Template Author's Guide

Welcome to template authoring! This guide is written for legal professionals who want to create or customise their own document templates. No programming experience required.

The Big Picture

Think of a template like a form letter where you leave blanks to fill in later. Instead of:

Dear _______, Thank you for instructing us in the matter of _______.

You write:

Dear {{ client.salutation }}, Thank you for instructing us in the matter of {{ matter.re_line }}.

When you generate a document, Certum Draft fills in those blanks automatically.

Meet Our Example Clients

Throughout this guide, we’ll use examples from the fictional Dunder Mifflin Law Firm:

Michael Scott

Buying his first home in Scranton

Dwight Schrute

Selling his beet farm

The Knights Who Say Ni

Purchasing a shrubbery (strata property)

King Arthur

Estate of the Black Knight

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Understanding Placeholders

Basic Placeholders

A placeholder is text wrapped in double curly braces: {{ field.name }}

What You Type	What It Becomes
{{ client.full_name }}	Michael Gary Scott
{{ client.street_address }}	123 Slough Avenue
{{ property.address }}	Schrute Farms, Rural Route 6
{{ matter.number }}	2025-00042

The Dot Notation

Placeholders use dots to organise fields into categories:

{{ category.field_name }}

Think of it like a filing system:

• client. = Client drawer
• matter. = Matter drawer
• property. = Property drawer
• transaction. = Transaction details drawer

Why dots?

Using client.surname instead of just surname prevents confusion. If you have both a client and a vendor, client.surname and vendor.surname are clearly different.

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Standard Field Categories

Client Fields

Your primary client’s information:

{{ client.full_name }}          → Michael Gary Scott
{{ client.surname }}            → Scott
{{ client.given_names }}        → Michael Gary
{{ client.addressee }}          → Mr M Scott
{{ client.salutation }}         → Mr Scott
{{ client.street_address }}     → 123 Slough Avenue
{{ client.suburb }}             → Scranton
{{ client.state }}              → PA
{{ client.postcode }}           → 18505
{{ client.email }}              → [email protected]
{{ client.phone }}              → 555-0100

Matter Fields

Information about the file:

{{ matter.number }}             → 2025-00042
{{ matter.re_line }}            → Purchase of 456 Paper Street
{{ matter.person_acting }}      → Angela Martin (Solicitor)
{{ matter.person_assisting }}   → Kevin Malone (Legal Assistant)

Property Fields (Conveyancing)

{{ property.address }}          → 456 Paper Street, Scranton PA 18505
{{ property.re_line }}          → 456 Paper Street, Scranton
{{ property.lot }}              → Lot 15
{{ property.plan }}             → DP 123456

Firm Fields

Your firm’s details (usually in letterheads):

{{ firm.name }}                 → Dunder Mifflin Law
{{ firm.street_address }}       → 1725 Slough Avenue
{{ firm.phone }}                → 555-0199
{{ firm.email }}                → [email protected]

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Conditional Text

Sometimes you only want text to appear in certain situations. Use conditionals:

Basic If Statement

{%p if property.is_strata %}
This is a strata property. You should review the by-laws carefully.
{%p endif %}

This paragraph only appears if the property is strata titled.

Real-World Example: Pool Compliance

{%p if property.swimming_pool %}
We remind you that a valid Certificate of Compliance for the swimming
pool must be attached to the contract before it is signed.
{%p endif %}

Example: Different Text for Different Situations

Let’s say Sir Lancelot is selling his castle. We need different text depending on whether it’s an auction:

{%p if sale.is_auction %}
The property will be sold at auction. You should attend or arrange
for someone to bid on your behalf. Remember: once the hammer falls,
you're committed - there's no saying "I didn't mean it!"
{%p endif %}

{%p if sale.not_auction %}
Once a buyer has been found, please let us know so their solicitor's
details can be added to the contract.
{%p endif %}

Important: Balance your tags!

Every {%p if %} needs a matching {%p endif %}. Forgetting the endif is the #1 cause of template errors.

Wrong:

{%p if property.is_strata %}
Strata information here...
← Missing endif!

Correct:

{%p if property.is_strata %}
Strata information here...
{%p endif %}

Common Conditional Fields

These are the typical yes/no questions that trigger conditional text:

Primary Field	Auto-Computed Inverse	What It Controls
property.is_strata	property.not_strata	Strata/unit title
property.has_pool	property.no_pool	Swimming pool
property.has_illegal_works	—	Unapproved building works
sale.is_auction	sale.not_auction	Auction vs private treaty
sale.is_estate	sale.not_estate	Deceased estate
transaction.simultaneous_purchase	—	Coordinated sale/purchase
transaction.deposit_release	—	Early deposit release

Inverse fields are automatic

Certum Draft automatically computes inverse values. When sale.is_auction = YES, the system creates sale.not_auction = NO. Use these for cleaner “if NOT” conditions.

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Formatting Dates and Currency

Date Formatting

Dates are stored in a standard format but can be displayed however you like:

{{ client.dob | date }}                    → 15 January 1965
{{ client.dob | date("%d/%m/%Y") }}        → 15/01/1965
{{ client.dob | date("%-d %B %Y") }}       → 15 January 1965
{{ contract.date | date("%B %Y") }}        → January 2025

Common date formats

Format Code	Result	Use For
%-d %B %Y	15 January 2025	Formal letters
%d/%m/%Y	15/01/2025	Forms, short dates
%B %Y	January 2025	Month/year only
%d %B %Y	15 January 2025	With leading zero

Currency Formatting

Currency fields are automatically formatted:

{{ transaction.purchase_price }}    → $750,000.00
{{ transaction.deposit }}           → $75,000.00

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Complete Example: Letter Template

Here’s a complete letter template for sending a contract to a client. Notice how placeholders, conditionals, and formatting work together:

{{ firm.name }}
{{ firm.street_address }}
{{ firm.suburb }} {{ firm.state }} {{ firm.postcode }}

{{ today.date_long }}

{{ client.addressee }}
{{ client.street_address }}
{{ client.suburb }} {{ client.state }} {{ client.postcode }}

Dear {{ client.salutation }},

RE: {{ property.re_line }}
Our Ref: {{ matter.number }}

We refer to your instructions to act on your behalf in relation
to the above property.

Please find enclosed the Contract for Sale for your review and
signature.

{%p if property.is_strata %}
As this is a strata property, we have also enclosed:
- A copy of the strata by-laws
- The most recent AGM minutes
- A strata inspection report

Please review these documents carefully.
{%p endif %}

{%p if property.swimming_pool %}
We remind you that a valid Certificate of Compliance for the
swimming pool must be attached to the contract.
{%p endif %}

{%p if transaction.simultaneous_purchase %}
We understand you are coordinating this sale with a purchase.
We will work to align the settlement dates.
{%p endif %}

The settlement date is currently {{ transaction.settlement_date | date }}.

If you have any questions, please contact {{ matter.person_acting }}
on {{ firm.phone }}.

Yours faithfully,

{{ practitioner.full_name }}
{{ firm.name }}

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Template Checklist

Before using a template, verify:

1. All placeholders match your matter.json fields

   If your matter.json has client.full_name, use exactly {{ client.full_name }} (not {{ client.fullname }})

2. All conditionals are balanced

   Every {%p if %} has a matching {%p endif %}

3. Field names use the standard format

   Use client.surname (lowercase, underscores) not Client_Surname or clientSurname

4. Test with real data

   Generate a test document and check every placeholder filled in correctly

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Troubleshooting

[MISSING: field_name] appears in document

The placeholder name doesn’t match any field in your matter.json.

Fix: Check spelling and category. Is it client.full_name or client.fullname?

Entire document fails to generate

Usually an unbalanced conditional tag.

Fix: Search for {%p if and {%p endif - you should have equal numbers of each.

Conditional text always shows (or never shows)

The field might not be set up as a boolean (yes/no) field.

Fix: Check that your matter.json defines the field as "type": "boolean".

Date shows as “2025-01-15” instead of “15 January 2025”

You need to add the date filter.

Fix: Use {{ date_field | date }} instead of just {{ date_field }}.

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Quick Reference Card

Placeholder Syntax

{{ category.field_name }}

Conditional Syntax

{%p if condition %}
  Text when true
{%p endif %}

Date Filter

{{ date_field | date }}
{{ date_field | date("%-d %B %Y") }}

Common Categories

• client. - Client details
• matter. - Matter/file details
• property. - Property details
• transaction. - Transaction details
• firm. - Your firm’s details
• practitioner. - Solicitor details
• today. - Current date

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Next Steps

• Field Reference — Complete list of standard fields
• Conditionals Guide — Advanced conditional logic
• Template Conversion — Converting existing templates
• Matter Configuration — Setting up matter.json