Supported Template Formats: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:58, 4 September 2025

ContactsLaw supports a number of different formats for the body of a document template. Different formats offer slightly different capabilities.

Feature Matrix


	Content Markers	Formatting	Fragments	Styles	Emails	Text Messages
Markdown (`.md`)	✓	✓	✓		✓
Microsoft Word (`.docx`, `.docm`, `.dotx`, `.dotm`)	✓	✓		✓
Microsoft Excel (`.xlsx`, `.xlsm`, `.xltx`, `.xltm`)	✓	✓
Portable Document Format (`.pdf`)	¹
Plain Text (`.txt`)	✓				✓	✓
ABA/Cemtext Direct Entry File	²
eLodgment Data File (Magistrates Court of WA)	²

¹ ContactsLaw creates an insertion point for each form field in the PDF (using the name assigned in the form). Arbitrary content markers cannot be added. Conditional/repetition blocks are not supported.

² These formats do not use a template body. Each template has a fixed set of content markers, which may be of any type.

Attachments

Markdown (`.md`)

Attachment functionality depends on the output format:

Email Message (.eml)
- All attachments (inline or otherwise) are included in the output
- Inline image attachments are only included if they appear within the message body (after evaluating conditional blocks)
- Inline Cascading Style Sheet (.css) attachments are incorporated into the message body
- All other inline attachments are ignored
Markdown (.md)
- Only inline attachments are included in the output
- Only images can be attached
- Images link to the DMS App (as they cannot be embedded)
Microsoft Word (.docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm)
- Only inline attachments are included in the output
- Only images can be attached

Microsoft Word (`.docx`, `.docm`, `.dotx`, `.dotm`)

Attachment functionality is the same regardless of the output format:

Only inline attachments are included in the output
Only images can be attached

Image Formats

Support for different image formats depends on the output format of the template:


Output Format	JPEG	GIF	PNG	TIFF	BMP	SVG
Email Message (`.eml`)	✓	✓	✓	¹	¹	¹
Markdown (`.md`)	✓	✓	✓	²	²
Microsoft Word (`.docx`, `.docm`, `.dotx`, `.dotm`)	✓	✓	✓			✓

¹ Supported, but not recommended.

² May not display correctly in some applications.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |+
 !
-!Content Markers
+! style="text-align: center" | Content Markers
-!Formatting
+! style="text-align: center" | Formatting
-!Fragments
+! style="text-align: center" | Fragments
-!Styles
+! style="text-align: center" | Styles
-!Emails
+! style="text-align: center" | Emails
-!Text Messages
+! style="text-align: center" | Text Messages
 |-
 |Markdown (<code>.md</code>)
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|
-|✓
 |
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+|
 |-
 |Microsoft Word (<code>.docx</code>, <code>.docm</code>, <code>.dotx</code>, <code>.dotm</code>)
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |
 |
 |-
 |Microsoft Excel (<code>.xlsx</code>, <code>.xlsm</code>, <code>.xltx</code>, <code>.xltm</code>)
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |
 |
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 |-
 |Portable Document Format (<code>.pdf</code>)
-|Form fields only
+| style="text-align: center" | ¹
 |
 |
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 |-
 |Plain Text (<code>.txt</code>)
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |
 |
 |
-|
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
-|✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |-
 |ABA/Cemtext Direct Entry File
-|Fixed fields
+| style="text-align: center" | ²
 |
 |
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 |-
 |eLodgment Data File (Magistrates Court of WA)
-|Fixed fields
+| style="text-align: center" | ²
+|
+|
 |
 |
 |
+|}
+¹ <small>ContactsLaw creates an insertion point for each form field in the PDF (using the name assigned in the form). Arbitrary content markers cannot be added. Conditional/repetition blocks are not supported.</small>
+² <small>These formats do not use a template body. Each template has a fixed set of content markers, which may be of any type.</small>
+== Attachments ==
+=== Markdown (<code>.md</code>) ===
+Attachment functionality depends on the output format:
+* '''Email Message (<code>.eml</code>)'''
+** All attachments (inline or otherwise) are included in the output
+** Inline image attachments are only included if they appear within the message body (after evaluating conditional blocks)
+** Inline ''Cascading Style Sheet'' (<code>.css</code>) attachments are incorporated into the message body
+** All other inline attachments are ignored
+* '''Markdown (<code>.md</code>)'''
+** Only inline attachments are included in the output
+** Only images can be attached
+** Images link to the [[DMS App]] (as they cannot be embedded)
+* '''Microsoft Word (<code>.docx</code>, <code>.docm</code>, <code>.dotx</code>, <code>.dotm</code>)'''
+** Only inline attachments are included in the output
+** Only images can be attached
+=== Microsoft Word (<code>.docx</code>, <code>.docm</code>, <code>.dotx</code>, <code>.dotm</code>) ===
+Attachment functionality is the same regardless of the output format:
+* Only inline attachments are included in the output
+* Only images can be attached
+== Image Formats ==
+Support for different image formats depends on the output format of the template:
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+
+!Output Format
+! style="text-align: center" | JPEG
+! style="text-align: center" | GIF
+! style="text-align: center" | PNG
+! style="text-align: center" | TIFF
+! style="text-align: center" | BMP
+! style="text-align: center" | SVG
+|-
+|Email Message (<code>.eml</code>)
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ¹
+| style="text-align: center" | ¹
+| style="text-align: center" | ¹
+|-
+|Markdown (<code>.md</code>)
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ²
+| style="text-align: center" | ²
+|
+|-
+|Microsoft Word (<code>.docx</code>, <code>.docm</code>, <code>.dotx</code>, <code>.dotm</code>)
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |
 |
+| style="text-align: center" | ✓
 |}
+<small>¹ Supported, but <u>not</u> recommended.</small>
+<small>² May not display correctly in some applications.</small>
+[[Category:Documents]]