Templates are at the apex of the ESM data model hierarchy and define the information contained in data cards.

As an administrator with the "Edit template" permission, you have the ability to modify templates within your ESM solution from the Template view. However, possessing "Edit template" permission does not automatically grant access to data cards, as access can be restricted through folder, template, and attribute permissions. Separate permissions are required to access folders, view templates, and see their attributes.

Within the template tree pane, the "Organization" and "Users" icons represent templates used across various ESM modules. The "Organization" icon denotes templates for storing information about client companies and contact persons, while the "Users" icon encompasses templates for creating user accounts.

The "System" folder in the template tree pane is exclusively accessible to the root user and contains critical templates necessary for ESM's functionality. Exercise extreme caution when handling the "System" folder, as modifying these templates could lead to significant issues.

ESM features two kinds of templates: normal and protected. Administrators can create and edit normal templates, whereas protected templates are typically established by your ESM provider. These protected templates are crucial for the system's overall operation, such as the User template, and can only be modified at the code level or in terms of module selection and protection status by the root user. Editable properties of protected templates may be accessible to those with "Edit template" permission.

Each template should be associated with a primary attribute, which names the data cards created from it. When referencing other data cards, the name displayed is that of the referenced data card. After adding attributes to a new template, it's crucial to designate a primary attribute. Templates lacking a primary attribute are marked with a red exclamation icon, indicating they are unidentified. Without a primary attribute, data cards derive their names from the first accessible attribute to users, with precedence given to the first attribute in the first class if all attributes are accessible.

See other template management articles for:

• Editing Template Properties 
• Management of Classes and Attributes 
• Template Transformations 
• E-mail Alerts for Events 
• Metadata 
• Template Creation 
• Deleting Templates, Classes, and Attributes 
• Importing, Exporting and Localizing Templates 
• Data Card Anonymization 
• Static Forms 
• PDF Printing 

To navigate to the Template view, select "Administration" and then "Templates" from the main menu, as shown in Picture 1.

Picture 1: Templates Selected in Administration UI