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Your First Template

This guide walks you through creating your first template in TemplateTo. By the end, you'll have a working invoice template that you can customize and use with the API.

Step 1: Create a New Template

  1. Log in to TemplateTo
  2. Navigate to Templates in the sidebar
  3. Click + New Template
  4. Give your template a name (e.g., "My First Invoice")
  5. Click Create

You'll now see the template editor with a blank canvas.

Step 2: Add a Layout

Templates work best when you organize content with layout elements.

  1. Click Elements in the right panel
  2. Find the Layout section
  3. Drag a 1 Column layout onto the canvas

This creates a container for your content.

Step 3: Add a Header

Let's add a title to your invoice:

  1. From the Basic elements, drag a Header element into the column
  2. Click on the header text to edit it
  3. Type "INVOICE"
  4. Use the header toolbar to center the text

Step 4: Add Company Details

Add text for company information:

  1. Drag a Text element below the header
  2. Type your company details: 
    Acme Corporation
123 Business Street
City, State 12345

Step 5: Add Dynamic Variables

Now let's make the template dynamic by adding variables that will be replaced with real data.

  1. Add another Text element
  2. Type: Invoice #: {{invoiceNumber}}
  3. Add another line: Date: {{date}}
  4. Add another line: Customer: {{customerName}}

The {{variableName}} syntax creates placeholders that will be filled with data when you generate the document.

Test Your Variables

  1. Click Data in the editor menu
  2. In the Template Data panel, enter test JSON: 
    {
  "invoiceNumber": "INV-001",
  "date": "2024-01-15",
  "customerName": "John Smith"
}
  3. Click Preview to see your variables replaced with test data

Step 6: Add a Table for Line Items

Invoices need line items. Let's add a table:

  1. Drag a Table element onto the canvas
  2. Set up the header row with columns: Item, Quantity, Price, Total
  3. In the second row, click the row handle (left side) and click +
  4. Select Repeating Row
  5. Choose lineItems as the array to repeat

In each cell of the repeating row, add:

  • Column 1: {{_.item}}
  • Column 2: {{_.quantity}}
  • Column 3: {{_.price}}
  • Column 4: {{_.total}}

The underscore _ represents the current item in the loop.

Update Your Test Data

Add line items to your test JSON:

{
  "invoiceNumber": "INV-001",
  "date": "2024-01-15",
  "customerName": "John Smith",
  "lineItems": [
    { "item": "Widget", "quantity": 2, "price": "$10.00", "total": "$20.00" },
    { "item": "Gadget", "quantity": 1, "price": "$25.00", "total": "$25.00" }
  ],
  "grandTotal": "$45.00"
}

Step 7: Add a Total

  1. Add a Text element below the table
  2. Type: Total: {{grandTotal}}
  3. Style it with the Properties panel (make it bold, align right)

Step 8: Save and Preview

  1. Click Save in the top bar
  2. Click Preview to open the preview in a new tab
  3. Your invoice should display with all test data filled in

Step 9: Generate Your First Document

Now let's generate a real PDF:

  1. Click Generate in the top bar (or navigate to Code Builder)
  2. You'll see options for how to generate the document
  3. Enter your data or use the test data
  4. Click Generate PDF
  5. Download your finished invoice!

Video Tutorial

Want to see this process in action? Watch our video walkthrough:

Next Steps

Now that you've created your first template:

Tips for Better Templates

  1. Plan your layout first - Sketch what you want before building
  2. Use test data - Add realistic test data to catch formatting issues
  3. Keep it simple - Start with basic elements, add complexity later
  4. Use Content Blocks - Create reusable pieces for headers/footers
  5. Test with edge cases - Try long text, missing data, many rows