Templates, layouts and looks explained
Three related ideas (document types, layouts and looks) and how they combine when you create a document.
"Template" in DataSheets Pro is really three ideas working together. Once they click, the New document picker makes sense at a glance.
Document type
The type is the kind of document: Product Data Sheet, Installation Guide, Certificate of Conformance, and so on. The type decides the built-in structure: which sections and blocks a new document starts with. There are 66 types; see The document type library.
Layout (variant)
A layout is a particular arrangement of a type. Most types have a single Standard layout, the recommended structure. A few offer alternatives, for example:
| Type | Layouts |
|---|---|
| Technical Data Sheet | Performance data · Engineering properties · Compact TDS · Application & handling · Dimensioned drawing |
| Product Sell Sheet | Product hero · Application story · Technical sales · Premium visual · Comparison |
| Installation Guide | Standard · Visual installation · Electrical / mechanical · Installer quick reference · Commissioning & verification |
Look
A look is the visual style (spacing, type and accents) laid over whichever layout you chose. There are seven, and you can change the look any time in the editor without touching your content. See Choosing a Look.
How they come together
When you create a document you pick a type, then (if it offers more than one) a layout, then a look. DataSheets Pro provides a ready-made template for every combination. These are the built-in "system" templates. You can also save your own; see Saving and reusing your own templates.