Template Builder

  • Updated
Follow

The template builder is a WYSIWYG Editor (What You See Is What You Get) that provides useful tools for building templates. This style of editor allows you to easily see the end result of what your template will look like while you are building. The editor allows you to format, style and add fields and content to your templates including images, tables, margins and more.

Courses

 

Templates

 

Add or Update a template

The template building is a powerful tool that can be used throughout many areas of the system and can:

  • Improve communication design
  • Dynamically pull useful information from other areas of the system
  • Increase communication efficiency
 

Tip: Simply hover over any of the icons in the template editor to see the descriptor.

Set the print/PDF margins

Template margins allow you to add a blank border to your template. This is particularly useful if you have quite a large template, as this will ensure a cleaner and more professional look.

  1. Enter a top, bottom, left and right margin in the Margins field
  2. Click Save Changes or Save & Close
 

Tip: If you are using the Header and Footer fields, we recommend using margins to ensure these display correctly.

 

Note: All margins are in millimetre measurements based on a standard A4 page.

Cut and copy your text

  1. Highlight your text
  2. Click the Cut or Copy icon
 

Tip: You can also use a keyboard shortcut to do this depending on your operating system.

Paste your text

When pasting into the template builder, you will have multiple options depending on what you require. This will assist you in avoiding any formatting errors if applicable.

  1. Copy your text to your clipboard
  2. Click in the template where you want to paste your text
  3. Click the Paste icon that suits your needs best
  4. Paste your content into the text box 
  5. Click Ok

You will have three different pasting options available to you:

Paste
Paste as Plain Text
Paste from Word

This option will paste your text as normal and will include any formatting from the source it was copied from.

This will paste your text and strip any formatting from the source it was copied from. This will avoid any unforeseen issues.

This will paste your text and strip any Microsoft Word formatting from the document it was copied from. This will avoid any unforeseen issues.

 

Tip: Alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcut for Control + Shift + V (on windows) or Command + Shift + V (on mac).

 

Note: We recommend using the paste as plain text option when pasting from any other source, as this will strip any formatting. If there is formatting remaining when you paste an item, this may affect the templates HTML and cause display issues.

Print your blank template

Prior to sending your template, you are able to print or preview your template from within the template builder. This is particularly useful when building a new template from blank.

  1. Click the Print icon
  2. Configure your print settings in your browser
 

Note: We recommend only using this for reference as your template may look different when you generate it against a real example.

Undo or redo your changes

This option allows you to easily undo or redo any changes you have made from within the editor. This is particularly useful if you have made unwanted changes to your template that you wish to revert.

  1. Click the Undo icon
    OR
    Click the Redo icon
 

Tip: You can use your operating system shortcuts to do this instead if they are configured.

Find specific text

  1. Click the Search icon
  2. Enter the text you wish to search for in your template
  3. Select your Find Options
  4. Click Find
 

Tip: On most browsers, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + F (Mac) or Control + F (Windows) to search your whole browser window for a specific term.

Find and replace specific text

Find and replace can help you to update phrases or terminology in your templates more efficiently.

  1. Click the Replace icon
  2. Enter the text you wish to Find
  3. Enter the text you wish to Replace the above text with
  4. Select your Find Options
  5. Click Replace
    OR
    Click Replace All

Select all text

  1. Click the Select All icon
  2. Click anywhere in your template to remove this selection
 

Tip: You can also use your operating system shortcut to do this. Most systems will be automatically set to Command + A (mac) or Control + A (windows).

Remove template formatting

The remove formatting option allows you to quickly and easily remove any unwanted formatting in your template.

  1. Highlight your text
  2. Click the Remove Format icon
 

Tip: If you have pasted text directly into the template builder, you can use this tool to easily remove any unwanted formatting.

Add an image

When using an image in aXcelerate, this image must first be placed in your Images Library. This prevents having inconsistent images used throughout the system.

  1. Copy the Image URL from your images library
  2. Update an existing template
    OR
    Add a New template
  3. Click the Image icon
  4. Paste your Image URL in the URL field
  5. Configure your image Dimensions (in pixels) and Alignment
  6. Click Ok
 

Tip: You can copy an image URL by right-clicking an image and selecting 'Copy Image Address'.

 

Note: When using an image link from aXcelerate, this image must first be placed in your Images Library.

 

Warning: If adding an image in the header or footer, you must adjust the margin to allow room for the image. If your margins are larger you will have to consider that there will be less space in the middle of the page for content.

Add a link to an image

Links are able to be attached to images within a template so that the recipient will be redirected upon clicking on the image. This can be particularly useful for marketing materials or 'click-to-download' style items.

  1. Insert your Image
  2. Right-click on your image Image Properties
  3. Click Image Properties
  4. Click the Link tab
  5. Paste your link into the URL field
  6. Select your Target
  7. Click Ok
 

Tip: Set the Target as 'New Window (_blank)' for the link to open in a new browser tab when clicked.

 

Note: If you have background knowledge of HTML and CSS you can use the Advanced Tab within the image properties to configure further.

Style your text

There are many available options when styling and configuring text within your template. These include:

  • Script type
  • Text style
  • Format
  • Font
  • Text size
  • Text colour
  • Background colour
  1. Highlight your text
  2. Select the style you wish to apply
 

Tip: If you add any styles or formatting and wish to remove, you can make use of the Remove Formatting function.

Add an ordered or bulleted list

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like your list
  2. Click the Ordered or Bulleted List icon
  3. Create the first list item
  4. Press Enter to create an additional list items
 

Tip: Highlighting a section of text prior to clicking the ordered or bulleted list icon will apply that list type to the selected text.

Increase or decrease an indent

The increase or decrease intent feature allows you to add lists within lists and indent certain selections of text within your template.

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like to increase or decrease the indent
  2. Click the Increase or DecreaseIndent icon
 

Tip: Clicking the indent icons multiple times will further increase or decrease the indent of the selected content.

Align your text

Content is able to be left-aligned, right-aligned, centred or justified.

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like to align your text
    OR
    Highlight the text you wish to align
  2. Click the applicable Alignment icon

Add a Link/URL

Adding a link to your template can become particularly useful when you need the recipient to download a document, complete a survey, link to an email, or go to an anchor within your template.

  1. Copy the URL of the page or item you want to link to
  2. Highlight the text that you want to link to
  3. Click the Link icon
  4. Select your applicable Link Type from the drop-down
  5. Paste the URL into the URL field
  6. Click Ok
 

Tip: Click the Unlink icon to remove a link.

 

Note: If you would like the recipients to download a resource and they are not an existing aXcelerate user, the resource must be marked as 'Public'.

Set an anchor

Anchors allow you to easily link to specific areas within your template from other sections. This could be useful in scenarios similar to linking to terms and conditions further down the page.

Once you have set an anchor, you can link to it by generating a hyperlink with a hash followed by the anchor name. For example '#AnchorName'.

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like to set your anchor
  2. Click the Anchor icon
  3. Enter an Anchor Name
  4. Click Ok
 

Note: If you are unsure of how to insert a link, please see the section on adding a Link/URL.

Insert a horizontal line

Inserting a horizontal line into your template allows you to section your template and create a division. This may be useful if you were creating a training plan template.

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like to insert your line
  2. Click the InsertHorizontal Line icon

Insert a special character

The template builder allows you to insert a set list of special characters that cannot be found on your keyboard. Any additional characters outside this list found from another source are not supported and may cause issues with your template.

  1. Select the area in your template where you would like to insert a special character
  2. Click the InsertSpecial Character icon
  3. Click the Special Character you wish to insert

Add a table

Tables allow you to format information in ways that can help improve the formatting of a template. This means you can organise information into columns and rows to set the design/layout of the template.

  1. Click the Table icon
  2. Configure the Table Properties as required
  3. Click Ok
 

Tip: If you have background knowledge of HTML and CSS you can use the Advanced Tab within the image properties to configure further.

Manage table properties

The properties of a table are able to be updated after creation.

  1. Right-click the Table
  2. Click Table Properties
  3. Configure the Table Properties as required
  4. Click Ok
 

Note: The PDF Engine that converts HTML code to a pdf document has some known issues with table properties. Table borders can disappear and table cell background colours can also be ignored if the PDF file has more than one page. There are some HTML tricks to get around these issues, but you must update the document in code view:
- For table borders, we recommend using the css attribute "border-collapse:collapse;" on the table tag.
- For background colours, set the cellpadding to 0px on the table tag and create a div element inside the cell that should be coloured. Set the background colour and padding of the cell by changing the css of the div tag

Add a table row or column

  1. Right-click the Table
  2. Hover over Row
    OR
    Hover over Column
  3. Click Insert Row/Column Above or Insert Row/Column Below

Remove table rows or columns

  1. Right-click the Table
  2. Hover over Row
    OR
    Hover over Column
  3. Click Delete Row/Column
 

Note: This will remove any rows or columns that you have highlighted.

Merge cells

  1. Highlight the cells you want to merge together
  2. Right-click the Cell
  3. Hover over Cell
  4. Click Merge Cells
 

Note: This will not work if the cells aren’t directly adjacent or if one of the cells contains text.

Merge cells right or down

Merging cells right or down will combine the selected cell with the cell immediately to the right, or immediately below.

  1. Right-click the Cell
  2. Hover over Cell
  3. Right-click the Cell
  4. Click Merge Right
    OR
    Click Merge Down

Manage cell properties

  1. Right-click the Cell
  2. Hover over Cell
  3. Click Cell Properties
  4. Configure the Cell Properties as required
  5. Click Ok
 

Note: When setting the width of a cell for a table with multiple rows, it is recommended that you only ever set the width in the top cell in a column as different widths can conflict and make it difficult to make changes in the future.

Insert a dynamic field

Dynamic fields allow you to pull certain information from the system into your template. This means that your templates can be dynamically customised to each contact that they are sent to. This is useful in saving time and increasing the customisation and personalisation of your communications.

The list of available dynamic fields are available below the template builder and contained within categorised accordions.

  1. Copy the Dynamic Field from the reference list below the template builder
  2. Paste the dynamic field into the template
 

Tip: It is recommended that you copy & paste dynamic fields into templates to ensure the fields are spelt correctly.

 

Notes: If you have a different styling (For example bold or italic) applied to a dynamic field, this will cause the dynamic field to not function correctly. This will result in the dynamic field not being replaced when the template is generated. The remove formatting tool can be used if styling is present.

Some dynamic fields only work when the multi-row HTML has been configured in the source of the template. This is because there may be more than one instance of that field that could be included in the template. For more information on Multi-row fields, please refer to our article on Advanced Template Builder Features.

 

Warning: Some dynamic fields will only work when the template is generated via certain areas of the system. If you have a field that doesn’t generate properly it will not be replaced with dynamic information.

Insert a dynamic custom field

This option allows you to include dynamic content in your templates pulled from custom fields set within your aXcelerate account.

  1. Paste "[customField_]" in your template
  2. Copy the Custom Field Variable Name
  3. Paste the variable name after the underscore in the dynamic field
 

Tip: The custom field variable name can be found in your custom field list. For further information on custom fields, please see our article on Additional Options.

Building Templates Webinar

This webinar demonstrates:

  • Standard Templates Overview

  • Building Standard Templates

  • Testing and Sending Standard Templates

  • Default System Templates

FAQ

Q.

Why isn't the footer displayed on my template?

A.

This is generally caused by an insufficient bottom margin. Open the template in question in the Template Builder and ensure the bottom margin is set to at least 15. 

 
Q.

How can I omit students that have a certain (e.g., Cancelled) status when generating templates?

A.
Modifying the table row code with the data-statuses element will allow you to choose which statuses should be included when generating the template from the Workshop or Class enrolment level. Simply remove the statuses you wish to omit from the code below
  • Workshops: <tr id="studentEnrolment" data-statuses="enrolled,booked,completed,cancelled,waitlisted">
  • Class Enrolments: <tr id="studentEnrolment" data-statuses="in-progress,completed,tentative,deferred,suspended,cancelled">
Q.

Can I restrict template fields to only display final unit outcomes?

A.

This can be done by adding the following HTML to the source of the template:


  • <style type="text/css">.OUTCOME CODE{

    display:none !important

    }

The OUTCOME CODE text will need to be replaced with the outcome codes you do not want to display in the template. All codes must have a period before the code and must be separated by a comma.

e.g .C, .CA would hide both Competent and Continuing Activity units of competencies.

You will then need to apply the following code to the table that is displaying the units of competencies:

 

  • <tr class="[Unit Competency]">

Q.

How can I add a Pay Online link to a ‘Tax Invoice’ template?

A.

The dynamic template field [Invoice Payment URL] can be embedded as a link into text such as “Pay online here” by highlighting the text and selecting the link icon within the template tools. Within these settings, enter the dynamic field [Invoice Payment URL] as the URL & set the Protocol to <other>.

Payment URL Example.png

This URL will be unique to the invoice when generating the template for that invoice and will use your preferred Digital Payment provider to process the transaction.

Related articles