Creating your first template

A template is a reusable document blueprint. Save a study protocol, an SOP, an IACUC submission form, or a registration sheet as a template, and your team spawns new instances from it without rebuilding the structure each time — optionally with parts of the document locked so the structure stays consistent across runs.

This page walks the basic flow. For the deeper concept — what locking is and the three lock states — see Templates and locking.

When to make a template

Make a template when you find yourself copy-pasting an existing document to start a new one. Common cases in biopharma:

• Standard study protocols (IACUC submissions, GxP procedure runs, SOP forms).
• Result-recording forms with a fixed structure (a 96-well plate map plus a result table).
• Programme kick-off documents with placeholder sections that every project fills in.
• Registration intake forms (animal, sample, cell-line, antibody) that should use the same fields company-wide.

Don't make a template for one-off documents or for things you'd be happy to keep editing freely.

The flow

1. Author the source document

   Build the document the way you want every spawned instance to start. Add block-level placeholders ("Sponsor:", "Study code:") and any registration / lookup tables you want included. Don't add data that is specific to one run — the template will carry it forward.

2. Save as template

   Document menu → Save as template. Pick a name, a short description, and a category: Protocol, SOP, Experiment, Assay, Report, Analysis, Method, Safety & Compliance or Custom. Set Visibility to Workspace so the whole team sees it (the alternatives are Private (only me) and Public). The template lands in the workspace's Templates page straight away; there is no separate publish step.

3. Choose what to lock (optional)

   Open the template for editing. A Lock Config bar sits above the document with two switches:

   • Structure: Open / Locked. Locked freezes block order; users can't add or delete blocks but can edit their contents.
   • Text Default: Editable / Locked. Locked makes paragraphs and headings read-only by default, so users only fill the blocks you leave unlocked.

   Beside them, Lock All Blocks and Unlock All Blocks set every block at once, and each block carries its own Locked / Unlocked toggle in its hover toolbar for per-block overrides. For an IACUC submission you'd typically lock structure plus text default, then unlock only the form fields. For a study protocol you'd lock structure but leave text editable so investigators can add notes.

4. Check it as a user will see it

   Open the template's preview drawer from its card, or spawn a real document with Use Template, to confirm what your team will be able to edit. Adjust the lock config until it feels right.

Spawning a document from a template

Anyone with edit permission on the workspace can:

• Click Templates in the sidebar, pick the template, click Use Template. A new document opens in the location of your choice.
• The / slash menu inside a document lists your saved block templates in their own section at the bottom, and inserts one block. Document templates are used from the Templates page only.

The new document carries the lock configuration with it. Editing the template later does not retroactively change instances; instances are independent.

Versioning

Editing a template creates a new version. Every version has a number (v1, v2, v3) and an optional change summary. A document records which version it spawned from, and its menu links back as Open source template · v3.

Template version history is read-only: you can view and diff earlier versions, but there is no rollback. Only documents can be restored to an earlier version. To undo a template change, edit the template back and save a new version.

Sharing across workspaces

Templates that are workspace-only stay inside one workspace. To share with others — a sister workspace, your whole org, or the public dalea.market — see Publishing to dalea.market.

Tips

What's next