selected, the newly created Draft template will not be shown. Before creating a new template, it is recommended to change the selected view to "All" so it includes the Draft templates.
Step 1 - Create the Template and select the Template Filing details
- From FYI, click the Knowledge menu option.
- Go to the Templates tab.
- Click the drop-down next to the Create template button and select Word, Spreadsheet or Presentation.
- Select the Filing details for the Template itself. This determines how it shows in the Knowledge Templates list.
Note: The Cabinet is always set to Templates, and cannot be changed.
- Enter the Template Name. This identifies the template internally and is displayed when selecting the Template when creating a document. Make sure this clearly describes when the Template should be used.
- Enter the Name. This is the name that is used when a document is created from the template and is displayed as the Name in Document Lists.
Once the template has been created, Merge Fields can be added to customise the Name each time a document is created.
- Click Create
The Office document opens in Office online or desktop, according to your default settings.
Step 2 - Add the Template Contents
The Template contents are entered in the same way via Office online or desktop as when you create any document in FYI.
You can enter the information directly, or copy and paste it from a pre-prepared document.
If you want to upload an existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint file (such as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx) for this step close the office application and continue to set the Template Status and, if required, the AutoFile Defaults as in step 3 below. Then use the Upload section of the drawer to upload the file.
Important Note: If you want to include Merge Fields, Bookmarks, and fields such as the Office Date function in the Template, you need to edit the Template contents using the desktop version of Word.
These functions are not available if you are using the online version of Word.
You also need to edit Template contents in Word desktop if you will be inserting Merge Fields from a pre-prepared document or from the FYI Merge Fields Glossary (refer to Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery and Merge Fields Glossary).
Step 3 - Set the Template Status and update Filing Details
When you close the document in Office, the drawer for the Template displays.
Initially, the Status of the Template is set to "Draft" so if you want to set this as "Active" you do this in the Filing section of the drawer.
- Select the Status as "Active", "Draft" or "Archived". A template will only be available to select when creating documents if the status is "Active".
- To customise the Document Name when created from a template, add Merge Fields to the Name field. For example "{{ ClientName }}" to insert the Client Name. Advanced formatting options are also available, to add and format a date, or perform calculations. Refer to Formatting Merge Fields and Merge Fields Glossary.
- When creating a Spreadsheet Template, if you are including Merge Fields, enable either Merge Names (using Excel best-practice) or Merge Fields (for the codes via the Email Template Editor). Refer to Including Merge Names in Excel Templates and Including Merge Fields in Excel Templates.
- You can optionally update the AutoFile Defaults to select the Cabinet and Categories used when a document is created from the template, providing the user has access to the relevant Cabinet. The AutoFile Defaults for Cabinet and Categories in the selected Template will override any Filing Defaults set at the Client, User or Practice level.
These are optional and can be left blank if preferred. You can also select only one, for example, just the Cabinet. When the document is created, the AutoFile Defaults Cabinet and Category from the Template can be changed if the user needs to.
- You can Preview the Template contents in the Preview pane and make further changes if needed.
Comments can be added to a template, for example, if you want to advise any users that it is available, or if you need a user to make some changes. Comments on Templates are added and used in the same as for other FYI documents. Refer to Adding Comments and Notifying Team Members.
When you have finished editing, click I am finished editing.
Uploading a File with the Upload Section
Where you have an existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint file (such as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx) you can upload the file to the Word, Spreadsheet or Presentation template.
- Create the Word, Spreadsheet or Presentation template as above.
- Click I am finished editing.
- Edit the template as above.
- Upload the file in the Upload section of the drawer.
Click Choose a file to select the filename from Windows Explorer.
Or drag and drop the file onto the Choose a file area in the template drawer.
Drag and Drop to Create a Template
You can import Word, Excel or PowerPoint Files to use in FYI Templates. This is useful if you already have files prepared in your practice that contain all the images and text that will be brought into the Template.
- Create or locate the Word, Excel or PowerPoint files with any standard text, layout or format that you want to import as a Template or Word Stationery in FYI.
- Drag and drop one or more files onto the Knowledge - Templates tab.
- The Import drawer displays.
The Cabinet is automatically set as "Templates" and you can change the categories for the Template Filing if relevant to the Templates being created.
- The Template Name and Name will be automatically set to the file name.
- Update the Template Name if required. This identifies the template internally and is displayed when selecting the Template when creating a document. Make sure this clearly describes when the Template should be used.
- Update the Name if required. This is the name that is used when a document is created from the template and is displayed as the Name in Document Lists.
To customise the Name each time a document is created, Merge Fields can be added to the Name field, for example "{{ ClientName }}" to insert the Client Name. Refer to the Merge Fields Glossary for a list of available Merge Fields.
- Click Create.
The Template is created from the imported file(s). This automatically selects the relevant type of Template to create (according to the type(s) of file imported) and adds the file name as the name of the Template.
- Where a single file has been dragged and dropped, the Template drawer displays.
Where multiple files have been dragged and dropped, select each in turn to display the drawer
You can expand the Filing section to change any of the template's Filing details and set the Status if required.
If relevant, you can set the AutoFile Defaults for the Cabinet and Categories that will be set when the Template is used to create a document.
You can Preview or edit the Template contents and make any changes as needed (refer below to Making Changes to a Template) and you can add Comments.
You can change the file using the Upload section.
Adding a Signature Bookmark to a Word Template
You can add a Word Bookmark to a Template to indicate where the user's Signature will be positioned if the user adds their digital signature to the document. The Signature Bookmark could alternatively be added to the Word Stationery. Refer to Adding a Signature Bookmark to Word Stationery in Creating Stationery for Word.
Note: If a Template is selected and contains a Page Break on the first page before the Signature bookmark, the signature will appear on the next page.
The Bookmark is used to position the signature image when a user clicks Insert Signature in the FYI Drawer when editing the document in Word. If the Signature Bookmark is not included in the Template (or in the Word Stationery that is being used), a user can still add their digital signature by first positioning the cursor in the document where they want the signature to display and then click Insert Signature. Refer to Inserting your Signature into a Document.
Important Note: Adding the Signature Bookmark to a Word Template must be done using the desktop version of Word. This functionality is not available in the online version of Word.
To add a Bookmark with the name "Signature".
- Position the cursor in the location where you want the digital signature to be positioned when a user clicks Insert Signature in the FYI Drawer when editing the Word document.
- In the Word menu, select Insert.
- Select Bookmark on the menu.
- Enter the Bookmark name as "Signature". The Bookmark is case-sensitive and must be added as "Signature".
- Click Add.
Creating Templates with Merge Fields
For full information, refer to Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery and Including Merge Fields in Excel Templates.
Note: The Signature Merge Field is not used to add a user's digital signature to a document. It is used to indicate where the recipient has to sign when sending documents for signature to a signing service.
Refer to the Merge Fields Glossary for a list of available Merge Fields.
Making Changes to a Template
You can make changes to the Template Filing details or to the AutoFile Defaults at any time. You can also upload a different file if needed.
- Select the Template in the Knowledge - Templates list to display the drawer.
- Expand the Filing or AutoFile Defaults section and make any changes. In the Upload section, you can select a different file (.docx, .xlsx or .pptx as relevant) to add the contents to the template.
Changes to the Filing, AutoFile Defaults or content are recorded in the Activity
You can make changes to the contents of the Templates in the same way as any document in FYI. Refer to Opening, Editing and Finish Editing Documents.
- Edit the document, either via the browser or the desktop version of Office.
Important Note: If you want to make any changes to Merge Fields, Bookmarks and Fields in the Template, you need to edit the Template contents using the desktop version of Word.
- Make changes as required.
- Close the Office application.
- In the drawer for the Template, click I am finished editing.
Versions
When the contents of a template are changed and you have finished editing, this updates the current version. You can see a record of the versions in the Versions section in the drawer of the Template. If you have selected a previous version of the document, you can select Set as Current, Read or Delete (to delete the selected version). Refer to Version History and Creating a New Document Version.
Archiving or Deleting a Template or Word Stationery
You can archive a Template by setting the Status to "Archived". A template will only be available for selection if it has a status of "Active".
You can delete a Template by selecting it in the Templates list and clicking Delete.
- If you need to archive or delete a Template or Word Stationery, first check if it has been used in any automations (refer to Automation Process Steps and Process Step Details - Creating Documents and Tasks).
Note: There is currently no restore facility for deleted Templates or Stationery. In the interim, instead of deleting a Template or Stationery that is not in use, we recommend setting the Status to "Archived".