Add and Manage Word Designs

A Word Design is a template that controls the layout of your agendas, item or staff reports, and minutes. It defines the structure of your documents, including headers, main content, and footers.

Word Designs are one of the system’s design elements that update automatically. When you upload a new version of a Word Design, the changes apply immediately to all documents that use it. You do not need to recreate agendas to see updates.

Key Features:

Automatic Updates: Changes to a Word Design apply to all agendas, reports, and minutes that use it right away.
Merge Tags for Dynamic Content: Word Designs use merge tags (like [AgendaContent] or [DEPARTMENT]) and Word Layouts (custom merge tags) to pull in data automatically.
Consistent Document Structure: Keep headers, body content, and footers consistent across documents.
Works with Other Design Elements: Word Designs work with Word Layouts, Report Designs, and Minutes Designs to build complete documents.

Best Practices:

Keep Designs Clean: Remove unused merge tags and layouts to avoid confusion.
Use the Right Design for Content: Store most content in Report Designs or layouts, not directly in the Word Design, to avoid formatting issues.
Review Standard Documents: Default agenda and minutes documents may be included in your site. Clean up unused designs as needed.

This article will show how to create, edit, and manage Word Designs.

Important Notes
If you update the Word design template that is listed on an agenda, item/staff report, or minutes document, it should take effect immediately.
We recommend keeping backup copies of your Word Designs in case someone accidentally deletes them or makes an undesired change.
There is no way to restore a Word design that has been deleted. If you accidentally delete a Word design, you will need to recreate it and reset all meeting types to use the new design.

Add a New Word Design

To add a new Word design to your solution, we recommend that you download an existing Word design that is similar to what you want it to look like, make the desired changes, and then upload the new file.

Sign in to the system if you have not already
Navigate to the User Menu, then select the Settings option:
Click the Meetings tile:
Click the Word Design tile:
Click the Download button (purple monitor and down arrow icon) to the right of an existing Word design that is similar to the one you want to add:
Open the downloaded Word design file on your computer, make the desired changes, and save the file
Navigate back to the Word Designs page within Agenda and Meeting Management Select:
Click the New Word Design button:
Fill in the Add Word Design fields:
- Name (required): Enter a name for the new Word design
- Type: Click the dropdown and select the type for the new Word design
Click Create Word Design to save the new Word Design and return to the Word Designs page, or click Create and Add New to save the new Word Design and immediately begin creating a new one:
Click the Upload button (green up arrow and cloud icon) to the right of the newly created Word design:
Click the Drop or Select File to Upload field to open your computer's File Explorer and select the Word design file you wish to upload, or drag and drop the desired file from your computer onto the field:
Click the Upload button:
The Word design has been added

Edit a Word Design

You can update Word designs to change the framework of agendas, items, or staff reports, and minutes that are created in the future.

Sign in to the system if you have not already
Navigate to the User Menu, then select the Settings option:
Click the Meetings tile:
Click the Word Design tile:
Click the Edit button (purple pencil icon) to the right of an existing Word design to update its basic details, if desired:
1. Update the Edit Word Design fields as necessary:
  - Name (required): Update the name of the Word design, if desired
  - Type: Click the dropdown and select a new type for the Word design, if desired
2. Click the Save Changes button:
Click the Download button (purple monitor and down arrow icon) to the right of an existing Word design to download and edit the Word design, if desired:
1. Open the downloaded Word design file, make the desired changes, and save the file
2. Navigate back to the Word Designs page within Agenda and Meeting Management Select
Click the Upload button (green up arrow and cloud icon) to the right of the existing Word design file to replace it, if desired:
1. Click the Drop or Select File to Upload field to open your computer's File Explorer and select the Word design file you wish to upload, or drag and drop the desired file from your computer onto the field:
2. Click the Upload button:
The Word design has been edited

Reorder Word Designs

The Edit Order functionality allows you to change the order in which your Word designs appear on various pages or within certain dropdown menus.

Sign in to the system if you have not already
Navigate to the User Menu, then select the Settings option:
Click the Meetings tile:
Click the Word Design tile:
Click the Edit Order button:
Click and hold the grid icons to the left of the desired Word designs and drag and drop the designs into the preferred order:
Click the Save Changes button:
The Word designs have been reordered

Delete a Word Design

If you no longer need a Word design for future documents, you can delete it from the system. Just be aware that there is no way to restore a Word design that has been deleted. If you accidentally delete a Word design, you will need to recreate it and reset all meeting types to use the new design.

Sign in to the system if you have not already
Navigate to the User Menu, then select the Settings option:
Click the Meetings tile:
Click the Word Design tile:
Click the Delete button (red trash can icon) to the right of the Word design you wish to delete:
Click the Delete Word Design button on the Delete Word Design pop-up that appears to confirm the deletion:
The Word design has been deleted

Update the Word Designs Used by a Meeting Type

Each Meeting Type can have a distinct Word design for its agenda, items, or staff reports, and minutes. This section will show you how to configure the Word designs used by a Meeting Type. New Meeting Type configurations will only apply to newly created documents.

Sign in to the system if you have not already
Navigate to the User Menu and select Settings:
Click the Meetings tile:
Click the Meeting Types tile:
Click the Edit button (purple pencil icon) next to the Meeting Type you wish to update:
Navigate to the View menu and ensure the Default Settings option is selected to update the Meeting Type's Default Agenda Word design, if desired:
1. Navigate to the Default Templates & Content section:
2. Click the Default Agenda Word Design field and select the Word design that you wish to apply to all meetings for this Meeting Type:
3. Click Save Changes to save your changes and remain on the Default Settings page:
Navigate to the View menu and select the Item Reports option to update the Meeting Type's default Item Report Word Design, if desired:
1. Click the Create Report button to create a new item or staff report, or click the Edit button (purple pencil icon) to the right of an existing item or staff report to edit it:
2. Enter or edit the Item Report Information fields as needed:
3. Ensure that the Word design that you wish to be used by every item report created by this rule is selected in the Item Report Word Design field:
4. Click the Save button:
Navigate to the View menu and select the Minutes option to update the Meeting Type's default minutes Word design, if desired:
1. Click the Minutes Word Design field and select the Word design that you wish to apply to all meetings for this Meeting Type:
2. Click a Save option:
  - Save Changes: Save your changes and continue configuring the current Meeting Type settings
  - Save and Exit: Save your changes and automatically navigate back to the Meeting Types page
The default Word designs for the selected meeting type have been updated