Document Templates
Document templates turn a database row into a finished Word document. Upload a contract, invoice, or letter once, mark the parts that change with placeholders, then generate a filled-in copy from any row — in one click.
Inbox to invoice. Row to document.
A document template is the last mile of your data. The same database that powers a view, a form, or a Kanban board can now produce a polished .docx — no copy-paste, no mail-merge spreadsheet.
Available on every plan
Document Templates is included on every plan. Generation is metered per calendar month — 5 on Free, 100 on Solo, 500 on Studio, and unlimited on Enterprise. The templates you set up are unlimited.
Quick Start
The fastest way to see it work is to start from a pre-built template — Ascend ships 50+ ready-made templates (invoices, quotes, proposals, agreements, project docs and more), each professionally laid out and pre-written. See Creating Templates for the full library.
To try it now:
- Click + New (or the + next to Databases in the sidebar).
- Choose From a document → pick a pre-built template — e.g. Tax Invoice.
- Ascend creates a database, an example row, an intake form, and the matching Word template, all wired together.
- Open the new database, switch to the Documents tab, click Generate, and pick the example row.
- Your filled-in
.docxdownloads. Open it — every placeholder is replaced with that row's values.
That's the whole loop: template + row → document.
Key Concepts
| Concept | What it is |
|---|---|
| Document template | A Word (.docx) or PDF document with placeholders for the parts that change. Lives on the Documents tab of one database. |
| Placeholder | A token like {{Client Name}} you put in the document wherever a value should be inserted. |
| Tagging | Linking each placeholder to a database field (property). Done automatically by AI, or by hand in Configure. |
| Generate | Fill a template with one row's values and download the result as a .docx. |
| Linked database | Every template belongs to exactly one database — the source of the field values it fills in. |
| Status | Where the template is in its lifecycle: uploaded → parsed → tagged → ready. |
Word vs. PDF
| Format | Upload | Generate documents |
|---|---|---|
Word (.docx) | ✅ | ✅ Full support — tag, configure, and generate. |
| ✅ (ingested for its text) | ❌ Not yet — PDF templates can't be filled in. Use Word to generate. |
Maximum file size is 50 MB.
In This Section
| Guide | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Creating Templates | The two starting points — a pre-built template, or your own Word/PDF — and the Add dialog |
| Placeholders & Mapping | The {{placeholder}} syntax, AI auto-tagging, and mapping fields by hand in Configure |
| Generating Documents | Fill a template from a row — from the Documents tab or straight from a record |
| Editing & Replacing | Download the editable template, tweak it in Word, and swap it back in |
| Managing Templates | Statuses, line items, storage, and what happens when you delete things |
| Troubleshooting | Common problems and how to fix them |
Where Document Templates Live in the App
| Location | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Database → Documents tab | The home base. List, add, configure, generate, download, replace, and delete templates for this database. |
| + New → From a document | Start a brand-new database from a pre-built template, or by uploading your own document. |
| A record's ⋯ menu → Generate document | Generate straight from an open row, without leaving it. |
Related Features
- Databases — The source of the field values your templates fill in
- Working with Rows — Each row is one document you can generate
- Forms — Collect the data (as rows) that your templates turn into documents
- Property Types — Including subtables for line items (invoices, quotes)