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Contract Document Templates
A contract document template defines the structure, content, and format of a contract document. Document template content can come from predefined clauses in the clause library, Salesforce objects such as Contract and Contract Line Item, or input JSON data. Content is merged into the contract document during document generation.
Contract templates consist of customizable sections. Each section contains specific information:
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Context information, such as account and contact information, or the order number
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Product line items, subsections for recurring and nonrecurring price items
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Total price information
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Terms and conditions, which may be common to the template, based on context, or based on products
Each template record must have a unique name. You can create multiple versions of a template, but only one version can be active at one time. Document templates are versioned. After you associate an active template with a contract document version, you can’t modify the template. You can disassociate a template from a contract document version. However, you’ll typically create a new version of the document template. Then, previous template versions remain associated with the appropriate contracts, and the terms from those templates continue to apply to those contracts.
An active document template is associated with a Contract Document record to generate the contract document. When a contract is generated, contract data merges with document template sections, replacing variables and applying conditions.
When a user creates a contract, Vlocity CLM generates the contract document from the attached, active document template. Active document templates are pre-approved for use. A document template defines the contract document structure and content. A template includes sections, which include clauses, images, context sections, signature sections, and so on. Vlocity CLM generates the contract document by merging mapped contract data into the template, replacing tokens, and applying conditional logic to each contract section in the template. This document is a standard contract and is typically version one of the contract.
A document template is an assembly of sections. The sections appear in the sequence in which they’re expected to appear in the contract document. When you create a template from scratch, you must add sections to the template and arrange them in the appropriate sequence.
Variables, also known as tokens, defined in the document template sections or inherited from clauses can be bound to Salesforce object fields or input JSON data. You can map document templates to Salesforce objects to merge data from the objects into document template sections to produce the final contract document. You can also map document templates to data in JSON format.
There are two types of contract document templates, based on how token mapping occurs:
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Templates with object-based mappings have existed since Vlocity CMT V11. Each token in a contract document section is mapped to an SFDC object field. The supported objects are Asset, Contract, Opportunity, Order, and Quote.
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Templates with JSON-based mappings were introduced in Vlocity Insurance Summer '17 Version 890.26 and Salesforce Industries Communications, Media, and Energy Summer '17 Version 900.72-73. Data in JSON format can come from any source.
A template designer can define either type of template and the user experience of generating, redlining, and working with contract documents is seamless. Redlining is a feature supported only for internal use at your company; isn’t supported for you to use externally with your customers. The end user need not know on which type of template the document is based.
Beginning in Salesforce Industries Communications, Media, and Energy Winter '18, Minor release, Version 101.2.900.151, you can use Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint templates. For more information, see Creating a Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint Template.
You can reuse document templates to create contract documents for multiple contracts. You can also use document templates to generate other types of documents from orders or quotes.
Do not confuse Vlocity Document Templates with Vlocity Templates. Vlocity Document Templates provide a basis for contracts and other documents you create in Vlocity. Vlocity Templates enable web designers to completely restyle Vlocity Cards, Layouts, and Omniscript elements with standard HTML5, CSS3, and AngularJS.
- Understanding JSON-Based Mapping Contract Templates
Tokens, also known as variables, defined in the document template sections or inherited from clauses, can be bound to Salesforce object fields or input JSON data. The data is merged into document template sections when the final contract document is generated. - Using Object-Based or JSON-Based Document Templates
There are two types of contract document templates, based on how token mapping occurs: object-based and JSON-based. Templates based on Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint documents must be JSON-based.
