How to create a Structured text template

What is the context?

Templates are ''blueprints'' for creating documents. Then can be used in different places within the system. They use template codes to merge relevant information (e.g. about a patient, clinician, or appointment) depending on the context of use. 

Structured templates are special templates which:

• Use component sections as the building blocks for the template
• Use conditions to define whether sections are displayed

What is the purpose of the article?

This article outlines

• How to create a Structured text template
• The options and rules for adding new sections
• How to create a new section
• How to move the relative position of sections within a structured template
• How Conditions work in sections for Structured text templates
• The Condition types available
• How to add a condition for a section in a Structured text template
• The importance of the correct context for using a Structured text template

Before you get started...

Before you create a template you should decide:

• Where the template should be saved (i.e. the Document Type)
• What name should be given to a template
• Who should have access to the template and under what conditions (i.e. the Security Policy)

How do you create a Structured text template?

To create a new Structured Template:

1. From the Start Page, navigate to Templates

2. Click New > Structured template > Structured text template

3. In the New structured template dialog that appears

3.1 Add a descriptive Name for the template

3.2 Set a Type for the template

3.3 Set the Chamber to which the template belongs

3.4 Set the Policy for the document

Document Types are associated with template Account Types e.g. Patient Templates, Company Templates etc.
Assigning a Type to a Template determines which Account Type it will belong to and therefore determine where it can be accessed and used e.g. from a Patient Record (Patient Templates account type) or from a Company Record (Company Templates account type) etc.

3.5. Click Create

The template is created and the New structured template dialog is still displayed on screen.

4. Click Open

This opens the Structured Template editor.

Want to see how it's done?

The video below presents a walk-through of creating a new structured template.

Sections in a Structured text template

The Structured Template editor allows you to add New sections to the structured template.

What are the options and rules for adding new sections?

Within a Structured template there are:

• Different types of sections that can be added
• Different rules about how many of the different section types that can be added

As suggested by the screenshot above and explained in the table below.

How do you create a new template content section?

Using the example of creating a new template for the content section, you can add a new section as follows:

1. From the Structured template editor

1.1 Select New section

1.2 Select Content

1.3 Select Insert

2. In the new Document Editor page that appears

2.1 Add content to the document as required

2.2 Format the content as required

2.3 Click on the Save button in the top left of the Document Editor screen

The Document editor tab is closed and the section is shown as added to the structured template.

3. Click on Save in the top left of the Structured template screen

4. Continue to add in further sections as needed

How do you move the relative position of sections within a structured template?

You may find that the need to adjust the relative position of content sections within a structured template. To do this from within the Structured template editor:

1. Select the section that needs to be moved

2. Drag the section to the position where it needs to live

3. Click Save in the Structured template

Using Conditions in structured templates

When you add Templates and/or Documents as sections to your Structured template, these sections can be displayed according to conditions.

How do conditions work?

Structured template Conditions use Template Codes that can be evaluated using a condition type against a value. Where the condition is met (i.e. it is 'true'), the section is displayed.

Conditions follow the structure

<TemplateCode><condition type><value>

So an example of a condition applied to a section could be

Patient.Sex="Female   "

In this example,

• Patient.Sex is the Template Code
• = is the condition type of 'equals'
• "Female   " is the value that the Template Code evaluates using the condition type

When the structured template is generated by a user and the condition is met, then the section is displayed.

What condition types are available?

There is a range of condition types that are supported. These types are listed in the table below with examples and explanatory notes.

Can one section have multiple conditions?

Yes, you can combine multiple conditions. To combine conditions, you can use the following terms:

• and
• or

So using the following example

Patient.Data.BMI > 30 and Patient.Sex = "Male      "

A section would only be displayed if a BMI meta field on a clinical form is greater than 30 and the patient's sex is recorded as male.

Another example to create a range is:

Patient.Data.BMI < 30 and Patient.Data.BMI >19

This can be used to help create ranges in which a condition is shown. 

How do you add a condition for a section in a Structured template?

To add to a condition for a section, from the Structured template editor

1. Click in the Condition field for the relevant section

2. Type in the condition text

3. Click on the Save button in the top left of the Structured template editor

The condition is applied for the section.

Using a template in the correct context

It is very important that the logic behind Template Codes being used in the correct context is preserved throughout all sections of the Structured Template.

For example, if the intention is to use the template on a Patient Record, but template sections contain template codes evaluating company information, the document generated will contain errors.

You may also be interested in ...?

To add some further context, you may be interested in the following articles and sections

• Templates & Documents - An overview
  • This article provides more information on the principles of rules of using document templates, document types and the document editor
• Using a template
  • This article provides information on the places in the system where templates can be used and expands on the section above Using a template in the correct context.
• Template Codes
  • This sections contains a range of articles describing template codes that can be used in document templates and by extension in structured template conditions.

Review date

This article was last updated on 08 March 2024