Best practice for preparing a site template

Site templates provide a flexible tool that can avoid duplicated effort and allow you to:

• Share an efficient and effective site configuration with your department as part of a 'Solutions library'
• Reuse configuration created for similar projects
• Create a core configuration that contains users and groups for rapid setup and repeated use
• Transfer a site configuration to a different instance

Site preparation

If you are saving a site as a site template for use with future projects, it is best to prepare the site before saving it, so that the template will be easy to set up and use.

A site that has been used for a specific project makes a good candidate to be saved as a template and reused for similar projects. However it is important to examine and 'tidy up' the site before saving it as a template so that any configuration and information specific to the original site is removed.

Building a template

There are two approaches to building a template, which depend on how you are using the HighQ platform:

1. You can add a new template to prepare a new, optimised site. Configuration can be created specifically for the intended use of the template.
2. You can also save an existing site. This will contain tools, users and groups that you may want to re-use in a new site.

Preparation

To get the best use from a site template, consider how it will be used and which tools and content will be required. If not enough configuration is included then you will waste time adding functions after the new site is created, and if too much is included, then functions must be disabled or deleted.

Be careful with confidential data and client lists - do not include these in a template if there is a risk of accidentally sharing privileged information.

There are some questions you should ask before creating a template:

What are the common denominators across your sites?

• Is there a core set of users that are required over several matters? Or are the users different each time?
• Do you display your logo on all sites, or is a client logo used?
• Are there groups or permissions that must be configured each time a site is created?
• Are iSheets used extensively?
• Are permissions correctly defined with groups? (Avoid using user-based permissions as these only apply to those specific users)
  • If the user is not copied in the template, their user-based permissions are also not copied
• In 5.2, if a site is defined as a bidder site, it may not be saved as a template
  • You may configure a template as a bidder site - you can then create new bidder sites from that template

What business is the template for?

Consider the type of business you perform and the type of client you serve.

• What configuration is needed? What is common? Reviewing contracts, administration, etc?

What cannot be included in a template?

Keep in mind that as you save a site as a template certain types of content and configuration cannot be included:

• Files
• Wiki pages
• Blog posts
• Tasks
• iSheet records
• AI for folders - AI config for folders will not be copied over. The new site will need to be reconfigured to work with the AI engine of your choice.
  • However, Document Intelligence configuration, including folder settings and iSheet column mapping configuration are included
• Bidder site settings are not supported as client lists and work are usually sensitive.
  • However, you may configure a template ready for use as a bidder site.

Avoid links to content from inside the site as this will not be included in the saved template. Add content for the new project in your new site.

Keep in mind...

• The template will include all active modules; inactive modules will not be copied. 

• Links to content on external sites will be preserved.

  • Do not rely on external iSheets if you will export the template; a site created from an imported template will not have access to the same external iSheets.
• AI data visualisation panels will work as follows:
  • Data visualisation panels that point to the AI engine of the same site will not be copied as the AI engine configuration is not copied to the template.
  • However, data visualisation panels that point to an AI engine on another site will function as the rely on the other site, which still exists.
  • Neither the same site nor cross-site data vis panels will work if the template is exported.
• You may want to keep users of a site for templates that will be used for the same type of work, but consider limiting which users are included as job titles and responsibilities can change (including staff turnover).

Groups

Even if users are not copied, user and system groups are copied for use in new sites created from the template.

iSheet templates

iSheet template links will remain only if the template is used on the same instance. If you export the template, the links will be lost and the iSheets recreated independently.

Housekeeping

When you save a site template, several options are available to help organise and find them.

In the Save as template screen, you have access to the following fields:

• Template name - This is the name of the template. Use a concise name that will help identify the template in a list
• Description - This is a description of the site template. Enter a description that will help you organise your site templates and provide a reminder of the template's purpose
• Admin notes - Add any notes for an admin user, including advice to administrators on how to use the template
• Client number - If you always intend to use this template for the same client, enter the client's number
• Matter number - If you always intend to use the site for the same matter, enter the matter number

If the template will be used for several clients or matters then you may leave these blank, or use a 'generic' reference.

• Site purpose - Select one or more purposes for the site
• Keep site users - You can select whether you want to keep the site users that already exist within the site, in the new template
• Keep site logo - You can select whether you want to keep the logo used in the original site. Any site you create with this template will use this logo

Keep users if one or more groups/representatives will focus on a project - it is usually easier to delete unneeded groups than to add new members.

If enough members leave or join your organisation you should adjust the template so that the changes are in place for all future projects. Changes to your employee roster or responsibilities are not reflected in a saved template.