Publish a Template as a Standard File

You can publish a template as a standard template file to distribute among other users, including other users who will access it from the Internet or intranet. (See Upload Templates to a Web Server.) Publishing a template ensures that all associated files are copied to the same folder. It also allows you to protect the files.

You can also publish multiple template files as standard files; however, when you publish multiple templates, they will not be grouped as a set (as they are if you publish an auto-install or auto-assemble file.)

Additionally, you can publish your templates for use with HotDocs 2006-2008. This allows you to keep your templates backwards compatible. If you select this option, HotDocs opens and saves the component file in that version.

To publish templates as standard template files

  1. At the HotDocs library, select the template or templates you want to publish and click the Publishing Wizard button. The Publishing Wizard dialog box appears, displaying the Publishing Options information.
  2. Select Standard template files from the Publish as group.
  3. If your template contains any INSERT or ASSEMBLE instructions, select Include templates used in INSERT and ASSEMBLE instructions.
  4. If you want to make the published template(s) compatible with HotDocs 2006-2008, select Make published files compatible with HotDocs 2006-2008.
  5. Click the Browse button next to the Local folder for published files field to specify the folder where you want HotDocs to save the published files.
  6. Optionally, if you plan to upload the published files, click the Edit button next to the Web destination for published files field and specify the URL of the server to which you want to upload. (When HotDocs finishes publishing the templates, it will start the uploading process. See Introduction: Upload HotDocs Files to a Web Server.)
  7. Click Next. The File Security dialog box appears.
  8. Optionally, specify any security options and click Next. (See Protect Published Files for details.) The Additional Files dialog box appears.
  9. If you want to include additional files (such as resource files), click Add Files, then select the desired files. (See Add Additional Files to a Published Set for details.)
  10. Click Finish. HotDocs publishes your files and returns you to the HotDocs library.

If you publish multiple template sets, you can save the settings you specify during the publishing process so that the next time you publish, the options are already specified. (See Save Publishing Settings.)

Once these files are published to this temporary folder, you should move them to a more permanent location. If you publish additional templates or other files that use the same file names, HotDocs will overwrite the previously published files.