Create templates

To create a template, you follow the steps below, typically in this order.

  1. Create and save the template file.

    Open Template Studio. You can start with a new blank template, re-use an existing one (rename it first) or, if you anticipate creating many templates, you might consider creating a base template, in which you can store custom colors, images, and other items/settings, thus avoiding the need to re-create them.

  2. Add data views and customize them.

    A template is a container to which you add data views. You tailor each data view to suit the purpose of the template.

  3. Modify the template grid.

    As with any spreadsheet, you can customize the rows and columns of the template in multiple ways, including hiding, merging, and freezing.

  4. Enhance the template.

    Add Auto Text, images, and charts. Note that you can open more than one instance of Template Studio, and cut and paste content from one template to another.

  5. Add cell formatting.

    Template Studio offers many cell formatting options. You can use the Format Painter to quickly copy existing formatting and re-apply it elsewhere in a template. You can also add automatic data cell formatting and conditional cell formatting.

  6. Set the default template options.

    You can define how the template works in design mode, how it works when a user opens it, and how it functions when in data entry or reporting mode specifically. (Again: if you find that you are using the same settings repeatedly, you may want to save them in a base template.)

  7. Set the print options for reports.

    Besides the options for how the template looks and functions in report mode, you have print layout options that allow you to control the look of printed reports, including such standard elements as paper size, page orientation, scale, margins, and header and footer content.