Understanding document templates

Almost all application software allows the use of templates when creating new documents. For example, Microsoft-Word uses .dot template files, and AutoCAD uses .dwt template files. A document type defines which templates are available for selection when creating new vault documents. A system administrator maintains the configuration of document templates.

The templates that are available for each document type appear in the document type’s submenu for easy selection. If no templates are specified for a document type, then the submenu lists the file types that are registered in Windows on the current computer. If one of the file types is selected, Meridian will create an empty document in the vault with the file extension of the selected file type. When the empty file is opened for editing from within Meridian, Windows will Start the application that is registered for the file type.

Using a standard set of templates ensures that new documents start from the same set of templates and you are guided to select the correct template for the document type.