How to Create a Document Template

If the document template you are wanting to create or edit is going to be in word not HTML then you will need to be using Internet Explorer and will need to ensure you ActiveX settings are enabled per the I Can’t Edit my Letters and Templates guide.

If you would prefer to learn this in video format please see the video below.

As with most customisation in your eKeeper system, letter templates are created and edited via the system settings which can be access in the top right hand corner of your screen at all times.

Once you have navigated to the system settings you will need to click on the Document Templates button.

This will load you into a list of all existing templates.

From here you can choose what kind of template you are wanting to create. For this guide we will use the New Document Template.

You should now see the Edit Document page.

Document Template Description - Enter the name of you letter here.
Policy Type - Select the policy that this letter template is applicable to.
Stage - If you would like this letter template to be produced at a particular point in your mortgage workflow then select the name of the stage in this field.
Status - If you would like this letter template to be produced at a particular point in your protection workflow then select the name of the status in this field.
Letter Group - Letter groups (setup via the system settings menu) enable you to group similar letters together. This makes them easier to find when producing them if you have a large number of templates to choose from in your system.
Non Editable Document Template - If you do not want users to be able to edit the content of this letter when it is produced on a product then check this box.
Active - Use this to check turn this tempalte on or off. If you turn this off then this letter template will not be available to your users.
Sync to Portal by default - This allows you to set this letter template to be available to your portal users. You can set this to automatically sync this letter template to the portal, to be manually synced after production or disable the portal sync. (additional purchase required).
Fact Find Version - This allows you to choose which version of the fact find you want to pull merge fields from (see below for further information) or to restrict when the document can be produced based on a question being answered in the fact find.

You can restrict when your letter template can be produced against your products. To do this scroll down past the Template Details panel and look for the Restrict letter panel. This restriction is based on an answer to a question within your electronic fact-find. If the answer to your chosen question on your product's fact-find matches this panel then your letter template will become available for users to produce within that product. You can also choose to restrict based on what team the user is in.

Towards the bottom of the page there are 3 panels which reference merge fields. Merge fields are placeholders for information. You can place merge fields into your letter templates, these are then replaced by ekeeper when the letter is produced on a product. For example if you have a merge field called <<app1Forename>> then this will be replaced by the 1st applicant's forename, when the letter is produced on a case.

General Merge fields - The links in this panel allow you to add
- Applicant information - This provides applicant details such as their name, contact details, date of birth etc.
- Recipient - These merge fields intelligently populate information depending on who the letter is produced against e.g. if you produce the document against a lender, then the lender's information is populated.
- Date and users - This allows you to add todays date and also logged on user information e.g. the user's name, email address etc.
- Participant - Here you can add in contact information relevant to various participant types e.g. introducer, solicitor etc.
- Tick-list - Here you can add in information based on requested supporting documentation on your products e.g. the date when the name id was requested.
Add Fact-find Fields - The links in this panel represent the various fact-find structures that you currently have active in your system. When you click the relevant fact-find link, you will be able to navigate the various pages in your fact-find to find
Product Merge Fields - The links within this panel can be used to select merge fields relevant to the various merge fields

Merge fields are predefined before you arrive at this page. There are many merge fields to choose from and the information can come from many different places within the system for example applicant details such as names, addresses and phone numbers; Loan amount from the case; and custom fields that you create within the editable fact-find; to name a few.

Each of the clickable links in the panels opens a page that lists all of the relevant merge fields. The page displays a number of tables with rows that representing the relevant merge fields. You will find that typically the row will show the name of the merge field, a description of the information will populate into it when producing a letter, and an example of how this will look on in your produced letter.

To use this page simply check the boxes against the merge fields you wish to use in your letter and once you're finished click the 'submit' button.

If you are making use of our DocuSign integrations (See our DocuSign Integration guide) and are wanting to get an e-signature for this document then you will need to toggle the E-sign box to the option you would want.

Once you have completed the inital setup of your document and chosen the merge fields you are wanting to use you can start to edit your letter. To begin editing the content of your letter template. To do this find the Edit Template panel on the letter setup page and click the Edit Template link.

Once you have click the Edit Template link you document should begin to load.

If the document fails to load you will typical get the page below. If you see the below page the first steps are to ensure you are trying to edit the document via Internet Explorer and your ActiveX settings are enabled (Follow I Can’t Edit my Letters and Templates guide for more informtion)

When the document has successfully loaded you should find a blank word document has appeared . Note that the document may have opened behind any active windows you have on your machine so please check the task bar for the Microsoft word icon. Note you should see any merge fields you selected within the document. Merge fields appear with their identifier name surrounded by two chevrons at either end.

Now that you know how to move and style your merge fields the next thing to do is add content to your letter. This is the same process as editing a normal word document outside of ekeeper. All you need to do is type your content and then move your merge fields to where you want them to appear. Remember that the merge fields will be replaced with application/case specific information when you produce your letter against a product later on.

Now that you have finished composing your letter you need to save the template back into the ekeeper system. It is important to note that you have been editing a copy of the letter, locally on your machine up until now. To save the document click the close button in the top right hand corner of the Microsoft word application.

Now that you have closed the word application and saved the file, navigate back to ekeeper in your browser and click save document button.

Once it the document has saved you will be automatically taken back to the document template setup page.

If you are happy with all the changes made then all that is left to do is to click the Save button.