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Using Excel Templates
Learn how to upload, manage, and use Excel templates in Foreman to generate live, formatted reports with your project’s file attribute data.
If your organisation uses standardised Excel reports (TIDP registers, MIDP schedules, or any other document tracker), you can upload them as templates and let Foreman populate them with live file attribute data — preserving your formatting, formulas, and branding.
Uploading a Template
- Go to the Attribute Extract page and switch to the Templates tab.
- Click Upload Template and select an
.xlsxor.xlsfile (max 5 MB). - The template is saved to your account and can be reused across any project.
You can also upload a template inline during Step 3 of the extract wizard when you choose the Use Template method.
Plan Quotas
Template uploads may be subject to a quota depending on your plan. When you reach your limit, you will need to delete an existing template before uploading a new one, or upgrade your plan.
Your current usage and limit are shown at the top of the Templates tab. The Upload button is disabled when you have reached your quota.
Detecting Headers
Before mapping, Foreman needs to know which row contains your column headers.
- In Step 3 of the extract wizard, select your template from the dropdown or upload a new one.
- Set Header is on row — this is 1-based (row 1 is the first row in the spreadsheet). If your template has a title or logo above the headers, set this to the actual header row (e.g. row 3).
- Click Detect Headers.
Foreman reads the specified row and lists all non-empty cell values as headers. Each header appears with a mapping dropdown next to it.
Mapping Headers to Attributes
Each detected header gets a dropdown where you select the corresponding file attribute. Attributes are grouped into Standard (built-in metadata) and Custom (project-specific attributes discovered from your Forma project).
Example mappings:
| Template Header | Maps To |
|---|---|
| Document Name | File Name |
| File Size | Size |
| Last Updated | Modified Date |
| Author | Created By |
| Document Status | (Custom attribute) |
| Suitability | (Custom attribute) |
| Discipline | (Custom attribute) |
Auto-Match
Click the Auto-match button to let Foreman automatically pair headers with attributes using case-insensitive name matching. For example, a header called "file name" will match the "File Name" attribute, and "modified date" will match "Modified Date".
After auto-matching, review the results and manually adjust any incorrect or unmatched mappings. Unmapped headers are highlighted with a warning icon so they are easy to spot.
Name your template headers to closely match Foreman's attribute names (e.g. "File Name", "Modified Date", "Folder Path") for the best Auto-match results.
How Population Works
When you run an extract using a template:
- Foreman opens a copy of your template file (the original is never modified).
- It locates the header row you specified during detection.
- For each mapped column, it writes file data into the cells starting from the row immediately below the headers.
- All existing formatting is preserved — conditional formatting, cell styles, fonts, colours, merged cells, formulas in other areas of the sheet, and any logos or images.
- The populated file is returned as the download.
Template population writes data rows below the header row. Any existing content below the headers will be overwritten. Keep the area below the header row empty in your template.
Tips for Effective Templates
- Keep the layout flat — a single header row with data below works best. Complex merged-cell layouts in the header area may not map cleanly.
- Use meaningful header names — "File Name" and "Modified Date" will auto-match perfectly. Abbreviations like "FN" or "Mod Dt" will need manual mapping.
- Hyperlinks work in templates — if you map the Forma URL column and have Hyperlinks enabled in output settings, the populated cells will contain clickable links to the files in Forma.
- Formatting carries through — if you set a column to bold, or apply conditional formatting rules, those styles will apply to the populated data rows.
- Leave space for data — do not put footers or totals immediately below the header row. If you need summary rows, place them far enough below to accommodate your expected file count, or add them after the extract.
Using Templates Across Projects
Templates are project-agnostic — they are stored against your user account, not a specific project. The same template can be used for extracts from any project within any hub.
This is especially useful for organisations with a standard TIDP or MIDP format: upload the template once and use it across all your projects. Custom attributes are resolved per project, so if a header maps to a custom attribute that exists in one project but not another, those cells will simply be left empty for the project that lacks that attribute.
Managing Templates
From the Templates tab on the Attribute Extract page:
- Download — retrieve the original template file.
- Delete — remove a template you no longer need (this frees up a quota slot).
- View details — see the file name, upload date, and file size.
See Also
- Extracting File Attributes — full guide to the 4-step extract wizard.
- Scheduling Recurring Extracts — automate template-based extracts on a schedule.
- Managing Saved Extracts & Exports — find and download your completed extracts.