Merge Templates Form

Use this form to manage the merge templates that you use to create merged documents in Ajera CRM Custom Proposals and Info Centers.

The merge templates that you add here display in:

  • Roles Security Configuration — On the Access Rights tab, select MergeTemplates in the Functional Area field. After you select an Info Center, the merge templates display in the Available Templates box, and you can move them to the Templates for this Role box.
  • An Info Center — Click Merge on an Info Center toolbar to open the Merging dialog box where you select a merge template and generate the merged document.
  • Custom Proposals — Click Sections on the Custom Proposals form toolbar to open the Configure Sections dialog box, where you select a merge template for different sections of the proposal.

Display the Merge Templates Form

You display the form in Configuration.

To display the form, complete the following step:

From the Ajera CRM Navigation menu, click Configuration > General > Merge Templates.

Contents of the Merge Templates Form

Use the fields and options on the Merge Templates form to create new templates or modify existing ones.

Contents

Field Description
Info Center Area Click the down-arrow and from the drop-down list, select the Info Center for the merge template that you want to view, add, update, export, copy, or delete.

Merge Templates Grid

Each row in the grid displays a merge template that has been added for the Info Center that you entered in the Info Center Area field.

Field Description
Merge Templates Drop-down Click the drop-down arrow on a grid header to complete any of the following actions:
  • To print grid data, click Print. When the Print Preview form displays, click File > Print to send the grid data to your default printer.
  • To export grid data to an Excel spreadsheet, click Export to Excel. When Microsoft Excel opens, use its features to modify, print, or email the data, or to save the spreadsheet file locally.
  • To turn on grouping for a grid, click Enable Grouping. When a field displays with the instruction: "Drag a column header here to group by that column," drag and drop column headers into this field, in the sequence that you want them to display.

Not all options are available on all grids.

Add Click this toolbar icon, and from the drop-down list, select one of the following options to add, create, or import a merge template into Ajera CRM:
  • Microsoft Word Template — Use this option to add a merge template that has been created using Microsoft Word (an .rtf file). You must create merge templates in Word, before you add the file to Ajera CRM. When you add the file to Ajera CRM, the contents of the .rtf file are copied into Ajera CRM.
  • Create Adobe InDesign Template — Use this option to create a new merge template using InDesign. The InDesign software will open from within Ajera CRM, and you create the merge template (an .indt file). When you save the InDesign file, it is saved in Ajera CRM using SQL FILESTREAM capabilities.
  • Import Adobe InDesign Template — Use this option to import an existing merge template that you created directly in InDesign (not from within Ajera CRM).

When you select any of these options, the Add Merge Templates dialog box opens, and you enter information for the merge template you are adding, creating, or importing.

Update Click this toolbar icon to apply or make modifications to merge templates that have previously been added to Ajera CRM. This works differently for Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign merge templates.

Microsoft Word merge templates

First, you must make modifications to the original .rtf file or a new .rtf file in Word (outside of Ajera CRM). Then in the Merge Templates grid on the Merge Templates form, select the Word merge template that you want to modify. Click the Update icon to copy the contents of the modified or new Word .rtf file into the existing merge template in Ajera CRM.

Adobe InDesign merge templates

In the Merge Templates grid on the Merge Templates form, select the InDesign merge template that you want to modify. Then click Update to open Adobe InDesign and modify a merge template directly in the InDesign software.

For more specific information about the update process for both Word and InDesign merge templates, see the "Update Merge Templates" help topic.

Export This toolbar icon applies only for merge templates that are created with Microsoft Word. The icon is disabled when you select an Adobe InDesign merge template.

After you select an .rtf merge template in the Merge Templates grid, click this icon to save a copy of the .rtf merge template file outside of Ajera CRM on your local machine or a network drive.

For more specific information about the update process for Word merge templates, see the "Export Merge Templates" topic.

Copy This toolbar icon applies for merge templates that are created with either Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign.

Click this icon to copy a selected merge template to create a new one. A new row is inserted in the grid, and the Template File Name and Type columns prefill with the information from the template that you copied. In the Description column, enter a description for the new merge template. When you move away from the Description field, the description is used to rename the file in the Template File Name column.

For more specific information about the copy process, see the "Copy Merge Templates" help topic.

Delete Click this toolbar icon to delete a selected merge template from Ajera CRM. Be sure that you no longer need a template before you delete it because the deletion cannot be undone.

After a template is deleted, it is no longer accessible in the Merge Templates functional area on the Access Rights tab of Role Security. It is no longer accessible in the Info Centers or Custom Proposals.

Description This column displays the description of the merge template that you entered on the Add Merge Template dialog box when you initially add the template to Ajera CRM. This column also reflects any changes you make to the description on the Update Merge Template dialog box if you updated the merge template.

You can modify the description directly in this field. To save changes, click Save on the Merge Template form toolbar.

When you use Copy to copy an existing merge template to create a new template, after you enter a description for the new (copied) template and move away from the Description field in the Merge Templates grid, the description is used to rename the file in the Template File Name column.

Template File Name This column displays the name of the Microsoft Word .rft or Adobe InDesign .indt file that is used to create the merge template in Ajera CRM.

For Microsoft Word merge templates

This column displays the .rtf file that you selected in the Merge Template field on either the Add Merge Template dialog box when you initially add a Word merge template to Ajera CRM or on the Update Merge Template dialog box if you update a merge template in Ajera CRM.

For Adobe InDesign merge templates

This column displays the name of the InDesign .indt file, which is based on the description that you entered in the Description field on the Add Merge Template dialog box when you initially created and added the InDesign merge template in Ajera CRM.

When you use Copy to copy an existing Word or InDesign merge template to create a new template, the Template File Name column initially fills with the file name of the merge template you are copying. After you enter a description for the new (copied) merge template in the grid on the Merge Templates form and move away from the Description column, the description is used to rename the file in the Template File Name column.

Type This column displays the merge template file type. The software that you use to create the merge template and the file extension are listed in this field.

The types are:

  • Microsoft Word (.rtf)
  • Adobe InDesign (.indt)