Online Help | Desktop App

Defining field values in templates

When you add or edit a Template, you define values for the record fields. The following table describes the methods you can apply to enter field values depending on the field data type:

Field type	Examples	Actions to fill in the Value field
String	Summary, Billing Information	Type the desired value in the field.
Memo	Notes	Do either of the following: Type the text in the field Click the Value field, click the ellipsis button that appears, type the text in the Edit text window and then click OK.
HTML	Description	Click the ellipsis button to reveal the HTML editor. Create your HTML text. For details, see HTML formatting.
Lookup (a value chosen from the list)	Category, Status, Organizations, Requester, Assignee, Authorized by, Closure Code etc.	Choose the desired value from the drop-down list. For some fields, the drop-down list contains additionally one of the placeholders: `<Current User>`, or `<User's Organization>`, or `<User's Location>`. When a record is created from the Template, these placeholders are replaced with the following data of the user creating the record: `<Current User>` - the Full Name field of the user's record. `<User's Organization>` - the Organization field of the user's record. `<User's Location>` - the Location field of the user's record. In the value list, the placeholders are shown in angle brackets and are displayed at the beginning of the list.
Integer	Time Spent	To enter the value directly, just type the value in the field. To calculate the value before entering, click the field, then click the down arrow that appears in the field and calculate the value using the built-in Calculator. Once you're done, press ENTER to insert the calculation result into the field.
Date/Time	Due Date, Start Date, Submit Date, Complete Day etc.	In the Value field, click the ellipsis button. The [Field Name] window appears. You can either define a fixed date/time value or use a placeholder to assign a relative value, which would depend on the time, when a record is created. Do either of the following: To define a fixed value, select exactly from The date is drop-down list. In the date & time field, either type a date/time value or click the down arrow and choose the value from the calendar. To use a placeholder, select the desired one: today, or Now, or before today, or before now, or after today, or after now from the The date is drop-down list. The placeholders uses the date and time on the computer hosting the SQL Server where your Alloy Navigator database resides. If you have chosen before today, or before now, or after today, or after now, enter the desired time interval in the "by" fields. The placeholders containing "now" in their names count the time interval from the exact moment of the record creation, whereas the placeholders containing "today" refer to 00:00:00 of the day when the record is created. Click OK.