Document generator templates
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
Fig 1. Adding fields to the template in MS Word (step 3)
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).
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
_Figure 3. Document types_2. We search for the document type we are interested in and go to the 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)
Figure 4. Adding a template to a document type
6. After a while, a print preview of the template will appear, where all field values will be replaced by "...". If everything is correct, click "Save template", which will save it to the eFolder platform for a given document type.
Fig 5. Accepting and saving the template to the document type
4. Editing templates
For both types of templates, it is possible to replace them in the system. To do this, it is necessary:
- Selecting the document type we are interested in and going to its details.
- Find the specific template file and from the drop-down menu(1) select Replace file.
- Selecting the template type(2) in the new window, selecting the file from the computer(3) and verifying it**(4).
For HTML templates it is possible to edit templates directly in the system. To run it:
- Go to the details of the document type.
- Find the template file and select Edit file. from the drop-down menu
An editor will open, allowing you to modify the template. It provides basic tools:
- Bold(1).
- Italic(2).
- Underline(3).
- Placement of headings(4).
- Adding a numbered(5) and unnumbered(6) list.
- Undo(7) and return(8).
Additionally, it is possible to preview(9) the created template, cancel(10), or save(11).
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 functionThe 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'