anytype-docs-organize-templates.md
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.
A Template is a saved layout for a page that you can reuse. Instead of starting every new Note, Task, or Project from a blank page, you define what a good starting point looks like once and it'll form the base for every new Object you create afterwards.
Templates help you with three things:
Standardize your pages — ensure everything follows the same format.
Save time — set a template once and reuse it forever.
Reduce errors — limit the amount that needs manual entry each time.
It's best to use templates on Objects that you find yourself repeatedly entering the same content in that follows a similar structure every time. Good examples of this are cooking recipes, book reviews, project dashboards, and content releases.
Conversely, it's best to not put too much into a template that may create a lot of work for you in the future to update. Focus on putting only what truly matters into each template.
Every new Object that's created will use the default Template if it is set.
Templates are only applied to Objects when they are created. Future updates to a Template will not update Objects created from earlier versions.
You can have multiple Templates for each Type, but only one can be the default.
You can switch to a different Template when an Object is created, but this option is no longer possible afterwards.
Templates can also be set for Queries and Collections.
Templates can also be set per View.
These are all the components you can set with a Template:
Components
How can you use it?
Title
'Pre-fill name' will set the same title for every new Object created with this Template. 'Empty-name' will not set any title at all.
Icon
Choose an emoticon or upload your own image.
Cover
Choose an image from the gallery or upload your own image.
Description
Show or hide the description by default with preset text.
Width
Change the page width. This can also be set at the Type layout level.
Properties
Preset specific values for Properties.
Blocks
Preset specific blocks and design layouts for the page.
Building a Template is exactly the same as building your desired Object. Add all of your desired content blocks, pre-fill your Properties, and give it a name. As you edit the Template, it will auto-save every change you make.
Open the Object you'd like to base a template off of.
Click on the 'three dots' button on the top-right corner.
Click the menu item Use as template.
Open the desired Type, Query, or Collection.
Click on the 'Templates' button on the right hand side.
Click ' +' to start a new Template.
Setting the default Template here will apply to all Objects created for this Type, Query, or Collection.
Open Channel Settings > Content Model > Object Types.
Click the Type you want to add a Template to.
Find the Templates section in the right panel.
Click ' +' to start a new Template.
Navigate to the desired Template.
While hovering over it, click on the 'three dots' button.
Select the menu item Edit template.
Template changes only apply to future Objects that are created with it. For all Objects already created from past versions of the Template, no updates to the Template will transfer to them. Templates are only applied during Object creation.
Create an Object with your preferred method.
The default Template will be applied automatically.
Start editing the Template.
You can have multiple Templates. Before making any edits to your new Object, you have the opportunity to switch from the default Template to a different one.
Create a new Object.
Click on the button ' This type has # templates'.
Choose your desired Template.
Templates are applied when an Object is created. This is why making an edit to an Object will remove your ability to switch Templates afterwards. An alternative solution is to navigate to the Template and copy + paste the content into your desired Object.
Navigate to the Type.
Click on the 'Templates' button on the right hand side.
While hovering over your desired Template, click on the 'three dots' button.
Select the menu item Set as default.
You can set Templates that are specifically tied to certain Views. This means that a Type can have multiple Views and a different Template for each.
Navigate to a Type, Query, or Collection.
Click on the 'dropdown arrow' next to the 'New' button.
Set the Template for this View.
While you are in this View, clicking on the 'New' button will automatically apply the Template for this view. This overrides the default Template that is set for the entire Type when you are creating an Object from this View.
If you want to be sure your Template remains consistent, you can lock it to prevent accidental edits. Importantly, locking a Template does not prevent it from being deleted. Deleted Templates can be restored from the Bin. To lock a Template:
Edit the Template
Click on the 'three dots' button on the top right corner.
Select the option Lock Template.
To make a variant of an existing Template:
Open the Template.
Find the Template you want to copy.
Click the three-dot menu > Duplicate.
Edit the copy to make it your variant.
Useful for incremental refinement or for creating role-specific versions of the same base Template.
Templates can include a default name that's pre-filled into new Objects. To control this behavior:
Edit the Template.
In the title area, you'll see a toggle between Pre-fill name and Empty name.
Pre-fill name — new Objects start with the Template's name (which you can replace by typing)
Empty name — new Objects start with a blank title, ready for you to type
Use Empty name when the Template's name is just for finding the Template (e.g., "Daily Journal" is the Template name, but you don't want every entry to start with "Daily Journal" as the title).
You can have many Templates for the same Type. Here is some inspiration:
Note Type — Templates for "Daily Journal", "Meeting Note", "Reading Note", "Idea Capture"
Task Type — Templates for "Bug Report", "Feature Request", "Recurring Maintenance"
Document Type — Templates for "Weekly Review", "Tech Spec", "Postmortem", "One-Pager"
Templates can pre-set Property values, making Objects more standardized.
Status = "Draft" by default for new content ideas
Priority = "Low" by default for new Tasks
Author = "Current User" by default for Ideas
Tags = pre-applied tags relevant to the Template
When you create an Object from the Template, these defaults are applied. You can override them on the new Object — the Template's Property values are just starting points.
Open the Type's Templates list.
Click the three-dot menu next to the Template > Delete.
The Template is removed and can be found in the Bin where it can be restored. Objects created from this Template are not affected — they keep the content the Template gave them. The Template simply no longer exists for future Object creation.
Create your Objects, then create a Template after. Build the layout you want on a real Object first, iterate until it's right, then save it as a Template. This is more reliable than designing a Template from scratch in the abstract, as it may not truly serve your needs.
Set a per-View default for shared Channels. A team Channel where one View is "Bug Tracker" and another is "Feature Requests" benefits from per-View Templates — Bug Tracker's New button uses the Bug Report Template, Feature Requests uses a different one. Members create the right kind of Object without thinking about it.
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