Document generator templates

Zaktualizowano 2026-07-29

1. Introduction

The e-Folder platform eFOB enables generating documents based on templates, similarly to mechanisms for generating documents based on mail merge. Users can create their own *.docx templates using the LibreOffice application compatible with MS Word, or *.html by preparing a file in this language code.

When generating documents, eFOB automatically fills document fields with data from system modules (e.g. Employees, Candidates, Cases) or data from columns from the attached Excel. Thanks to this mechanism, generating employee documents based on templates becomes easy and effective.

We recommend that you read document generator limitations before using templates.

2. Preparation of templates

Word Templates (*.docx)

To insert a field into the template, go to the "Inserting" tab
Place the cursor where you want to insert the field
In the Text section, select “Quick Parts” and then “Field”
Find MergeField on the list
In "Field name" enter the code from the list of available generator fields

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Fig 1. Adding fields to the template in MS Word (step 3)

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Fig 2. Adding fields to the template in MS Word (step 4)

Sample text with MergeFields inserted «»

My name is «E.first_name» and my surname is «E.last_name».

HTML templates (*.html)

To prepare an HTML template, it is necessary to create a file that meets the following assumptions:

The file must have the extension .html.
It is necessary that the file starts with <!DOCTYPE html>(1).
The file must contain at least 3 sections:
- <html></html>, inside which the rest of the code will be located (2);
- <head></head>, which will contain information about the file itself, such as the fonts used or any graphic settings or encoding used(3);
- <body></body>, which will contain the actual part of the document - content, formatting, elements such as tables or possible images (we encourage images to be sent in Base64 code)(4).

Any fields to be generated must be enclosed in double braces, for example {{ E.first\_name }}(5).

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Fig 3. Example HTML template structure

3. Configuring the template in the eFOB eFolder

To use a template, you must link the template to an existing document type or create a new type for this purpose. A given document type can be assigned only one template.

1. In the eFOB application, go to the Administration menu and select the Document Types module

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Fig 4. Document types

2. Search for the document type you want to use and open its editing view 3. In the Template details section, press the Add template button(1) 4. Depending on what type of template we want to pass, we choose Word(2) or HTML(3) 5. Select a file with the appropriate extension from our computer(4) 5. Press the Verify button (5)

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Fig 5. Adding a template to a document type

6. After a moment, a print preview of the template appears, where all field values will be replaced with "...". If everything is correct, click Save template to assign it to the selected document type.

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Fig 6. Accepting and saving the template to the document type

For HTML templates, an additional starting flow is also available. After selecting the HTML type, you can:

start the editor from an empty template using Create an empty HTML template,
or provide an existing file using Upload HTML file.

The first option opens the editor immediately, so the template can be built directly in eFOB instead of first adding an empty file. The second option is useful when the template already exists locally and should be imported into the application.

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Fig 7. Choosing whether to start from an empty HTML template or upload an HTML file

4. Editing templates

For both template types, it is possible to replace the file in the system. To do this:

Select the document type you want and open its details.
Find the relevant template file and choose Replace file from the drop-down menu(1).
In the new window, select the template type(2), choose the file from your computer(3), and run the verification(4).

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Fig 8. Replacing an existing template file

For HTML templates, it is also possible to edit the template directly in the system. To start this:

Go to the details of the document type.
Find the template file and select Edit file from the drop-down menu.

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Fig 9. Opening HTML file editing from the document type details

An editor opens that lets you edit the content and prepare the document layout for the final PDF output.

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Fig 10. HTML template editor with the main functions

Editor elements

The editor provides tools for working with content, formatting, and document layout. Most of them are available in the toolbar at the top of the screen, and some open additional settings dialogs.

Document layout and styles

At the beginning of the toolbar, there are settings that affect the layout and shared appearance of the entire document:

Page settings (1) - More information,
Document styles (2) - More information.

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Fig 11. Document layout settings

Editor options

The next part of the toolbar contains functions useful during day-to-day document editing:

selecting font family (3), size (4), and line height (5),
setting text color (6),
paragraph alignment (7),
bold (8), italic (9), underline (10), and strikethrough (11),
subscript (12) and superscript (13),
highlighting text (14),
inserting headings (15),
blockquotes (16) and code blocks (17),
numbered (18) and bulleted lists (19),
inserting a horizontal rule (20),
adding (21) and removing links (22),
table operations (23) - More information,
clearing formatting (24),
undoing (25) and redoing changes (26).

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Fig 12. Editor options - part 1

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Fig 13. Editor options - part 2

The editor also shows a character counter, which helps control content length in more extensive templates.

File handling

At the top of the editor, functions related to working with the whole file are available:

downloading the current HTML version (27),
previewing the generated document (28),
canceling changes (29),
saving the template (30).

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Fig 14. File handling options

If the template was not previously saved from the eFOB editor, the system marks it with the Created outside eFOB label. This is a signal that during the first edit, it is worth checking the preview and formatting especially carefully, particularly when the file comes from an external source.

Page settings

In the Page settings dialog, you can define the unit and document margins. An option for equal margins is also available, along with a quick restore to default settings.

This part of the editor is useful whenever the document needs a specific page layout, for example different margins for agreements, forms or documents prepared for signature.

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Fig 15. Page settings in the HTML editor

Document styles

The Document styles dialog makes it possible to define shared visual settings for the entire template. In the basic tab, you can configure, among other things:

the default font,
the base text size,
the text color,
line height,
paragraph spacing,
table border color,
table cell padding.

This makes it easier to keep the whole document visually consistent without manually adjusting many individual elements.

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Fig 16. Document styles in the basic tab

In the advanced tab, you can enter custom document CSS. This is useful when the basic options are not sufficient and the style of selected elements needs to be refined more precisely.

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Fig 17. Document styles in the advanced tab

Tables

The editor also includes tools for working with tables. They make it possible to define the appearance of the entire table, a selected row or an individual cell.

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Fig 18. Table tools available in the editor toolbar

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Fig 19. Table properties in the HTML editor

The Table tab is used for settings that apply to the whole table. It includes, among other things:

table width,
table alignment,
column layout,
border-collapse mode,
border width, style and color,
background color,
the Do not split table between pages option.

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Fig 20. Properties of the selected table row

The Row tab is used for properties of the selected row, including:

row height,
vertical alignment of content,
background color.

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Fig 21. Properties of the selected table cell

The Cell tab provides more detailed formatting for individual cells. It includes, among other things:

cell width,
minimum cell height,
inner padding,
background color and text color,
horizontal and vertical alignment,
text wrapping,
selecting the border edge together with its width and color.

Jinja2 syntax

In HTML templates, you can also use selected parts of Jinja2 syntax, which is the mechanism responsible for inserting data into the document and handling simple conditional logic. In practice, this means that besides simple field references such as {{ E.first_name }}, you can also use filters.

One of the most useful examples is the default() filter:

{{ E.first_name | default('First name not provided') }}

The default() filter makes it possible to provide a fallback value that will be used when the referenced variable is undefined. In the example above, the generator inserts the value of E.first_name, and if it is not available, it uses the text First name not provided.

If you also want empty text, an empty list or another false-evaluating value to be treated as missing, you can use the variant with the second argument set to true:

{{ E.first_name | default('First name not provided', true) }}

This variant is useful when the field formally exists, but its value is empty and the document should display fallback text instead.

Another simple and frequently useful example is the upper() filter, which converts text to uppercase:

{{ E.last_name | upper }}

Useful reference materials:

5. List of available document generator fields

CANDIDATE (C)

Note: In version 2.27, the CND code was replaced by the shorter C code, similarly the ADR_P, ADR_B, PRJ codes were replaced by the shorter A, AB, PR codes.

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
first_name	TEXT	T	Name
last_name	TEXT	T	Surname
middle_name	TEXT	N	Middle name
maiden_name	TEXT	N	Maiden name
birth_date	DATE	N	Date of birth
place_of_birth	TEXT	N	Place of birth
PESEL	TEXT(11)	N	PESEL number (specific to Poland)
driving_license	TEXT	N	Driving license number
personal_email	TEXT	N	Private email
personal_phone	TEXT	N	Private phone
A	ENTITY	N	Private address (from 'primary_postal_address')
business_email	TEXT	N	Business email
business_phone	TEXT	N	Business phone
PR	ENTITY	N	The project concerned by Boarding
AB	ENTITY	N	Business stay address (from 'contact_address')
badr_info	LONGTEXT	N	Business stay address – extra info (from ‘contact_address_information’)
additional_info	LONGTEXT	N	Additional information
iban	TEXT	N	IBAN number
contract_start_date	DATE	N	Contract start date
contract_end_date	DATE	N	Contract end date
rating	INT	N	Candidate evaluation
rating_comment	LONGTEXT	N	Comment on candidate evaluation
nationality	TEXT	N	Nationality
mother_name	TEXT	N	Mother's name
father_name	TEXT	N	Father's name
X	ENTITY	N	Additional custom fields in Candidates – see description below

EMPLOYEE (E)

Note: In version 2.27, the EMP code was replaced by the shorter E code, similarly the ADR_P, ADR_B, PRJ codes were replaced by the shorter A, AB, PR codes

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
id	INT	T	Employee ID (worker)
state	TEXT	T	One of the statuses from the 'worker_status' list: (0, 'Prospect'), (1, ‘On-Boarding’), (2, ‘Hired’), (3, ‘Resigning’), (4, ‘Off-Boarding’), (5, ‘Blocked’),
first_name	TEXT	T	Name
last_name	TEXT	T	Surname
middle_name	TEXT	N	Middle name
maiden_name	TEXT	N	Maiden name
sex	LETTER	N	One of the values: – Man – Woman – Others – Undefined
birth_date	DATE	N	Date of birth
PESEL	TEXT(11)	N	PESEL number (specific to Poland)
driving_license	TEXT	N	Driving license number
personal_email	TEXT	N	Private email
personal_phone	TEXT	N	Private phone
A	ENTITY	N	Personal/Private address (from 'primary_postal_address')
business_email	TEXT	N	Business email
business_phone	TEXT	N	Business phone
PR	ENTITY	N	The project concerned by Boarding
AB	ENTITY	N	Business address of stay (from ‘contact_address’)
badr_info	LONGTEXT	N	Business address extra info (from ‘contact_address_information’)
additional_info	LONGTEXT	N	Additional information
place_of_birth	TEXT	N	Place of birth
country_birth	TEXT	N	Country of birth
identity_doc_expiry	DATE	N	Expiration date of the identity document
identity_doc_num	TEXT	N	Identity document number
identity_doc_type	LETTER	N	Identity document type, one of the values: – ID card – Passport – Driving license – Other
citizenship	TEXT	N	Citizenship
nationality	TEXT	N	Nationality
iban	TEXT	N	IBAN number
contract_start_date	DATE	N	Contract start date
contract_end_date	DATE	N	Contract end date
rating	INT	N	Employee evaluation
rating_comment	LONGTEXT	N	Comment on employee evaluation
external_id_1	INT	N	External ID 1
external_id_2	INT	N	External ID 1
mother_name	TEXT	N	Mother's name
father_name	TEXT	N	Father's name
X	ENTITY	N	Additional custom fields in Employees – see description below

ADDRESS (A)

Note: Up to and including version 2.26, the module code "ADR" applies (shorter "A" from 2.27).

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
id	INT	T	Customer ID
state	TEXT	T	One of the states on the list: (0, 'Deleted'), (1, 'Active'),
street	TEXT	N	Street
street_nb	TEXT	N	House number
property_number	TEXT	N	Apartment number
zip_code	TEXT	N	Postal code
city	TEXT	N	City
region	TEXT	N	Region
country	TEXT	N	Country (text)
description	TEXT	N	Description

BOARDING (B)

Note: Up to and including version 2.26, the module code "BRD" applies (shorter "B" from 2.27).

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
id	INT	T	Boarding ID
state	TEXT	T	One of the states from the 'boarding_status' list: (0, 'Prospect'), (1, ‘On-Boarding’), (2, ‘Waiting’), (3, ‘Hired’), (4, ‘Changing’), (5, ‘Transitioning’), (6, ‘Resigning’), (7, ‘Off-Boarding’), (8, ‘Terminated’), (9, ‘Blocked’), (10, ‘Historical’),
onboarding_date	DATE	N	Data onboarding (with Boarding)
offboarding_date	DATE	N	Date offboarding (with Boarding)
start_date	DATE	T	Start date
finish_date	DATE	N	End date
contract_start_date	DATE	N	Contract start date
contract_end_date	DATE	N	Contract end date
PR	ENTITY	N	The project concerned by Boarding
E	ENTITY	T	Employee affected by Boarding

PROJECT (PR)

Note: Up to and including version 2.26, the module code "PRJ" applies (shorter "PR" from 2.27).

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
id	INT	T	Project ID
state	TEXT	T	One of the states on the list: ACTIVE = (0, “Active”) INACTIVE = (1, “Inactive”) DELETED = (2, “Deleted”)
name	TEXT	T	Project name
start_date	DATE	N	Project start date
end_date	DATE	N	Project end date
CL	ENTITY	N	The associated entity of the client that owns the Project

CUSTOMER (CL)

Note: Up to and including version 2.26, the module code "CLI" applies (shorter "CL" from 2.27).

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
id	INT	T	Client ID
state	TEXT	T	One of the states on the list: (1, 'Lead'), (2, ‘Opportunity’), (3, ‘Contracted’), (4, ‘Rejected’), (5, ‘Closed’)
name	TEXT	T	Customer name
code	TEXT	N	Customer code
ADR	ENTITY	N	Related entity of customer master address

COMPANY (CO)

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
CO.name	TEXT	T	Company name
CO.contact_number1	TEXT	N	First phone number
CO.contact_number2	TEXT	N	Second phone number
CO.email	TEXT	N	Email address
CO.contact_www	TEXT	N	Website address
CO.nip	TEXT	N	Tax Identification Number
CO.KRS	TEXT	N	KRS
CO.regon	TEXT	N	REGON
CO.street	TEXT	N	Street name
CO.street_nb	TEXT	N	Street number
CO.property_number	TEXT	N	Building number
CO.zip_code	TEXT	N	Postal code
CO.city	TEXT	N	City
CO.region	TEXT	N	Region
CO.country	TEXT	N	Country (text)
CO.description	TEXT	N	Description
CO.district	TEXT	N	County
CO.sub_district	TEXT	N	Commune

6. Own fields

Own fields in Employees and Candidates

On the eFOB e-File platform, it is possible to add custom fields in the CANDIDATE (C) and EMPLOYEE (E) entities. Their values can be accessed via the X tag.

Usage examples

E.X.position – value of the LIST custom field 'position' on the employee
C.X.references – value of the TEXT custom field 'references' on the candidate

Custom fields from Excel in the document generator

Using the functionality of generating documents from an Excel file (described, among others, in the chapter Generating documents - eFOB eFolder), any additional fields of column names taken from the header - from the first data line of the attached Excel file - are available to the generator.NOTE: column names (header) should have clear, unique names, without spaces and Polish characters

7. Special fields and functions

Word IF function {}

To handle more complex structures, it is possible to condition the display of text and other MERGEFIELDs by using the IF {} function. A condition can contain nested fields. Spaces are MANDATORY before and after the operator (<, <>, >, <=, >=, =). Values are best placed in quotation marks. Microsoft-style regular expressions (?, *) are supported for the <> and = operators.

Usage example

{ IF { MERGEFIELD reason } <> “” “Reason for changing the contract: { MERGEFIELD reason }.” } -> will add a paragraph only if the 'reason' field is not empty
{ IF { MERGEFIELD salary_increase } = “Yes” “The employee will receive a raise in the amount of: { MERGEFIELD salary_increase }.” “”} -> will add a paragraph and insert the text plus the value from the ‘salary_increase’ field, only if the ‘increase’ field is set to “Yes”

Handling “Unknown” display error

In some cases, e.g. lack of custom field data, conditional instructions begin to incorrectly display the text "UNKNOWN". A currently known workaround is to add a check using an additional IF condition that also declares a variable, which prevents display errors:

{ IF { MERGEFIELD sometimes_empty_field } = “UNKNOWN” “No value.” }{ IF { MERGEFIELD sometimes_empty_field }” = “Increase” { MERGEFIELD salary_increase } }

Document generator date fields

If the generator encounters fields with specific names in MailMerge fields, it will replace them according to the description of their operation.

ID	Type	Requirement	Description
TODAY	TEXT	N	System date (“Today”) formatted into text as YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2025-12-22).
DOC_DATE	TEXT	N	"Issuance date" downloaded from the "Generate documents" window formatted to text as YYYY-MM-DD

PLN function

The PLN() function allows you to return a value 'in Polish zlotys' based on the given value.

Syntax

PLN(field)
If the value for a field is text, it removes spaces, standardizes 'commas' and tries to convert the value to a floating point number (float) - if this fails (e.g. incorrect format), it returns an empty string.
If the value is 0, it returns "zero zlotys 00/100".
Splits the value into zlotys (integer part) and groszy (two digits after the decimal point, rounded).
Supports negative numbers - adds the word "minus".
The zloty part is written in words in Polish (e.g. "two thousand five hundred zlotys"), the maximum supported is "billions").
Pennies are always displayed as a two-digit number after a slash, e.g. "45/100", "00/100".
The function selects the correct form of the word "złoty" depending on the number (złoty, zloty, zloty).
The final result is text in the format: "<amount in words> <złoty/złoty/złotych> <grosze>/100", e.g. "three zlotys 02/100".

Usage examples

«PLN(E.salary)» -> for the field value E.salary == 9600.50 it will return the value 'nine thousand six hundred 50/100'
«PLN(bonus)» -> for the field value bonus == 15000 it will return the value 'fifteen thousand 00/100'

SWITCH function

The SWITCH() function, based on the concept known from Excel (SWITCH function – Microsoft Support), allows you to return a specific value depending on the result of comparing the given expression with a set of conditions. Makes it easier to write clear business rules for the document generator.

Syntax

SWITCH(field, condition1, value1, condition2, value2, …, [optional] value_default)
The MergeField length limit is 255 characters, so the length of the entire SWITCH function must be within this limit
All fields are separated by commas, and the function name itself is written in capital letters with SWITCH() brackets
field – must refer to fields according to the naming scheme described above
conditionX and valueX – by default, it is truncated from both sides by spaces
conditionX and valueX – the characters " and " cannot be used in these fields,
default_value – is an optional field

Usage examples

«SWITCH(E.A.city,Warszawa,Warsaw_,Kraków,Cracow,Other city»_ -> will change the name of the city from Polish to English
«SWITCH(E.X.position,E,Employee,MGR,Manager» -> will change the name of the own field 'position' to the appropriate
«SWITCH(E.X.bonus,0,None,1,Granted,No information» -> will decode the 'bonus' custom field into appropriate values along with the default value 'No information'

ER function

The ER().<> function allows you to return the value of a given attribute of a specific Employer, as long as it is in the Employers dictionary, regardless of whether it has the 'Active' status or not.

Syntax

ER(field).<operation>
If the value for the field is text, it removes spaces and normalizes uppercase and lowercase letters
Uses the full name of the employer as the key
Performs one of the following operations:
- A – returns the Employer's address
- P – returns the name of the Employer for printing
- S – returns the short name of the Employer
- NIP – returns the Employer's NIP number
- REGON – returns the Employer's REGON number
- KRS – returns the Employer's KRS number
- PESEL – returns the Employer's PESEL number
In case of incorrect syntax or lack of a given Employer in the database, an empty string of characters will be returned

Usage examples

Let's assume that there is an Employer with the following data in the database:

full name: My company
address: ul. Uliczna 1, 00-000, Miasto
short name: Mine
NIP: 1169595501
REGON: 553277064
KRS: 0000123456
PESEL: 17020866246
«ER(firma).A» -> for the field value company == 'My company' will return the value 'ul. Uliczna 1, 00-000, Miasto'
«ER(firma).S» -> for the field value company == 'MY COMPANY' will return the value 'My'
«ER(company).NIP» -> for the field value company == 'my company' will return the value '1169595501'

ER.ALL function

The ER.ALL.<> function allows you to return the value of a given attribute of all Employers included in the dictionary of Employers with the 'Active' status. Their data will be listed separated by a semicolon and a new line.

Syntax- ER.ALL.<operation>

Performs one of the following operations:
- A – returns Employers' addresses
- P – returns the names of employers for printing
- S – returns short names of Employers
- NIP – returns the Employers' NIP numbers
- REGON – returns the Employers' REGON numbers
- KRS – returns the KRS numbers of employers
- PESEL – returns the PESEL numbers of employers
In case of incorrect syntax or missing data from the Employer, an empty string of characters will be returned in the database.

Usage examples

Let's assume there are two Employers in the database with the following data:

Employer 1:

full name: My company
address: ul. Uliczna 1, 00-000, Miasto
short name: Mine
NIP: 1169595501
REGON: 553277064
KRS: 0000123456
PESEL: 17020866246

Employer 2:

full name: Your company
address: ul. Chodnikowa 2, 00-000, Miasto
short name:
Tax Identification Number:
REGON:
National Court Register:
PESEL: 58120384647
«ER.ALL.A_»_ -> will return the value:

'ul. Uliczna 1, 00-000, Miasto;

street Chodnikowa 2, 00-000, Miasto'

«ER.ALL.S_»_ -> will return the value:

'Mine'

1. Introduction​

2. Preparation of templates​

Word Templates (*.docx)​

Sample text with MergeFields inserted «»​

HTML templates (*.html)​

3. Configuring the template in the eFOB eFolder​

4. Editing templates​

Editor elements​

Document layout and styles​

Editor options​

File handling​

Page settings​

Document styles​

Tables​

Jinja2 syntax​

5. List of available document generator fields​

CANDIDATE (C)​

EMPLOYEE (E)​

ADDRESS (A)​

BOARDING (B)​

PROJECT (PR)​

CUSTOMER (CL)​

COMPANY (CO)​

6. Own fields​

Own fields in Employees and Candidates​

Usage examples​

Custom fields from Excel in the document generator​

7. Special fields and functions​

Word IF function {}​

Usage example​

Handling “Unknown” display error​

Document generator date fields​

PLN function​

Syntax​

Usage examples​

SWITCH function​

Syntax​

Usage examples​

ER function​

Syntax​

Usage examples​

ER.ALL function​

Syntax- ER.ALL.<operation>​

Usage examples​

1. Introduction

2. Preparation of templates

Word Templates (*.docx)

Sample text with MergeFields inserted «»

HTML templates (*.html)

3. Configuring the template in the eFOB eFolder

4. Editing templates

Editor elements

Document layout and styles

Editor options

File handling

Page settings

Document styles

Tables

Jinja2 syntax

5. List of available document generator fields

CANDIDATE (C)

EMPLOYEE (E)

ADDRESS (A)

BOARDING (B)

PROJECT (PR)

CUSTOMER (CL)

COMPANY (CO)

6. Own fields

Own fields in Employees and Candidates

Usage examples

Custom fields from Excel in the document generator

7. Special fields and functions

Word IF function {}

Usage example

Handling “Unknown” display error

Document generator date fields

PLN function

Syntax

Usage examples

SWITCH function

Syntax

Usage examples

ER function

Syntax

Usage examples

ER.ALL function

Syntax- ER.ALL.<operation>

Usage examples