Document Templates

Designer > Presentation > Print Templates Print templates let you generate PDF documents for selected records.

About Print Templates

Print templates are powerful tools, allowing you to set up documents that pull information from a specific object and merge into an HTML or JSP page. Print templates are loaded into the platform and can be used to set up standard proposals, queries, contracts, invoices, etc., and generate PDF documents unique to specific records - any document that you can dream up.

Examples

Create an Expense Report to be used in expense management application
Print an Employee Benefit Form

Note: HTML print templates are created outside of the platform, using an HTML editor. The initial version of a JSP Page is created inside the platform. Once created, print templates can be downloaded, edited, and uploaded again.

Learn more: Sample Print Templates you can customize and use.

How Print Templates Work

The Print Templates feature lets you generate graphical mail-merge-style PDF documents using variables and HTML. You can use these templates to create prefilled forms, invoices, contracts, and other types of documents using data stored in your application. The platform uses the Apache Velocity templating engine to create powerful dynamic documents.

Learn more: http://velocity.apache.org/engine/releases/velocity-1.5/user-guide.html

Before you add a print template, you first create an HTML document (on your local file system) or an HTML/JSP Page in the platform that includes all of the text, images, logic, etc. that you want to include in your template.
Learn more: HTML Resources
While creating this document, you should make note of the fields you want to add.
Use the Template Variable Tool to get the field names you need to customize the HTML file.

Some features to consider when building print templates:

CSS styles can be embedded into the HTML file, giving you a high degree of control of the final output of the file.
Images can be placed into your document server and accessed by the template via Web access.
Using the Velocity scripting language, you can build logic directly into the template to change the content based on data parameters.

Working with Print Templates

Add a Print Template

Edit a Print Template

For a Print Template based on a JSP Page:

Click Designer > Logic > Pages > {page}
Edit the page.

Learn more: Pages

For a Print Template based on an HTML page:

Click Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Print Templates
Click the Download link on the template you want to copy to your local system.
Make changes to the template.
If you need the names of additional variables, click the [New Template] button to access the Template Variable Tool:
If the New Template window is open, click [Cancel] to close it and go back to the Templates (record list) view.
Click the Replace link on the template to upload the modified template.

Warning: Be sure to click the right link. The existing template page will be replaced by the new one.

Use a Template

Open an object record.
Click the [Print] button.
Select Template based to create an HTML page using the Print Template.
Select the Template
Optionally, Select PDF format to get the results in PDF format. (Default is HTML.)
Click [Print].
A new window opens to display the results.
Copy content from the resulting HTML page, print it, or save the page to your local system.

Accessing Related Records in Print Templates

In a Custom Object, fields from related records can be added to a Print Template. (That is, records in a Object that has a Lookup to the current object.)

For example, in the OrderItems has a lookup to Orders, so in a Print Template for Orders, related OrderItems records can be accessed. (In an object Form, related records are typically displayed in a Grid Section, although they need not be)

When formatting a record in the current object for printing, those related records and the fields they contain can be processed in a loop.

Finding and Using Related Record Variables

Finding Related-Record Variables

Related-Record variables can be found in the Template Variable Tool.

Processing Related Records a Loop

Typically, you'll create a table for the related records, define it's headings, and then create a row for a single record, putting the related-record variables into the cells of the row. You then enclose that row in a loop, using the #foreach instruction defined by the Velocity templating engine.

Related records are returned in an array, so the loop creates a new table row for each record in the array.

For example (with formatting attributes removed for simplicity):

<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
    <th>Quantity</th>
    <th>Product </th>               
    <th>Unit Price</th>
    <th>Amount</th>
</tr>
</tbody>

#foreach( $OrderItems_record in $OrderItems )
<tr>        
    <td>$OrderItems_record.item_quantity</td>
    <td>$OrderItems_record.related_to_ProductInventory.product_name</td>
    <td>$OrderItems_record.item_price</td>
    <td>$OrderItems_record.total</td>
</tr>
#end

...
</table>

where:

The <tbody> element is required around the header row.

The Velocity #foreach directive does the looping.

Learn more: http://velocity.apache.org/engine/releases/velocity-1.5/user-guide.html

The looping construct defines $OrderItems_record as a loop variable.
The loop variable iterates over the $OrderItems array.
The $OrderItems array is automatically available in the template, because OrderItems is a Related Object. (All related objects are available. Each is an array.)

Special Considerations for Grid Section Variables

Totals and additional computation fields defined for a Grid Section are also available in the Template Variable Tool. To find them, you access the main object (not the object displayed in the grid section, because those fields are added to the object that contains the grid section.

For example,

__TBD: computation sample & shipping charge sample__

Sample Print Template for an Order Invoice

This sample:

Creates an invoice for an order, showing all items in the order
Gets the name and price of order items from the ProductInventory object
Uses Velocity #foreach processing to process OrderItems records for an Order
Uses Velocity #if conditionals to display surcharge and discount rows only if those values are present

__TBD: link to or show resulting page__

<html><head>
<title></title>
<style>
 div {  
      padding-top: 5px;  
      padding-bottom: 5px;  
      padding-right: 5px;  
      padding-left: 30px;  
      border: 3px;  
	  margin-top: 5%;
	  margin-right: 40%;
	  margin-bottom: 5%;
	  margin-left: 5%;
    }
</style>

</head><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080" alink="#FF0000">

<div style="width:100%">

<img  width="100" height="100"  src="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/android-robot-logo2.jpg" alt="Company logo" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <---- Company Logo Here<br/>
<font size="5"><b>$company.name</b></font><b><br />
<br/>
$company.street&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>
$company.city, $company.state, <br>
$company.country - $company.zip
 
&nbsp;<br>
&nbsp;(Phone): $user.phone
<hr width="100%" size="1" />
<br />

<h2 align="center">Order<b> Invoice</b></h2>
<p></p>
<p align="center"><b>Invoice Date:</b> $Orders.date_created </p>

<br/><br/>
<b><u>Bill To: </u></b><br />
<font size="2">$Orders.account.name - $Orders.account.number</font></b>
<br />$Orders.account.street<br />
$Orders.account.city,&nbsp;$Orders.account.state, <br>
$Orders.account.country - $Orders.account.zip<br /> 

(Phone): $Orders.account.phone <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Invoice #: $Orders.order_number <br />
</b>&nbsp;
</p>

<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="600">

<!-- HEADER -->
<tbody>
<tr>
    <th>Quantity</th>
    <th>Product </th>               
    <th>Unit Price</th>
    <th>Amount</th>
</tr>
</tbody>

#foreach( $OrderItems_record in $OrderItems )
<tr>
<td width="350">$OrderItems_record.item_quantity</td>
<td width="100" align="CENTER">$OrderItems_record.related_to_ProductInventory.product_name</td>
<td width="100" align="CENTER"> $OrderItems_record.item_price</td>
<td width="100" align="CENTER"> $OrderItems_record.total    </td>
</tr>
#end

<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right">Sub Total</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center">$Order.grid_comptn_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</td>
</tr>

#if( $Orders.grid_surcharge_031f67dd4b3946949df2da276e5c82a6 > 0 )
<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right">Surcharge</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center">$Orders.grid_surcharge_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</td>
</tr>
#end 

#if( $Orders.grid_discount_031f67dd4b3946949df2da276e5c82a6 > 0 )
<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right">Discount</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center">$Orders.grid_discount_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</td>
</tr>
#end 

<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right">Tax</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center">$Orders.grid_tax_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right">Shipping</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center">$Orders.grid_shipping_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="Right"><b>TOTAL AMOUNT DUE</b></td>
<td style="border: solid 1px #000000;" align="center"><b>$Orders.grid_net_total_f5631e34b39f4ba39a98559c7215a3b4</b></td>
</tr>     
</table>

<br /><br />
Payment Due upon reciept<br />
Thank you for your business!
</div>
       
<p></p>
</body>
</html>

[[Category:Template:Features]]

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