Using form templates and speed codes

You can use templates and speed codes to quickly populate fields for a number of Autotask entities including ticket and recurring ticket, task, ticket or task time entry and note, project note, service call, quick call, opportunity, and quote.

NOTE  Form templates will follow the limitations of the currently applied category and the user's security settings. If a form template uses a value that is not allowed in a field by the category or the user's security settings, the field will not be updated. This includes the category field itself. Additionally, if a form template provides content for fields that are hidden by the category or the user's security settings, those fields are not updated.

For more information, refer to Form templates and Adding and editing form templates.

IMPORTANT  Selecting a form template is the equivalent of manually populating the form. Form template settings will override any previously populated field content, including notification settings, additional contacts, and secondary resources.

Form templates and ticket categories, task categories, and opportunity categories

Form templates are considered manual updates so they can override the field value defaults from a ticket category, task category, or opportunity category. But the category can limit which form templates will be available when an item with this category is created. Both form templates and categories can populate ticket, task, and opportunity fields.

As a best practice, you should either use form templates or category default settings to populate fields, but not both.

  • If you have an elaborate, carefully designed set of form templates that your resources are used to working with, create your own version of the standard ticket category, task category, or opportunity category and continue using them. The standard category will display all the fields that are used by your company. Form templates will not populate hidden fields, so using the standard category will ensure that all fields are present. Refer to Rolling out categories.
  • If you will be using several categories, you may need to create form templates for use with specific categories or use category default settings instead. Refer to Available (Organization) Form Templates.

How to...

  1. Put the form into Edit mode.
  2. Select the template from the Enter Speed Code or Choose Template menu at the top of the form. The available templates are grouped into Recently Used (not available on all forms), Personal, Department, and Organization templates. Each section is sorted alphabetically.
  3. To use a speed code, enter it in the field. The template corresponding to the speed code will be highlighted automatically. Either click the template or click Enter to select it.

Form templates follow the limitations of the currently applied category and the user's security settings. If a form template uses a value or provides content that is not allowed in a field by the category or the user's security settings, the field will not be updated. This includes the category field itself.

IMPORTANT  Selecting a form template is the equivalent of manually populating the form. Form template settings will override any previously populated field content, including notification settings, additional contacts, and secondary resources.