Creating a New Builder Template

In this article:

• Creating a New DOCX Template in Word 
• Creating a New DOCX Template in the Builder Online Workspace 

Templates are key to your document assembly workflow. When you create a template, it is always associated with a specific catalog. As long as that catalog is based on a matter type in Actionstep, it will automatically have access to all the matter type's merge fields/variables. For example, if you create a new employment agreement template in your Human Resources catalog/matter type, the fields (and underlying data) associated with employment and human resources should automatically be available to use in your automation. 

You can create templates in both the Word Designer and in the Builder Online Workspace. When creating a template in the Online Workspace, you must also upload a Word document to associate with it. 

Once you create a template and it has been added to Builder, the template actually resides in Builder. This means that to edit the Builder template, you must open it and save it using the options available on the Builder ribbon. Additionally, you can save a copy of the template to your hard drive, but as you work in it, it must be synced to Builder. You can know it's synced by looking at the template name in the Word Designer pane:
 

Before you begin: 

• Install the MS Word Add-in for Builder. (See Setting Up Actionstep's Builder (Admin) for help.) 
• Familiarize yourself with the Word Designer pane and the Online Workspace.  
• Make sure the Actionstep matter type you want to associate the template with has been synced / created in Builder. To learn more, see Syncing Changes in Actionstep with Builder (Admin) and Creating a Builder Catalog Model and Associating It with a Matter Type.

Creating a New DOCX Template in Word 

To create a new DOCX template in Word: 

1. Open a Word document. This can be either a blank document or the document you want to automate. 
2. Sign in to / launch the Builder Word Designer. (See Launching the Builder Word Designer for help.) 
3. In the Template section of the Builder ribbon, click New. Options for creating a new template are displayed in the Word Designer
4. Enter a template Name. Do not include spaces.  
5. Click the Base model drop-down list and choose the catalog model you want to associate the template with. Catalogs typically correlate with your matter types.
   TIP:  Matter types in this list appear with the prefix as:mt_. You can use this prefix to more quickly find the specific matter type you want to link to. 
6. Optionally, select Initial content from current document if you want to use the text of the current document in the template. Otherwise, a blank template will be created. 
7. Optionally, select User access via app and choose the app you want to associate with the template. If you select (new), an app will be created using the same name as the template you’re creating. If you leave this option cleared, you will need to assign the template to an app later. 
   TIP:  An app consists of one or more templates (and their components) that are typically related. When generating a document or group of documents, an app will determine which questions are needed and then create and save the related document(s). For example, if the template you are creating is part of a larger collection of templates/data, you would assign it to an app designed to accommodate all these components. If the template will be used in isolation, it will most likely be assigned to its own app.
8. Click Create Template. The template is created and any variables associated with the catalog/matter type are listed in the Variables list.  

Once you’ve created the template, you can begin automating it. The following resources can help you get started: 

• Understanding How Actionstep Data is Used in Builder
• Automating a Builder Template
• Creating Builder Variables
• Using If and List Instructions

Creating a New DOCX Template in the Builder Online Workspace 

You can create a new template using the Online Workspace in Builder. Once created, you can upload and associate the Word DOCX file with the template.  

When working in the Online Workspace, you can also modify the variables, formulas, and apps available for use in the template. You can also create additional variables if they currently don't exist for the catalog/matter type.  

To do this: 

1. Sign in to your Builder Online Workspace. (For help, see Accessing the Builder Online Workspace.) 
2. In the global navigation bar, click Designer. The view changes to show all the different components of your Builder system. (See Getting to Know Builder's Online Workspace to learn more about this view.) 
3. In the Elements list (left side of the window), select the catalog/matter type the template will be associated with.
   TIP:  Catalogs are typically listed first in this list. Actionstep-specific catalogs have an as:mt_ prefix.
4. Once you've selected your catalog, click the Templates tab in the main part of the page.  
5. Click Add a new template. The New Template window appears. 
6. Enter a Template Name and choose docx from the Type drop-down list. 
7. Click OK. The template is created and the related fields are filled in for Template Name and Template Type. 
8. Click the Save icon to save your work so far.  
9. Enter an Assembled File Name. This name will be assigned to the document when it is generated and saved. 
   TIP:  To customize the filename based on the specific matter or client you're working with, you can select and drag variables from the variable list on the right side of the page. For example, you could have a filename like {[FullName]} Non-Compete Agreement.docx, which, when generated might be saved as Jennifer Swainston Non-Compete Agreement.docx.
10. Click Upload and browse to and select the document you want to use as a template. Once you do this, the name of the document is shown in the Template File field. 
11. Click the Save icon to save your changes.  

Once you’ve created the template, you can begin automating it. The following resources can help you get started: 

• Understanding How Actionstep Data is Used in Builder
• Automating a Builder Template
• Creating Builder Variables
• Using If and List Instructions

To work with the different variables and formulas you’ll use in your template, you can use either the Word Designer or the Online Workspace. (See Getting to Know the Word Designer for Builder and Getting to Know Builder's Online Workspace for more information about these two environments.)