Understanding Templates

This section is for administrators who set up and maintain templates. If you just use Certum Draft to generate documents, see Generating Documents.

What is a Template?

A template in Certum Draft has two parts:

1. Matter configuration (matter.json) — Defines the fields to collect from users
2. Document templates (Word files) — The actual documents with placeholders

When someone creates a matter and generates documents, Certum Draft:

• Collects information using the fields you define
• Replaces placeholders in documents with that information

Template Folder Structure

Each template type lives in its own folder within your Templates directory:

• DirectoryTemplates/

  • DirectoryEstates/

    • matter.json
    • DirectoryPrecedents/

      • DirectoryLetters/

        • Letter to Beneficiary.docx
        • Letter to Bank.docx
      • DirectoryCourt/

        • Probate Application.docx
  • DirectoryConveyancing/

    • matter.json
    • DirectoryPrecedents/

      • …

Key Files

matter.json

This file defines:

• What information to collect (fields)
• How fields are organised (blocks/sections)
• Which fields are required vs optional
• The folder structure for new matters
• Starter files to copy into new matters

Document Templates

Word documents (.docx) containing placeholders like {{ client.full_name }} that get replaced with actual values.

Template as Source of Truth

The live template on disk is always the authoritative source for form structure. When you open a matter, Certum Draft reads the current matter.json from the template folder to build the form — not from a saved copy in the matter itself. This means:

• Adding a field to matter.json immediately makes it available in all existing matters of that type.
• Removing a field hides it from the form, but previously entered data is preserved in the matter metadata.
• Reorganising blocks or stages takes effect the next time a matter is opened.

The matter’s own JSON file stores only the data the user has entered, not the form definition.

Template Caching

Certum Draft caches a copy of each template in ~/Library/Application Support/Certum Draft/ so that templates remain available even when the source folder is temporarily unreachable (for example, when Dropbox Smart Sync has evicted the files or the network drive is offline). The cache is refreshed automatically whenever the template folder is accessible.

Note

If you update a template and the changes are not appearing, restart Certum Draft to force a cache refresh. See Troubleshooting for more details.

Available Template Packs

Certum Draft ships with seven template packs covering common practice areas:

Pack	Description
Purchase of Land	Residential and commercial conveyancing purchases
Sale of Land	Vendor-side conveyancing
Estates	Deceased estates, probate, and administration
Wills/POAs/EGs	Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Enduring Guardianship
Advice	General legal advice matters
Lease - Tenant	Tenant-side commercial and retail leasing
Reverse Mortgage Advice	Reverse mortgage advice and certification

Each pack includes a complete matter.json with workflow stages, fields, and precedent documents tailored to that practice area.

How Templates Are Selected

When a user creates a new matter:

1. They see a list of all folders in your Templates directory
2. Each folder with a valid matter.json appears as an option
3. Selecting a template loads its fields and folder structure

Tip

Organise your template folders by practice area (Estates, Conveyancing, etc.) for easy navigation.

Template Inheritance

Templates can share common fields. The matter.json file can include blocks for:

• client — Standard client information (name, address, contact)
• matter — Common matter fields (reference, dates)
• Custom blocks — Specific to that practice area

This means you define client fields once and reuse them across all templates.

Next Steps

• Creating Templates — Step-by-step guide
• Template Fields — Field types and options
• Matter Configuration — The matter.json file