{"versionId":"65b8f028-4685-42bf-8440-08dd98259565","articleId":"fd1306e5-7273-46f5-9a7f-08dd4a203b41","title":"How to create and configure a template document","tags":["Template","All articles"],"content":"

Automate and standardise the creation of compliant and on-brand documents with templates in Theta Assist. Here's how it works:

Create an assistant that will be used to create this type of document
Create a template for this type of document in Word, with placeholders and relevant formatting/branding
Upload your template
Add placeholder descriptions in Theta Assist
Customise the prompt to collect the info needed to populate the template, and instruct the assistant to export to file

Click-through demo of template creation

Theta Assist Advanced Feature Tour Storylane

Step-by-step guide

1. Create an assistant

Follow the instructions here to create a new assistant. Give it a name that relates to the kind of document you want to create - eg Status Report Generator

2. Create your template

Theta Assist supports the use of Word documents (.docx) as templates.
Your template file can include any required organisation branding and formatting
Templates should include any desired placeholders - see below

Configuring your template with placeholders

Placeholders mark locations in your Word document where AI-generated text will appear.

Placeholder format

Placeholders in your document should be in the format $placeholder - i.e. start with a $, followed by a-z, A-Z, 0-9, no spaces.

Default placeholders

The following placeholders are built into Theta Assist:

$fullname: Inserts the user's full name.
$email: Inputs the user's email address.
$assistantid: Adds the current assistant's unique identifier.
$assistantname: Places the current assistant's display name.
$threadid: Incorporates the current thread's unique identifier.
$threadlink: Inserts the current thread's URL*

*Note the recipient of the document generated will only be able to access the thread if it has been shared with them

Custom placeholders

You can also add your own placeholders to your template, using the format $placeholder, anywhere you would like the Assistant to add text to your document.

3. Upload your template

Edit the assistant you created in step one
Navigate to the Template tab
Upload your template

4. Customise placeholders

Theta Assist will automatically extract any placeholders included in your document.

Add a short description for each. This should describe what you want the Assistant to insert here - eg \"Summary\", \"Next steps\"

Date/time replacement

To add the current date/time, start your description with datetime: followed by your desired format string. The placeholder will be replaced with the current date/time—formatted as specified—in the assistant's configured time zone. For example, datetime:MM/dd/yyyy might render as 02/19/2025.

View date/time format options

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Code	Description	Example	Category
d	Day (1-31)	5	Date
dd	Day with leading zero (01-31)	05	Date
ddd	Abbreviated day name	Mon	Date
dddd	Full day name	Monday	Date
M	Month (1-12)	9	Date
MM	Month with leading zero (01-12)	09	Date
MMM	Abbreviated month name	Sep	Date
MMMM	Full month name	September	Date
y	Year as 1-2 digits	23	Date
yyyy	Full 4-digit year	2023	Date
h	Hour (1-12)	3	Time
hh	Hour with leading zero (01-12)	03	Time
H	24-hour (0-23)	15	Time
HH	24-hour with leading zero (00-23)	15	Time
m	Minute (0-59)	9	Time
mm	Minute with leading zero (00-59)	09	Time
s	Second (0-59)	5	Time
ss	Second with leading zero (00-59)	05	Time
tt	AM/PM indicator	PM	Time

You can combine these format codes using any separators (/ - : etc) to create custom date/time formats.

Example Formats:

datetime:MM/dd/yyyy → 01/24/2025
datetime:MMMM d, yyyy → January 24, 2025
datetime:ddd, MMM d, yyyy h:mm tt → Fri, Jan 24, 2025 3:30 PM
datetime:HH:mm:ss → 15:30:00

Ignore setting

If any placeholders should remain as text and not be replaced by AI, check the \"Ignore\" box beside the placeholder. These won't be included in AI-generated text.

Completing the configuration

After configuring your placeholders and inserting necessary descriptions, click Save Descriptions at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Updating your template

Missed a placeholder on want to change something? You can replace your existing template with a new one.

Active vs Inactive

Active Placeholders: These are currently used in the latest version of your template.

Inactive Placeholders: These are previously configured placeholders that no longer exist. Remove them if they are no longer needed.

5. Customise your prompt

Once your template is set up and configured, adjust the default prompt to collect the information required to populate your template.

IMPORTANT: You need to include an instruction in your prompt to use the 'save_to_file' function to export the contents of the file.

For example: \"When complete, you'll save the full report using the save_to_file function.\" or \"When complete, you'll save the output using the save_to_file function.\"

","description":"","isMarkdown":false,"publishedOnUtc":"2025-10-30T01:14:16.3991884","modifiedOnUtc":"2025-02-17T20:37:25.6427056"}