About Master Templates

Master Templates are compiled Master Template documents. Before you can work with Master Templates, you need to configure the project.

Local configuration

To run a template, you can use KCM Core or KCM ComposerUI. For information on how to use KCM Core to run templates, see the Kofax Communications Manager Core Developer's Guide.

Creating a Master Template

To compile any document in KCM Repository, right-click the document and click Create Master Template.

Once you created a Master Template, you automatically get a lock for it, and it becomes unavailable for editing by other users.

When you are ready to publish the Master Template, unlock it so others can start using it.

Testing a Master Template

Once a Master Template has been successfully created, you can test it. Right-click it and click Test. This action appears in grey if the Master Template has not yet been successfully created.

Testing means that you are running your working copy of the template. This allows you to test various iterations of your template without affecting other users' work. Other users can only run the original public version of the template, provided that it exists.

Dynamic objects

Dynamic objects are used to create content. They can be changed rapidly and easily by business users. The changed content is directly available for document creation, without needing time-consuming and complicated compilation or deployment steps, as they are retrieved by the template at run time.

Dynamic objects are objects that are retrieved at runtime when composing a document. Dynamic objects include Forms, Text Blocks, Text Block Lists, Data Backbone, Libraries, Master Templates, Content Wizards, Style Sheets, and Page Styles.

Running a Master Template with dynamic objects

You do not need to recreate a Master Template when a dynamic object is changed. When a Master Template is run, it collects the dynamic objects directly from KCM Repository. If an object has no [published] revision, it is not returned. Therefore, marking a dynamic object revision as [published] indicates that the revision is accepted to be used when the Master Template is run.

If the KCM Repository installation is upgraded from a version older than 3.5.10, by default, the compatibility option "Handle Accepted revisions as Published" is turned on. In this case, the status [accepted] takes over the role of the [published] status.

When a Master Template is run from within KCM Repository, it retrieves the [in development] version of the dynamic object if such a status is present and locked by the user who runs the Master Template. If not, it retrieves the [current] revision.