Activating the Activity Templates Wizard is done from the Pending tab of the entity to which you want to apply the template. Applying a template creates the Tasks, Appointments, and Tickets as defined in the template entries. All activities created from a template are placed in the Pending tab.
To apply a template, follow these steps:
| 1. | Open the entity to which you want to apply a template (i.e. Account, Asset, Contract, Ticket, or Opportunity). |
| 2. | Go to the Pending tab, click the New button, and select Apply Activity Template. The image below displays how this appears in a Contract window. |
Applying a Template from the Pending Tab
| 3. | The Activity Templates Wizard now opens. A list of all active Activity Templates for the current Type (i.e. Accounts, Contracts, Ticket, etc.) is displayed. Highlight the template you want to use, then click Next. Once a template is selected but before proceeding to the next step, the system performs some validity checks to verify that the selected template can be applied to the entity you’ve chosen. This includes verifying that all the necessary data fields in the entity itself are filled. Should a required field not be defined, an error message is displayed with an explanation of the problem, and the template will not be applied. For more details, see the Making Sure Data Fields Are Initialized section below.  Templates Application WizardAfter the system has completed this check, the wizard moves on to the next step, and the template’s “Activities List” is displayed. The Activities List is a preview of all the activities defined in the template. Each activity appears on a separate line.  Activities List |
| 4. | The following information is displayed for each activity in the Activities List: |
| • | Type |
| • | Date |
| • | From Time |
| • | Employee |
| • | Note |
| • | Description |
The information in the Activities List has already been calculated according to the parameters entered into the template and it is a preview to how activities will appear when the template is applied.
At this point, the user should review the information in the Activities List. Many of the fields can be edited. This allows the user to tweak the entries before creating the actual activities.
Below is an explanation of each column in the Activities List.
| • | Type This column lists whether the activity is a Task, Appointment, or Ticket. This column cannot be edited.\ |
| • | Date The date for an activity is calculated according to the entry definitions in the template. In certain cases a date may be adjusted by the system, such as when a date is calculated to fall out on a weekend. If the system does adjust a date, the new date appears in red, and the reason for the change appears in the Notes column, to the right. In other cases, the parameters of an entry may cause the system to calculate a date that has already passed. For example, the entry can define a date as "3 days before Due Date," but the Due Date is only one day away. In such a situation, the date in the Activities List is displayed in red, with an explanation in the Notes column. You can adjust a date manually by double-clicking the activity line (see Step 5 below) and updating the data. After updating the activity details, the date is “accepted,” and the note is removed. |
| • | From Time The activity Time is determined according to the settings in the Activity Template. You can update the Time for this activity by double-clicking the activity line (see Step 5 below). |
| • | Employee The Employee appearing in the Activities List is calculated according to the entry definitions in the template. In certain situations, the system automatically adjusts the Employee. For example, if a specific employee is selected for the entry but the employee is no longer an Active Employee in the system, then the employee applying the template is automatically listed as the Employee. In these situations, the new name appears in red, and the reason for the change is listed in the Notes column, to the right. Users can edit this field by double-clicking on the activity (see Step 5). |
| • | Note This column displays special notes regarding the adjustment of the activity. The reason for any automatic adjustment (such as the Date and Employee) is displayed in this column. You can decide to change the adjusted value explicitly for this activity by double-clicking the activity line (see Step 5 below). After updating the activity line, the entry will be “accepted,” and the note will be removed. |
| • | Description The Description in the Activities List appears exactly as entered in the Description field of the template entry. Note that the Description field for Tasks and Appointments may contain Account information about the specific entity to which you are applying the template, if the template was defined to so. Including this information can be helpful when exporting information to Outlook. |
| 5. | To update the Employee, Date, or Time of an entry, double-click the activity line. The following window then opens. Updating an entry before creating the activity |
Enter the desired changes and click Save. Your changes have now been made.
| 6. | You can also choose not to apply a specific activity by clicking on the checkbox next to the activity. This de-selects the activity. By default, all activities are selected. |
| 7. | After reviewing all the activities, verifying the data, and making any necessary changes, click the Add button at the bottom of the window to create the activities. |
That's it! You can now see the newly created Tasks, Appointments, and Tickets in the Pending tab of the entity to which you have applied the template, and you can go on working with these activities just as you would with any other activity.
Activities in the Pending tab