This guide will walk you through how to create and manage templates in SiteCapture.
What is a Template?
A template is the preset that defines the structure of your projects. They are often built to closely integrate with other features while providing the baseline fields for your team to fill out.
How Do I View My Templates?
Go to Admin > Templates.
You will now see your templates, each in one of three states: Published, Draft, or Inactive.
You can view a template's current configuration by clicking View under Actions.
You will see the template's current sections, fields, and settings.
Create a New Template
To keep your project information and [fields] consistent, we recommend creating from an existing template in your portal to build your new template around.
If your company utilizes [container projects], you will need to ensure that all project information [field keys] in your new template are identical to the fields in your container template. The easiest way to make sure of this is by cloning your container template.
Create from an Existing Template
See the below steps to create a new template from existing.
1. Click on the three dots to the right of the template name and select Create new from...
2. Enter the new template's name, and either type or generate the template key; then click Create.
3. Your new template will be created as a draft. Now you can revise the template by editing template settings (if needed), adding and removing fields, editing sections, and more.
Create an Empty Template
If your new template will not be [contained], and will not share any fields or sections with an existing template, you can also create an empty template to build from scratch.
1. At the top of your template list, click New Template.
2. Enter the template name, a unique template key (or choose Generate), and a description, which is optional. Click Save.
3. Your new template will be created as a draft. Now you can revise the template by editing template settings (if needed), adding and removing fields, editing sections, and more.
Template Settings
When creating and editing templates, you will need to ensure the settings are appropriate for you projects.
Note: You can only make edits in the draft version of a template.
1. When you are in the draft version of the template, click on the edit icon.
2. You will now see the Template Settings page. Here you can adjust the following template settings:
- Name, Type, Report and Permissions
- Status and Workflow States
- Default Icon and Report Logo
- Display Lines
- Description, Key, Default Customer and Manager
- Workflow Types
- Documents and Attachments
After you make any changes, click Save.
Name, Type, Report and Permissions
Select the [Type] you want projects created from this template to be assigned to. Types are used to sort work and create [Views].
Select a default [PDF report] to be generated from this template's projects.
You can also limit new project creation from your template to exclude non-admin users.
Status and Workflow States
All projects in SiteCapture have a group of statuses that can be set as a project is worked on. Statuses are essential for keeping projects organized based on their completion.
See: Project Status and Workflow States for more information.
Default Icon and Report Logo
The Default Icon will display as the icon for newly created projects from this template, it will be replaced by an image added to the field designated as the Media Field in your Display Lines.
Report logos can be added to your template to override the logo displayed in reports generated from this template's projects. The logo must be a max height of 100px and max width of 150px.
Display Lines
A project's name, icon and information seen in the list view are all determined by its template's Display Lines. The Display Line sets the information entered in a [Text] or [Long Text] field as the title or description of a project.
The Display Lines are what are used to search for projects.
You can have up to 5 display lines. Choose the fields that you would like to display in the list view and in the header.
- Display Line 1: The text from the field designated will determine the project's name.
- Lines 2-5: Field information from these lines will display in the project list in descending order (Line 2 at the top, 5 at the bottom).
- Media Field: If you would like a photo that was captured from the field to be displayed next to each project in the list view, you can select it here (example: front of house photo). The field must be an image field.
Video: Display Lines
Description, Key, Default Customer and Manager
The description appears next to a template in the template list, it is not visible to users when creating projects.
The Template Key is a unique identifier for a template and all of its versions. It can only be edited when first configuring a template. Once a template has been published, the key can no longer be edited, even in a draft version.
Setting a Customer or Manager
- Any work generated using this template will automatically show the assigned Customer and/or Manager.
- Any work generated using this template will automatically grant access to that Customer and/or Manager.
- The Customer and/or Manager can be overridden on the work order by Portal Admins and Managers.
- When [Auto Assign on Create] is on in your Portal settings and a Manager creates work from this template, that manager will override your default manager.
Workflow Types
1. Choose a template you wish to add a workflow type to and go to the template editor. Scroll to the bottom on the right side to see the workflow types.
- Require accept/decline
- Prompt to Complete
- Notification on Complete/Cancelled
- Tag on Complete
- Allow reports only on Complete
- Auto generate unique id
- Set workflow state to assigned on initial assignment
- User cannot create from mobile
- Calculate completion time
- Require user confirmation on Closed
Documents and Attachments
Documents (PDF files) can be attached at the template level with a max file size of 50mb. The document that you attach to a specific template will then automatically be attached to each project created from that template. Documents are accessible on Web and Mobile, and can be hidden from Customer and or Field Users if needed.
1. Select the template you wish to add a document to. Click on the template editor. Scroll to the bottom and click on Upload a File.
2. Select the document from your computer.
3. You have the ability to change the name of your document and hide it from either field users or customers. Click Save.
Adding and Editing Sections
Sections separate your template fields into defined areas, such as general information or electrical. This makes projects easier to manage as they are worked on by your team.
1. Click on the plus icon next to Form Sections.
2. Enter a title for the section and click Save.
3. Click the blue Edit icon on the section to edit it.
4. Edit the title or section key. Click Save when finished.
Adding and Editing Fields
Fields are the individual questions or prompts for your team to fill out.
Editing Existing Templates
You may need to update your templates as project requirements change.
What to Know Before Making Template Changes
- Your Template's [Field Keys] will need to stay consistent between versions to maintain your project's integrations with other features.
- Revising a template will not automatically update projects made from the current or previous versions, to update projects to the new template version, see: Update Existing Projects to a New Template
- Many template features, such as Conditional Logic and Cost Estimation, require special configurations to function. See our documentation or reach out to your Customer Success Manager for more information on maintaining these features' functionality.
Revise an Existing Template
1. Click on the three-dot menu next to the template, and in the drop-down, select Revise...
2. This will create a new version of the template in Draft mode; select Create New Version.
3. The new version is in Draft mode and you can now make your revisions. Users will not be able to access this version of the template until it is published.
See: Adding & Editing Fields for more information on making template changes.
After making changes, you have the following three options at the top of the template editor:
-
Test...
Creates a test project that you can fill out to see your changes in action. -
Publish...
Finalizes your changes and makes the new version available for users creating new projects. -
Delete...
Deletes this version of the template, other template versions will not be affected.
4. We recommend testing projects before Publishing. Click the Test... button at the top of the template editor and click Continue to create the project. Your test project will then be created, and have a yellow indicator at the top showing that this is a test project.
Test projects are available to your users just as normal projects are, meaning that they must be assigned to be visible to Field Users. See: User Roles & Permissions for more information.
5. Once you are done testing your revisions, click Edit template at the top of the project to go back to the Template Editor. A pop up will appear giving you the option to keep your test projects and publish the template, or delete the test projects and continue editing.
6. Once the template is published, you will now see the new version of the template as Published in the template list.
Access Previous Template Versions
1. To access previous version of a template, click on the three-dot menu and select Show other versions... in the drop-down.
2. Here you will see all previous versions of the template. Click on View to view the template configuration in the template editor.
Click on the three-dot menu to:
-
Revise from
Creates a new template version with the same structure as that template version. -
Create new from
Creates a new template with the same structure as that template version. -
Export template file
Exports a JSON file that can be imported as a new template.
Make a Template Inactive and View Inactive Templates
1. If you want to make a template inactive, click View under Actions. Then click Make Inactive (top right corner). Click Confirm when the pop up box appears.
2. To activate an inactive template, click Show Inactive Templates. Click on the 3 vertical dots next to the inactive template you want to activate. Select Activate. Click Confirm when the pop up appears.
3. To see the date, time, last updated by, and when the template was created, this information is located underneath the template name.
Import and Export Templates
Portal Admins have the ability to import and export a template between web portals.
1. Go to an existing template, click the 3 dots, and click Export to a template file. You will be prompted to save the export file, which is saved as a .json file.
2. Log into a different web portal (some customers have test portals, etc) and on the template list click the Import Template button.
Importing as a new version: you can also import a JSON file as a new version of an existing template by clicking the 3-dot menu and selecting Import new version...
3. Select a name for the template and select the file to import. Click Save.
4. A new template, identical to the template that was exported, gets created in your template list.
Note: the template will automatically upload under the Type it was in on the portal it was exported from. If you need to update the Type, see Editing Template Description.
Update Existing Projects to a New Template
After revising a template, you may need to update existing projects to include information added in the latest template version. To do this, copy the project. You can start a copy in two ways:
- From the project list, hover over the right side of the project you want to copy. Click the three dots that appear and select Copy.
- From the project page itself, click the three dots and select Copy.
1. Under Choose a Template, select Use the same template. You can also choose to copy over other project information, such as Assigned User, Due Date, and Tags.
2. Click Copy and go to the Copy. Your project will now begin copying over to the new template version.
Learn more about copying projects here.
FAQ
What states can a template be in?
A template can be Published, Draft, or Inactive. You can see a template's current state on the Admin > Templates page.
Can I edit a Published template directly?
No. You can only make edits in the Draft version of a template. Choose Revise and create a new version to make changes.
Can I go back to an older version of a template?
Yes. Select Show other versions, click the 3 dots next to the version you want, and choose Create new from. This creates a copy of that older version.
Should I set my own Field Keys?
We recommend leaving the Field Key blank and letting the system auto-generate one, to avoid duplicate field keys that can cause issues.
Can I limit who sees a document attached to a template?
Yes. Documents attached at the template level can be hidden from field users, and, if you have customer role users, from them as well.
Best Practices
Starting from an Existing Template: Rather than building a new template from scratch, many teams start from a pre-built or cloned template and adjust it to fit their workflow. This is especially useful during a trial or initial setup, since it lets your team spend time testing real workflows instead of configuring a template from zero. See Create from an Existing Template above.
Reviewing a New Template Before Switching: When you're considering a new or updated template, such as one tied to a financing or integration partner, it's common practice to add it to your account as a draft first and compare it side by side against the template you're currently using. This lets you review the differences and decide whether to publish it, incorporate specific changes into your existing template, or keep both, without disrupting work already in progress.
Settings & Template Changes: When making any changes to settings or templates via the web app, we recommend that you refresh your browser to see the new changes. Have your iOS users press Refresh Configuration in the SiteCapture app on their mobile device, and have Android users log out and back into the mobile app (as long as they have finished syncing all work) to see the new changes.
Templates and Field Keys: We recommend leaving the field key blank and letting the system auto-generate one, to avoid duplicate field keys that can cause issues. The Field Key is a unique identifier for each field within a template. You can find it within the template configuration (see Adding & Editing Fields: Field Key), or by hovering over the field name on the project page (see Field Information: Field Key and Last Updated). Field keys are case sensitive and must match exactly in any use case.
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