Contracts, reports, work orders, attestations — most businesses produce documents from the data they collect. The usual method is copy and paste into a word-processor template, which works right up until the template and the data disagree.
Atlas takes a different approach: a document template is a page layout whose fields are bound directly to a record schema, and documents are generated from live records.
What a document template is
A document template is a page layout with fields that bind to a record schema. You design it in Atlas’s Layout Editor, dropping in headings, text and bound placeholders, arranged in columns and sections.
Crucially, a template binds to a record schema version. That’s what keeps documents accurate: the template knows exactly which shape of record it was designed for.
Designing a template
Atlas’s documentation describes four steps:
- Create a template and bind it to a record schema version.
- In the Layout Editor, add blocks — headings, body text, columns.
- Insert bound placeholders that reference schema fields.
- Adjust widths and sections, then save the template.
Layout tips
- Lead with the facts people look for first — who, where, when — and put details below.
- Use columns for short, related values such as city, state and postal code.
- Keep fixed wording in text blocks and variable information in placeholders, so every document reads consistently.
- Design for the reader, not the data entry form. A document’s order can differ from the form’s.
Generating a document
With a template bound to a schema, generating a document is instant:
- Open a record and choose Generate document.
- Pick the template. Atlas renders it with the record’s data.
- Export to a print-ready document, or expose it through the API.
Why generated documents don’t go stale
Copy-and-paste documents drift in two ways: the data changes after the document is made, or the template’s idea of the data drifts from what’s actually collected. Atlas addresses both:
- Documents are filled from the live record, not a copy made earlier.
- Templates are tied to a schema version, so the document always reflects the model it was designed for — never a stale copy-paste.
It’s the same principle that runs through the rest of Atlas: define information once and let everything else read from that definition. See Schema drift.
Printable forms vs. generated documents
It’s worth distinguishing two things that both produce paper:
- A printable form (Basic tier) is a blank form generated from your schemas, for people to fill in by hand. See Laying out a printable form.
- A generated document is a completed document rendered from a record’s data using a template.
Online submissions sit in between: each can be downloaded as a PDF of the filled-in form.
Documents businesses generate from records
Templates are worth building for anything you produce repeatedly from structured information:
- Work orders for crews, generated from a service request record.
- Quotes and estimates, generated from a request plus pricing details.
- Inspection reports, generated from an inspection record.
- Service summaries for customers after a visit.
- Attestations and certificates that must reflect exactly what was recorded.
If someone is copying values from a record into a word processor, that’s a template waiting to be made.
A template design checklist
- Bind to the right record schema version.
- Put identifying information at the top — who, where, when, and a reference number if you use one.
- Group related placeholders into sections that mirror how the document is read.
- Use columns for short values and full width for long ones.
- Keep fixed wording in text blocks so every document reads consistently.
- Proof one generated document with a real record before using the template widely.
Keeping templates maintainable
As a library of templates grows, a few habits help:
- Name templates for their purpose and audience — Work Order (crew), Service Summary (customer).
- Review templates when a schema changes. A new schema version may add fields worth including.
- Avoid near-duplicates. Two templates that differ by one line are better as one.
- Check permissions. Namespaces keep declarations, templates and documents visible only to the teams that should see them.
Frequently asked questions
Can one record produce several documents? Yes — pick the template you want when generating.
What happens if the record changes after I generate a document? Generation renders the record’s values at that moment. Generate again to reflect later changes.
Can documents be produced automatically? Atlas’s APIs can generate documents from templates on demand, so applications and integrations can produce them programmatically.
Is a generated document the same as a printed form? No. A printable form is a blank form for people to fill in; a generated document is a completed document rendered from a record.
Rolling out a new template
When a template will be used by several people, a short rollout avoids surprises:
- Generate a document from three real records, including an unusual one, and read them end to end.
- Check the empty cases. What does the document look like when an optional field is blank?
- Show it to the people who’ll send it — they often spot wording that doesn’t match how they talk to customers.
- Agree when it’s used and by whom, so two people don’t send different documents for the same situation.
- Note the schema version it’s bound to, so you know to revisit it when the schema changes.
Governed access
Atlas describes namespaces as permission-scoped workspaces: declarations, templates and documents are visible only to the teams that should see them. That matters for documents in particular, which often contain the most sensitive combination of information a business holds.
