Text Template User Guide

Welcome to the FORNAV Text Template experience. This guide walks you through creating, managing, and deploying text templates, so you can deliver consistent communications directly from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

1. Before you start

• Ensure the FORNAV Report Pack extension is installed and published to the target environment.
• Confirm that you have the ForNAVUser or higher permission set.
• Gather sample company data (customers, vendors, documents) so you can test template output.

2. Open the Text Templates workspace

To open the Text Templates page:

• If you plan to use the page regularly, pin it to your role center.
• In Business Central, use Search to find and open the ForNAV Text Templates page.

3. Understanding the Template List

• Template No.: Unique identifier used in code and automation.
• Source Table: Defines which records the template applies to (for example, Customer, Sales Header).
• Type: Determines where the template text is used in FORNAV reports. Types flagged with Use On Document, flow into sales and purchase layouts and appear when you open the ForNAV Text Editor on documents such as sales orders. The predefined types PRE and POST ship with FORNAV and are already wired into standard sales and purchase reports. The predefined type MASTER can be used to designate master templates.
• Language Code: Optional language filter.
• Active Period: Start and end dates controlling availability.
• Usage Filter: Use to specify additional filters.

• Health Status (if enabled): Highlights validation issues detected by the health check routine.

4. Create a new template

To create a new template:

1. In the Text Templates page, click New.
2. Fill in the header fields, guided by the on-page tooltips:
   • No. – unique number for the text template that users reference elsewhere.
   • Language – leave empty for all languages or set a specific code for localized delivery.
   • Description – short purpose summary for the template.
   • Source Table No. – determines which Business Central table supplies data.
   • Source Table Caption – auto-filled to confirm the selected table.
   • Type – indicates where the text is surfaced (PRE, POST, and so on).
   • Starting Date/Ending Date – optional active period window.
   • Usage Filter – read-only summary of any filters you configure via the drill-down.
   • Health Status (when available) – visual cue of validation results; drill in to see errors.
3. Click Edit HTML to open the rich HTML editor sourced from the Text BLOB field. For more information on editing personalized content see the Personalized Content Editor Guide.
4. Compose the message using the HTML design surface or source view.
5. Insert merge fields from the Available Fields pane. You can use captions like [Customer.FieldCaption.Name] and values like {Customer.Name}.
6. When you have finished, save the template.

5. Use master templates

To use a master template:

1. Follow the steps in the previous section (section 4) to create a reusable template record.
   • Set Type to Master so the template stays scenario-agnostic.
   • Pick the Source Table No. that supplies the data the master snippet needs.
   • Build the HTML body exactly as you want it embedded elsewhere.
2. Open the template that should consume the master content and select Related Tables.
3. Add a new related-table line with the following settings.
   • Source Table No. – FORNAV Text Template.
   • Name – a memorable label that describes the injected content.
   • Source Table Name – auto-filled to confirm the selected table.
   • Link Reference – select the related table you want to use for the table relation.
   • Table Relation – choose the relation that connects the child template’s source to the master template’s source table (for example, sales header to sales lines).
4. Repeat the related-table setup for every master snippet needed, then return to the template card.
5. Click Check Health to verify the relation resolves and then preview the rendered text to confirm the master content flows in as expected.

6. Manage translations

1. Test each translation with relevant company data.
2. To test translations: In the Text Templates page, select Copy. Change the language field in the new text template to localize the content.
3. Store translations in the appropriate language-specific template records.

7. Preview and test output

To validate output:

1. In the Text Template page, click Check Health to run the automated validation; resolve any issues that surface.
2. Verify that merge fields resolve correctly and that formatting matches expectations.

8. Put templates to work

• Communicate changes to stakeholders and update documentation.
• Note that when a template type is flagged “Use On Document”, opening the document-level editor (for example, drilling into the ForNAV Text Editor on a sales order) automatically:
  • Shows only templates that match the current document and are marked for document use.
  • Prompts you to choose a template if more than one fits.
  • Merges the template with live document data to create ready-to-edit text and saves it with the document.
  • Reloads the saved text whenever you return to the editor, so you can keep refining it.

To use template content inside a FORNAV report layout, note that standard sales and purchase reports already include PRE and POST types, so follow these steps when extending custom layouts:

1. Open the target report layout in the FORNAV Designer.
2. Add a new FORNAV Text Template data item beneath the data item that matches the template’s source table.
3. Set the new data item’s Temporary and AutoPopulate properties to True so it fetches generated template text at runtime.
4. Add the template Text field to the Calculated Fields collection so it becomes available in the layout.
5. Apply a Type filter that matches the template type you want to print (for example, PRE, POST, or a custom type).

When the report runs, the Template HTML Splitter automatically pulls in only the templates that match the current document, language, date window, and usage filters, merges them with live data, and splits long HTML into individual rows ready for rendering.

9. Maintaining existing templates

• Duplicate successful templates using Copy to accelerate new creations.
• Use Check Health regularly to keep content compliant; drill down on Health Status to review any issues.
• Set an Expiration Date for one-time campaigns.
• Use the Related Tables action to add supporting tables whenever new merge fields are needed.

10. Troubleshooting

• Placeholders show as blank: Ensure a valid record context and that fields contain data.
• Wrong language renders: Confirm the language code on the source record matches the translation.
• Template not used: Verify the template type and source table match the consuming process.

11. Best practices checklist

• Keep template numbers machine-friendly and descriptive.
• Store common text blocks (signature, footer) as reusable snippets.
• Review templates quarterly for accuracy and tone.
• Coordinate with compliance for legally required language.
• Track who owns the template and how to request changes.

12. Appendix

• Related Pages: ForNAV Template Fields, ForNAV Template Types, ForNAV Text Snippets.

Document version: 2025-11-26.