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QBO Platform · Templates
Every kind of thing in QBO, from a case and its workflow to a letter, an email, a form, or a worklist, is defined by a template. Power users build templates instead of writing code, and every record created from a template inherits its rules.
Why templates matter
Each template decides whether the records it creates join partner (extranet) security, and how far that access reaches: just the record, the record and everything beneath it, or every record of that template. Partners see exactly what the template allows, automatically.
Templates set how many records of a kind a parent may have: exactly one, one active at a time, or many. Records are created from a template by name, the same way every time, by people, workflows, imports, or the API.
A template fixes what a record can attach to, which statuses and types it may use, and how it behaves: the data it pulls, the steps it runs, the document it generates. Change the template once and every new record follows it.
Repeatability in practice
Each template says how many of its records a parent may have. When something tries to create one more than the rule allows, QBO finds the existing record and updates it instead of creating a duplicate, whether the request comes from a person, a workflow, an import, or a web form.
How templates work in detail →| Setting | Rule | For example |
|---|---|---|
| One | Exactly one per parent, ever. | One cost ledger per case. Saving again updates the same ledger. |
| One active | One open record per parent at a time. | One open request per customer. A repeat request updates the open one; after it closes, the next request starts fresh. |
| Many | Any number per parent. | Many contacts on an organization, or many documents on a case. |
“Active” means the record hasn’t reached a final status. Once it’s closed, a new one can begin.
How they work together
Templates call each other. A case template starts a workflow template; its steps generate documents and messages from their templates and route work to worklists, each with its own security and rules already in place.
Template types
| Template | Defines | Part of |
|---|---|---|
| Case (process) template | A kind of case: its workflow, cost ledger, parties, and closing rules. | Process & Case Management |
| Workflow template | A workflow definition: its steps, dependencies, durations, and branches. | Process & Case Management |
| Hold template | A kind of hold or delay, with the form it captures and the status it sets. | Process & Case Management |
| Document template | A mail-merge-capable document: where its data comes from, how it’s generated, where it’s stored, and how uploads are recognized. | Documents to Decisions |
| Message template | Canned responses: merged email, SMS, and notifications with merge fields, and instructions for AI-drafted replies. | Workforce Management |
| Worklist template | How work is routed: team, priority, due dates, and escalation by status. | Workforce Management |
| Form template | A questionnaire or data-capture form, which can create its own worklist. | Data & Insight |
| Import template | A file layout and the engine that loads it; QBO can detect the right template from the file. | Data & Insight |
| Score template | A set of calculations or extraction items, each with a typed value. | Data & Insight |
| Ledger template | The line items, rates, and pricing rules for charges and payments. | Data & Insight |
| Contact template | A role a person or organization plays on a record, such as a primary contact or a vendor. | Partners & Security |