Setting up article templates for Studio

When a new article is created in Studio for use in the Print editor or Digital editor, the article is based on an article template in which the default article components and the styles for formatting the text are defined.

Multiple article templates can be set up within a Brand, each with different components and/or styling. When users create a new article and multiple templates are available, they can choose which one to use. Once the article is created, users can add or remove article components manually when needed.

This article describes how to set up article templates for Studio. Different processes exist for setting up these templates: one for Print articles and one for Digital articles.

When the article templates are retrieved

When the user opens the Create New Article window, a list of article templates that the user has access to is retrieved.

The article template to use is retrieved from Studio Server at the moment when Studio actually needs to create the article.

How Studio determines which template to use

Studio uses various methods to determine which template to use. For more information, see How Studio determines which article template to use when needed.

Which properties are inherited from the template

When an article is instantiated from a template, it also inherits some of the properties of the template.

Which properties these are depends on the version of Studio Server that Studio is connected to.

For a complete overview, see Properties that are inherited when creating a file from a template in Studio or in Studio for InDesign and InCopy.

Setting up a Print article template

The article template determines the default article components and the styles for formatting the text. By assigning it to a Brand/Publication Channel/Category combination, it can be targeted to a specific form of output.

Step 1. Create the article template.

Note: This can only be done by using either InDesign or InCopy. Both have their advantages and disadvantages: Geometry information and editing When using InDesign, geometry information is stored within the article, describing where on the layout the article is placed and what the dimensions of the frame are. However, article templates that contain such geometry information cannot be edited, meaning that when the template needs to be modified, a new template needs to be created. When using InCopy, no geometry information is stored with the article, so such articles can be easily edited at any time. Number of components When using InDesign, an unlimited number of article components can be created. When using InCopy, the article will only contain one component.

Steps for the InDesign workflow

Step 1a. Create a new layout.

Step 1b. Create one or more text frames and assign an appropriate Element label.

Step 1c. Define the required paragraph styles and character styles.

Step 1d. Save this article as an article template. Assign it to a specific Brand/Publication Channel/Category combination to target it for use to that particular output.

Step 1e. Repeat these steps to create as many article templates as needed.

Steps for the InCopy workflow

Step 1a. Create a new document in InCopy.

Step 1b. Create any paragraph styles and character styles as necessary.

Step 1c. Save this article as an article template. Assign it to a specific Brand/Publication Channel/Category combination to target it for use to that particular output.

Step 1d. Repeat these steps to create as many article templates as needed.

Setting up a Digital article template

Step 1. Log in to Studio as a user for which the Access Right 'Create Digital article templates' is enabled. (See Access Rights in Studio Server.)

Step 2. Click Create new... at the top of the page.

The 'Create new' window is displayed.

Step 3. Choose 'Article'.

Note: In some older versions this option is called 'Digital article'.

Step 4. Click Create template... .

Notes: This button is not visible when you do not have access rights to create templates. In some older versions of Studio, the option Create template... needs to be chosen from the list of templates, followed by clicking Next.

The Properties window appears.

Step 5. Fill out all necessary details and click Create. The article template is created and opened for editing.

Note about the Components field: One of the properties to set for the template is the Component Set. A Component Set determines which article components a user should be able to make use of in the article that will be based on the template, how these components appear in the Selection window, how they are styled in the article and which properties for the component can be set. Only one Component Set can be assigned to a template. Once the assignment has been saved, it cannot be changed. Users can always add components or remove components when necessary.

Step 6. Exit the editor by clicking the Back button in the toolbar. Your changes are automatically saved.

Note: Digital article templates can at any time be edited. The changes apply only to the template; any articles that have been based on the template will not be updated with these changes.

Editing article templates

To open an article template for editing from within Studio, do one of the following:

• For Studio 11.228 or higher: use keyboard shortcut Alt+E or Alt+double-click the file. Requires the Desktop app 5.1.12 or higher when the file is opened in InDesign or InCopy.

• For Studio 11.227 or lower: use keyboard shortcut E or double-click the file.

Revisions

• 30 September 2026: Added section 'Editing article templates'.