About Templates
Templates are tools that an administrator or template writer uses to define the structure of a periodic report and the way this report will be laid out when it prints. Once a template is processed, the resulting report is a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). A template:
- Can be scripted for the entire periodic report and/or can be split into sections that can be allocated to different users for processing. Once processed, the resulting report is a Microsoft Word document (.doc/.docx)
- Normally has a one-to-one relationship with a single product (active ingredient) and agency
- Can be used to create a template for another product/agency
Template writers use predefined syntax and elements to script templates. The basic objective of the syntax and elements is to provide tools that enable the template writer to:
- Author predefined textual narratives in the body of the template
- Pre-populate values in the body of the document directly from the database
- Prompt users for values not available in the database
- Process user entered values and insert narratives in the document
- Insert instructional text for the report authors
- Insert referential text with links to non-submission content. (Example - Attached Case Listings, CDAs, CIOMSII reports etc.)
The template automates the report generation process as much as possible. However, report authors have the ability to manually edit the content of a report as necessary.
For more information, see:
Parent topic: Writing Template Scripts