In the Template section, you can create and manage standard forms, schemes, and paths to accelerate your business processes.

Document templates

In this subsection, you can manage the templates that allow you to generate standardized documents, so you have to put less or no effort into creating new documents for clients and vendors.

Templates tab

In this tab, you can browse, add, open, and manage document templates. By default, you see the list of all templates with several filters on top of the table and information about template type, localization, built-in and active status, and rendering engine.

Open

Manage the document templates

• To open a template, click on its line in the list. To open a template in edit mode, click the icon in the last column. The editing options are described in the Add a document template section below.

• To download a template, click the icon in the last column.

• If you select one or several checkboxes in the left column, additional buttons appear on top of the list of templates.
  
  

  Open

  

   

  • Click the Edit Selected button to Activate or Deactivate document templates.

  • Click the Delete button to delete the selected template (available only when one template is selected).

Add a document template

In XTRF, there are two types of document templates with different customizing tools:

• Open PDF or HTML-based templates that you can edit and preview the outcome directly in XTRF.

• BIRT-4 or file-based templates that require using external tools and importing the final results to XTRF.

Add an HTML-based template

1. Click the Add HTML-based Template button. You will be directed to the Templates page.
   Note: To create a new template based on the existing one, open it in edit mode and click the Copy button in the top right-hand corner.
   
   

    

2. Provide the Template Name.

3. Select the Template Type from the drop-down list.

4. Click the Add Template button.

5. In the Template details card, decide whether the new template should be:

   1. Active and thus selectable

   2. a Default one.
      
      

       

6. In the Template designer card:
   
   

    

   1. Select the language versions for this template:

      1. Click the icon to open the language menu and add the desired languages. To close the language menu, click the icon again.

      2. Click the icon next to the language to open a menu of applicable actions.

   2. (Optional) Edit the standard template in the Editor section:

      1. Select a different Theme from the drop-down list. To learn more about themes, see the Themes tab section of this article.

      2. Change the formatting using the editor tools.
         Note: Please keep in mind that pasting the copied text in the ‘Simple’ editor will also paste the text styling, which may cause problems for some values (e.g. when checking if the text is equal to other text or when entering Custom Fields "Key" names).

      3. (Optional) Switch to the HTML editor to edit the HTML code directly.
         
         

          

      4. Add or change the template’s XTRF tags. Put the cursor in the desired place of the template and click the icon to open the list of applicable tags. Locate the desired tag and click on it to add it to the template.
         
         

          

   3. (Optional) Preview the document.

      1. On top of the right-hand pane, select the desired Theme from the drop-down list.

      2. Select a corresponding item in the search-as-you-type field. The preview will appear below.
         Note: The item depends on the selected Template Type, e.g., for a Client Project Confirmation, you can select a project; for Vendor Purchase Order - a job, etc.
         
         

          

7. Click the Save button in the top right-hand corner.
   
   

Add a file-based document template

1. Click the Add File-based Template button. You will be directed to the Add Document Templates page.
   
   

    

2. Provide the name of the template you are going to upload. 
   Note: If you plan to use a certain type of template for more than one language, it might be helpful to add information about the used language to a document template name. For example, Client Invoice FR  or Project Confirmation French.  Bear in mind that you need to add a new Document Template entity for each required language to have the template localized.

3. From the Template Type drop-down list, select the correct type or the Autodetect option.
   Note: We recommend setting the template type to Autodetect. The XTRF Platform will then automatically recognize the files that will be attached to a given document template. If you select another option, please mind that you might experience issues while managing document template files. For example, the preview of the document might be unavailable.

4. Select the language of the document template.

5. Decide whether the new template should be a Default one.
   Note: There can be only one default document template for each template type. Therefore, if you select the Default checkbox for a document template in a certain language, it will be used by default regardless of other language settings. 

   To make sure that the default language of the e-mails and documents sent to clients and vendors are the same, go to the Configuration menu > Clients and Vendors and check the Default Communication Language setting for clients and vendors.

6. Decide whether the new template should be Active and thus selectable.

7. Click the Add files… button and select the correct .rtpdesign file on your local machine.

8. Click the Save button. You will be directed to this template’s page.
   
   

    

9. From the Output Format drop-down list, select PDF.
   Note: The generation of documents in the DOCX format is deprecated. 

10. (Optional) Preview the document.

    1. Select a corresponding item in the search-as-you-type field. The preview will appear below.
       Note: The item depends on the selected Template Type, e.g., for a Client Project Confirmation, you can select a project; for Vendor Purchase Order - a job, etc.

11. (Optional) Check if the template is working correctly.

    1. Select a corresponding item in the search-as-you-type field above the file preview.

    2. In the Test cases section, click the Add Test Case button.

    3. Name the test in the Add new Test Case pop-up window and click the Save button.
       
       

        

    4. Click the icon to run the test.

12. Click the Save or Save and Exit button.

Themes tab

In this tab, you can add or edit the themes used in HTML-based document templates. Themes define the styling of the main body, the header, and the document’s footer. You can predefine multiple themes and their language variants as needed.

• To open a theme, click on its line in the list. To open it in edit mode, click the icon in the last column. The editing options are described in the Add a theme section below.

• If you select one or several checkboxes in the left column, additional buttons appear on top of the list of themes.

  • Click the Edit Selected button to Activate or Deactivate themes.

  • Click the Delete button to delete the selected theme (available only when one theme is selected).
    
    

Add a theme

1. Click the Add New Theme button. You will be directed to the Themes page.
   Note: To create a new theme based on the existing one, open it in edit mode and click the Copy button in the top right-hand corner.
   
   

    

2. Give the new theme a name.

3. Click the Add Theme button.

4. In the Theme details card, decide whether the new template should be:

   1. Active and thus selectable

   2. a Default one.
      
      

       

5. In the Theme designer card:
   
   

    

   1. Select the language versions for this theme:

      1. Click the to open the language menu and add the desired languages. To close the language menu, click the icon again.

      2. Click the on next to the language to open a menu of applicable actions.
         Note: If you want to use one theme for all language versions of a certain template, add only one default language. You can add other languages on the template level. 

   2. Create the theme in the Editor section:

      1. In the Theme tab, create the desired elements. To add XTRF tags, click the icon. To edit the HTML code directly, switch to the HTML editor.
         Note: Please keep in mind that pasting the copied text in the ‘Simple’ editor will also paste the text styling, which may cause problems for some values (e.g., when checking if the text is equal to other text or when entering Custom Fields "Key" names).
         
         

          

      2. (Optional) In the Styles tab, you can edit the CSS settings for this theme.

         1. (Optional) In the Options tab, you can select custom fonts and background images for this theme.
            Note: Fonts and images for themes can be added in Fonts and Background tabs.
            
            

             

         2. Select a font from the Custom Font drop-down list and decide whether you want to set it for the whole page.

         3. Click on a background image and select whether it should be resized or repeated.

   3. Check the results in the Preview section. Click the icon to display the theme or applied changes.
      This section is equipped with several options like pagination, scaling, page-turning, rotating, etc., available in the menu.

6. Click the Save button in the top right-hand corner.
   
   

Fonts tab

In this tab, you can add the fonts for templates and themes.

• To add a new font, click the Select File button and select the desired file on your local machine. You can also drop the font file into the framed area.

• To delete a font, click the Delete button.

Background tab

In this tab, you can add images that can be used as theme backgrounds.

• To add a new image, click the Select File button and select the desired file on your local machine. You can also drop the image file into the framed area.

• To delete an image, click the Delete button.

Notifications

In this subsection, you can manage the e-mail notifications the system sends on different occasions.

Events tab

In the Events tab, you can check which actions or events trigger the notifications and enable or disable the e-mail sending for selected events.

By default, all the listed events will trigger the e-mail sending. To disable e-mail sending for the selected event, uncheck the box in the Send E-mail column.

Templates tab

In this tab, you can add and edit e-mail notification templates.

• Edit the default view or create a new one. To learn how to do that, see the Classic views article.

• Use the filters on the left to narrow down your search.
  To use the Type filter, hover over the icons between the filters and the table, and drag to the left until the filter field becomes large enough to see the content.

• Click on the selected notification template to open it in edit mode. Editing options are described in the Add & localize a notification template section below.

• Click the icon to delete a notification template. Only the non-default notification templates can be deleted.

• Check one or several boxes in the left column and click the icon in the header to open a drop-down menu of applicable actions:

  • Select or deselect all notification templates.

  • Activate or deactivate the notification templates.

  • Mark or unmark the selected notification templates as preferred.

  • Duplicate a selected notification template. Only the non-default notification templates can be deleted.

  • Provide multiple changes to the selected notification templates.

Multiple Change - notifications

Add & localize a notification template

Only four types of notification templates can be added:

• To a client: When deliverables from one task are sent to the Client

• To a user:

  • When nobody has approved an availability request

• To a vendor:

  • When job is started

  • When job is started with previous job partially finished

The listed templates can be assigned to clients, users, and vendors in the following areas:

• User, client, and vendor-related - in Configuration menu > Projects and Quotes > Workflow Definitions (Classic) > Notifications tab.

• Client-related - in Client’s profile > Main Data tab > Templates subtab.

• Vendor-related - in Vendor’s profile > Main Data tab > Templates subtab.
  
  

1. Click the Add button on top of the Templates table. You will be directed to the Add E-mail/Text Message Template page.
   
   

    

2. Select the desired template’s Type.
   Note: The When external process action is completed template is deprecated.

3. Select the template’s Theme. To learn more about notification template themes, see the Themes tab section below.

4. Decide whether this template should be Active and thus selectable.

5. Decide whether this template should be a Default one.
   Note: The default templates cannot be deleted.

6. Provide the template’s Name.

7. Edit the standard template in the E-mail section using the available formatting options.

   • To add XTRF tags, click the icons.

   • Images can be added to the templates through links only. To get a link for an image from your local machine, please upload it in the E-mail Images tab described below.

   • To add a footer, use the ${FOOTER} tag. The footer can be configured in the Footer tab, described below.

   • (Optional) Click the Source button to edit the HTML code directly.
     
     

     
     Note: Please keep in mind that pasting the copied text in the default editor will also paste the text styling, which may cause problems for some values (e.g., when checking if the text is equal to other text or when entering Custom Fields "Key" names).

8. Click the Save button.

9. (Optional) In the E-mail Preview section on the right, you can check how the notifications will be displayed when the new template is applied. To do so, locate and select any job or task number in the search-as-you-type Job / Task field.
   
   

    

10. (Optional) Add localized notification templates.

    1. From the Add Localization drop-down list, select the desired language and click the icon.

    2. Provide the necessary changes to the template.

    3. Click the Save button.

Themes tab

In this tab, you can add and edit the themes applied to notification templates.

• Edit the default view or create a new one. To learn how to do that, see the Classic views article.

• Click on the icon to open the selected theme in edit mode. The editing options are described in the Add a theme section below.

• Click the icon to delete a theme.

• Check one or several boxes in the left column and click the icon in the header to open a drop-down menu of applicable actions:

  • Select or deselect all notification templates.

  • Activate or deactivate the notification templates.

Add a theme

1. Click the Add button on top of the Themes table. You will be directed to the Add E-mail Theme page.
   
   

    

2. Decide whether this theme should be a Default one.

3. Provide a Name for the new theme.

4. In the E-mail Content section, add the necessary elements using the available formatting options.

   • Click the icon to add XTRF tags.

   • Images can be added to the themes through links only. To get a link for an image from your local machine, please upload it in the E-mail Images tab described below.

5. In the Theme style section, define the styles of the elements using the CSS language.

6. Click the Save button.

7. (Optional) To delete a theme, restore its original content, or restore the theme style, click the corresponding buttons at the bottom of the page.

E-mail Images tab

In this tab, you can upload images for notification templates and themes.

• To add an image, click the Add files… button and select the file from your local machine.

• To get a link to an uploaded image file, right-click on the Link and select the Copy link address option.

• To delete an image, click the icon.

Footer tab

In this tab, you can create footers for notification templates and themes in different languages.

1. Click the Edit button. You will be directed to the Expression - Common E-mail Footer page.
   
   

    

2. Select the desired language version on the left and provide the content of the footer on the right.

   • To add XTRF tags, click the icon.

   • Images can be added to the footer through links only. To get a link for an image from your local machine, please upload it in the E-mail Images tab described above.

3. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

4. (Optional) To restore the original footer content, click the Restore button at the bottom of the page.

Directories

In this subsection, you can manage the directories for XTRF files on your local server.

Project Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage the folders where the project-related files are stored.

• Edit the default view or create a new one. To learn how to do that, see the Classic views article.

• Click on the selected directory to open its page. Click the icon to open it in edit mode. The editing options are described in the Add a directory section below.

• Click the icon to delete a directory.

Add a directory

1. Click the Add button on top of the Directories table. You will be directed to the Add Directory page.
   
   

    

2. Name the new directory.

3. Select the directory Type from the drop-down list.

4. With the Relative to Home checkbox, decide whether this new directory should be located in the main XTRF directory on your server. If this box is unchecked, you can provide the custom path in the Creation Rule field.

5. In the Creation Rule field, create a path to the directory and customize the folder names with the tags available below.

6. Click the Save button.

Client Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage the folders where the client-related files are stored. For details, see the Project Directories tab section above.

Vendor (Provider) Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage the folders where the vendor-related files are stored. For details, see the Project Directories tab section above.

Quote Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage the folders where the quote-related files are stored. For details, see the Project Directories tab section above.

Workflow Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage the folders where the workflow-related files are stored. For details, see the Project Directories tab section above.

All Directories tab

In this tab, you can manage all the directories available in the system. For details, see the Project Directories tab section above.

Files

In this subsection, you can edit the way documents created by XTRF are named and stored.

File Locations tab

In this tab, you can check or change how the document files are named and where they are stored.

• To make any changes, click the Edit button at the bottom of the page. An Edit button will appear in every section.
  
  

   

• To store specific document files in a different directory, select another option from the drop-down list. The list of available directories depends on the document type. If you don’t want to store those documents, select the Do not save option.
  To learn more about directories, see the Directories section above.

• To edit the selected directory, click the Edit button in the same section. You will be directed to this directory page (for more details, see the Add a directory section above).

• To edit the expression used for naming document files, click the Edit button in the same section. You will be directed to this expression page (for more details, see the Add an expression section below).

• To confirm the changes, click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Filenames tab

In this tab, you can check or change how the documents created in XTRF are named. The creating rule is displayed in the Template column. To edit the naming expression, click the icon. To learn how to create and edit expressions, see the Add an expression section below.

Numbering Schemes

In this section, you can check and change the way the entities in XTRF are numbered.

• Edit the default view or create a new one. To learn how to do that, see the Classic views article.

• Use the filters on the left to narrow down your search.

• Click on the selected numbering scheme to open it. Click the icon to open it in edit mode.

• Check one or several boxes in the left column and click the icon in the header to open a drop-down menu of applicable actions:

  • Select or deselect all numbering schemes

  • Select all invoice-related schemes

  • Select all project-related schemes

  • Restore the default content of the selected schemes.

Add a numbering scheme

1. Click the Add button on top of the Numbering Schemes table. You will be directed to the Add Numbering Schemes page.
   
   

    

2. Provide a Name for the new numbering scheme.

3. Select the correct Type from the drop-down list.
   Note: After you select a type, the fields below will be filled with the default values.

4. (Optional) Provide a custom Counter Name for the counters used in this scheme.

5. In the Counter Evaluation Rule field, decide when the counter should be reset using the Available Tags for Counter Evaluation Rule below.
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6. In the Identifier Evaluation Rule, provide the actual numbering scheme using the Available Tags for Identifier Evaluation Rule listed below and custom wording. For example, if you enter XTRF-${customerInvoice.year}/${counter.nextValue}, the invoices will be ID'ed as XTRF-2023/1, XTRF-2023/2, etc.

7. Click the Save button.

Edit a numbering scheme

1. Open a numbering scheme in edit mode. Most of the settings are described in the Add a numbering scheme section above.
   
   

    

2. Decide whether this scheme should be a Default one.
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3. (Optional) Click the Test button to check how the entities will be numbered according to this scheme.

4. (Optional) Click the Show Values button to check the actual values of the related counters.
   
   

    

   • To change the counter’s value, click the icon and provide the desired value.
     You can edit the counter value to fill in the numbering gaps that sometimes occur after an entity is deleted from the system. Please, avoid creating entities with the same numbers, as this will disrupt the system.

5. (Optional) Click the Restore Defaults button to revert to this numbering scheme's default settings and values.

6. Click the Save or Save and Exit button.

Expressions

In this section, you can manage the expressions, i.e., rules for naming different entities throughout the system.

• Edit the default view or create a new one. To learn how to do that, see the Classic views article.

• Click the icon to open the selected expression in edit mode. The editing options are described in the Add an expression section below.

Add an expression

1. Click the Add button on top of the Expressions table. You will be directed to the Add Expression - File rename rule page, already filled with default values.
   
   

    

2. (Optional) Add Localized Values to this expression (for details, see the System Values: Basic - Add localized values article).

3. In the Template field, enter the desired expression template using tags available on the right and/or custom wording.

4. Click the Save button.