Zoho Writer Templates Extension

Zoho Writer is a powerful online word processor that lets you create, edit, and collaborate on documents.

How the Zoho Writer Templates Extension Works

The Zoho Writer Templates extension for Zoho Books allows you to generate business documents such as invoices, quotes, purchase orders, and item lists using Zoho Writer templates. After you install the extension in your Zoho Books organization, you can select an existing template or create a new one for the various modules in Zoho Books. The extension pulls data from a Zoho Books record, fills it into the selected Zoho Writer template, and generates a ready-to-use document.

For example, you can design a branded invoice template in Zoho Writer, associate it with the Invoices module, and generate a document for any invoice with a single click.

Benefits of Using the Extension

Create customizable document templates in Zoho Writer.
Merge Zoho Books data into templates automatically.
Generate formatted documents directly from Zoho Books records.
Maintain a consistent layout and branding across business documents.

Install the Zoho Writer Templates Extension

To install the Zoho Writer Templates extension in Zoho Books:

Go to Settings in the top right corner of the page.
Click Marketplace under Integrations & Marketplace.
Click the search bar on the right side of the All Extensions tab.
Enter Zoho Writer Templates in the search bar and select the extension from the dropdown.
Click Install.
Select the organization for which you want to install the extension.
Agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policies of Zoho Marketplace and the vendor.
Click Install.
Agree to the terms and conditions specified and click Next on the following page. The Configure screen opens automatically. Click Skip for Now if you want to set up templates later by following the steps in the Edit a Template section below.

Configure the Extension

Configuration involves selecting or creating a Zoho Writer template for each Zoho Books module you want to use it with. You can create multiple templates for a module, but only the one marked as the primary template (indicated by a green tick) is used when you generate a document.

Note: You can configure Zoho Writer templates for the following modules: Invoices, Quotes, Expenses, Purchase Orders, and Items.

To configure a template for a module:

On the Configure screen, select a module from the Modules pane on the left.
For the selected module, do one of the following:
- Choose a Template: Pick an existing Zoho Writer template from the list and click the tick icon next to it to mark it as the primary template for the module. Ensure the template uses Zoho Books as its data source.
- + Create Template: Click this button next to Choose a Template, enter a name in the Create Template pop-up, and click Create. Zoho Writer opens in a new tab in MERGE TEMPLATE mode with the Configure Template pane on the right:
  Insight: Merge Templates in Zoho Writer allow you to create dynamic documents by inserting merge fields that pull real-time data from integrated apps like Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, Forms, or external sources like CSV and Google Sheets, enabling automated generation of personalized letters, invoices, and reports.
  - Select Data Source: Zoho Books is set as the data source by default.
  - Manage Fields: Insert merge fields into the document from:
    - Main Fields: Record-level fields (for example, for the Invoices module: Invoice#, Customer Name, Company Name, Status, and Date).
    - Subforms: Line-item fields from related lists (for example, for the Item Table in the Invoices module: Item ID, Name, Description, Quantity, and Discount).
    - Advanced Merge Fields: Next Record, Condition, Formula, Repeat, and Chart.
  - Design the document layout (tables, styling, branding) as required.
  - Test Merge (optional): Click Run Test Merge to preview the document with sample data.
  - Click Done at the top. In the Merge Template Updated pop-up, click Close this tab to return to Zoho Books.
Back on the Configure screen, the newly created template appears in the list. Click the tick icon next to a template to mark it as the primary template for the module, or click Edit template to make further changes in Zoho Writer.
Click Install Extension to finish.

Generate Documents Using Writer Templates

Once a template is configured for a module, you can generate documents from any record in that module. Here’s how:

Open a record in Zoho Books. For example, go to Sales > Invoices on the left sidebar and open the invoice for which you want to generate a document.
Click Print with Writer Template from the toolbar at the top of the record’s details page.

A Getting ready to print… message appears while the extension merges the record’s data into the configured template. The generated document then opens as a print-ready preview with the merged data displayed in the template’s formatting.

Edit a Template

To modify a Zoho Writer template associated with a module:

Go to Settings in the top right corner of the page.
Click Marketplace under Integrations & Marketplace.
Click the Installed Extensions tab.
Click View details next to Zoho Writer Templates.
Click Configure on the extension’s settings page.
Select the module whose template you want to modify from the Modules pane on the left.
Click Edit template next to the associated template.
Update the template in Zoho Writer and click Done. In the Merge Template Updated pop-up, click Close this tab to return to Zoho Books.

Your changes will apply to documents generated after the template is updated.

Uninstall the Zoho Writer Templates Extension

If you no longer want to generate documents using Zoho Writer templates, you can uninstall the extension. Here’s how:

Go to Settings in the top right corner of the page.
Click Marketplace under Integrations & Marketplace.
Click the Installed Extensions tab.
Click View details next to Zoho Writer Templates.
Click Uninstall in the top right corner of the page.
Click Yes in the confirmation pop-up.

The extension will be uninstalled from your Zoho Books organization.

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