Template Overview¶

For Administrators

This section is for people who set up and maintain templates. Regular users don't need to read this.

Templates in Certum Draft consist of two parts:

Matter definition (matter.json) - Defines the form fields for a matter type
Precedent documents - Word documents with placeholders that get filled in

Template Folder Structure¶

Each matter type has its own folder in your Templates directory:

Templates/
├── Conveyancing Sale/
│   ├── matter.json              ← Defines form fields
│   └── precedents/              ← Document templates
│       ├── 000 General/
│       │   ├── Cost Agreement.docx
│       │   └── Authority to Act.docx
│       ├── 010 Getting Started/
│       │   └── Letter to Agent.docx
│       └── 020 Contract/
│           └── Contract for Sale.docx
├── Conveyancing Purchase/
│   ├── matter.json
│   └── precedents/
└── Wills and Estates/
    ├── matter.json
    └── precedents/

How It Works¶

When creating a matter: Certum Draft reads matter.json to know what fields to show in the form
When generating documents: Certum Draft reads the matter data and fills in placeholders in the selected templates

Key Concepts¶

Matter Types¶

Each folder in your Templates directory becomes a matter type that users can select. The folder name is shown to users.

Form Fields¶

The matter.json file defines what information users need to enter. Fields are organised into blocks (sections) that can be collapsed.

Learn about fields

Precedent Documents¶

Document templates (.docx files) contain placeholders like {{ client.full_name }} that get replaced with actual data.

Learn about precedents

Organising Precedents¶

You can organise precedent documents into subfolders. Users will see the folder structure when selecting templates.

Numbered Folders

Use numbered prefixes (like 000, 010, 020) to control the display order.

Getting Started¶

Create a template - Set up a new matter type
Define fields - Configure the form
Add precedents - Create document templates