Create documents from templates

Before you start

Templates live under Templates & forms in the sidebar. This section is included from the Chambers plan up. If your plan doesn't include it, the page tells you which plan does.

The Document templates tab lists your templates. Filter by All templates, Mine, Shared with me, Firm templates or Built-in, and by status. Built-in templates come with Chronica and can't be changed, but you can copy them.

Create a template

1. Open Templates & forms and click New template.
2. Under Start from, choose Start blank or Copy an existing template.
3. Enter a Name, and pick a Category if you like.
4. Choose the Default format.
5. Under Who can use it, choose Everyone in the firm or Only me.
6. Click Create template (or Copy template). The editor opens.

Write the template

The editor has three sections: Header, Body and Footer. The content is written in HTML; the toolbar adds bold, italic, underline, headings, lists, a Table and a Page break for you.

1. Click where a detail should go, such as the client's name.
2. In the Fields panel, search for the field and click it. It is inserted where your cursor is, for example {{client_first_name}}. Values come from the matter you create the document for.
3. For something the matter doesn't hold, such as an amount demanded, click New question for this template, type the Question and click Insert question. It is listed under Asked when generating.
4. To show a passage only when a field has a value, select the text and use + Show only if….
5. Click Preview to see the last saved version filled in from a matter.
6. Click Save changes (or Save v2 and so on when the content changed). Add a short note on what changed, then click Save template.

Make it available

A new template is a Draft. Drafts don't appear when people create documents. When it's ready, click Make available in the editor. Its status becomes Active.

To stop using a template without deleting it, open it, use the More actions menu and choose Archive. Only the template's owner can delete it. Documents already created from it stay where they are.

Create a document from a template

1. Open the matter and go to its Documents tab.
2. Click Create from template.
3. Pick a template on the left. The preview shows it filled in with the matter's details.
4. If a box on the right says details are missing, fill them in. Anything left blank stays empty in the document.
5. Change the File name if you like. Otherwise it uses the template name.
6. Under Format, choose Word, so you can keep editing or PDF, ready to send.
7. Click Save to matter.

The document is saved to the matter's documents, where you can edit it online, share it or send it for signature.

You can also start from a client's page with Generate document (then choose which of their matters to save it to), or from a template's own page with Create from template.

Questions

Can I go back to an earlier version of a template?

Yes. Open the template. Earlier versions are listed each time the content is saved. Click Restore on the one you want.

Can the assistant draft from a template?

If the assistant's drafting feature is on for your firm, the matter's Documents tab also shows Draft with the assistant. See Draft and summarise documents.