Custom templates help you save time, structure processes, and spread best practices across your team. Learn how to create, share, and access custom templates.
In Coda, templates allow you to hit the ground running. When you create a new doc from a template - or add a template to an existing doc - the first steps are already taken care of. You can then start building upon this template and making it your own.
To support your team's unique rituals, processes, and ways of working, Coda offers custom templates. You can create these custom doc templates and share them with teammates. Learn how below.
Within this article, you'll find...
Create a custom template
There are two ways to create a custom template:
Create a custom template from scratch
Go to your Coda homepage (coda.io/docs)
Hover over your workspace name in the left panel, and click on the three-dot menu that appears
Select Manage templates from the list
Click the + Create template button in the upper-right to create a new template from scratch
Convert an existing doc into a custom template
To convert an existing doc into a template, follow these steps:
While in the doc, click on the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner
Select Doc settings from the menu
Click into Create a template
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Choose whether you want to (1) Create a copy of this doc or (2) Convert this doc. When you select the second option, the doc will be put into draft mode and sharing permissions will change. This means people who have been shared to the doc may no longer have access.
Note that you must be the owner of the doc to select the Convert this doc option
Publish your template
All templates are automatically in "Draft" mode until they are published. Once published, custom templates can either be private (visible and usable only by you), or accessible by your entire workspace. You cannot publish a template to the Doc Gallery or beyond your workspace.
To start the publishing process, click the Publish button in the upper-right corner.
Choose whether you want the template to be available to the workspace or to remain private (only accessible by you).
Next, you can decide how your template is found. There are three options for template accessibility:
Creating a new doc: these templates are only available when users make a new doc from a template (as seen in Home). Currently, this is the only way to access a multi-page template.
Adding to an existing doc: these templates can be found in the right-hand Insert panel and via / command. Note that templates that are multi-page cannot be added to existing docs.
Creating a new doc and adding to an existing doc: this is the default setting and combines the two options above
Access custom templates
Custom templates can be accessed in a variety of ways:
When creating a new doc: From your Coda homepage, click the Use template button in the upper-right.
Under the Templates section of your workspace: From your Coda workspace home, click the three-dot menu next to your workspace name in the left panel. Then select Manage templates. Here you will see workspace templates, your private templates, and your draft templates.
In the "Pinned by your admin" section: In your Coda homepage, you may see a Pinned by your admin section above the doc list. Any templates that have been pinned for your workspace will appear here. Click one to create a new doc with that template.
Within an existing doc, via the Insert panel: Click on Insert at the top right of the doc, and use the bar to search for your template. Once you find it, you can drag and drop your template into your existing doc.
Within an existing doc, via the slash command: Type /[template name] to quickly insert your desired custom template.
Delete a custom template
To delete a custom template, follow these steps:
From your workspace homepage, hover over your workspace name in the left panel, and click the three-dot menu that appears
Choose Manage templates from the menu
Locate the template in the list, and click on the chevron icon on the right side to expand the options
Select the Delete button
Click Delete again to confirm
Note that a template can only be deleted by the person who created it.