Create and manage templates

Templates are intended to simplify document ingestion by enabling automated information extraction from structured forms (for instance, ACORD). When a template is created, blank forms are annotated with labels. Based on these labels, data is then extracted from input documents.

To create and manage templates, go to AutoML > Templates.

• If no templates are available yet, you see the empty-state screen:

  

• If some templates are already available, you see them listed:

  

Create template

To create a template, follow the steps below:

1. On the Templates page, do as follows:

   • If it is an empty-state screen, click Start in the Generate from fillable PDF section. Alternatively, you can click Start in the Import section and upload a zip bundle with a ready-to-use template.

     

   • Othwerwise, click + and select Create new in the top right corner.

     

2. On the New template page, specify the template name and add a description (optional).

   

3. Upload a fillable PDF based on which you want to create the template and click Next.

   

The generated template appears in the Templates list. On the creation page, you see the following:

• On the left, there's the uploaded fillable PDF with bounding boxes.

• On the right, the panel displays extracted fields (labels) corresponding to the bounding boxes on the left and their type (text, number, and so on).

After the template is generated, it has the Draft status. You can edit labels and proceed in one of the following ways:

• Validate the template and then publish it
• Publish it without validation

Edit template

On a generated template, you cannot remove or add labels, but you can make the following changes:

• Edit label names and value types.

• Enable or disable labels to include or exclude them from the model's processing scope, dataset or Manual Task configuration.

• Initiate bulk actions.

To edit a single label, follow the steps below:

1. In the panel on the right, hover over a label, open the Actions menu, and select Edit.

   

2. In the displayed window, make neccessary changes:

   • Update the label name.

   • Choose another data type: Text, Number, Date, Checkbox, and Signature.

   • Switch the toggle on or off to enable or disable the label.

     

     Mind that you can also enable or disable labels directly from the labels list.

     

3. Click the Save button to save the changes in the Edit Label popup.

To initiate bulk actions with labels, follow the steps below:

1. In the panel on the right, hover over and select as many checkboxes corresponding to labels as you need.

   

   Clicking the checkbox next to the Label header selects all labels on the right panel.

   

2. At the top of the panel with labels, choose one of the available bulk action options:

   • Click Group to unite all the selected labels into a single group within the labels panel. To make the group appear as a collapsible section, select the Collapsible checkbox.

     

   • Click Edit type to change the type for all the selected labels and then click Save.

     

   • Switch the toggle on or off to enable or disable all the selected labels.

Validate template

To validate a generated template means to check the extraction of values using a filled structured form identical to the blank one used to create the template.

To start the validation flow, follow the steps below:

1. Open the template you want to validate and click the Validate button.

   

2. Upload a filled form based on which you will validate the extraction results and click Next.

   

3. On the Validate tab, review the uploaded test document on the left and the extraction results on the right.

   

   During validation, the extraction results are compared with the template on the Edit tab (for instance, expected value types). Any validation errors are indicated under respective fields as shown below:

   

You can fix some errors by returning to the Edit tab and editing labels. For instance, to eliminate the error Please enter a valid number on the screenshot above, you can change the label type from Date to Text.

Once you complete the validation flow, the template status changes from Draft to Ready to publish. The template model becomes available for inclusion into Business Processes and use in datasets and Manual Tasks.

Publish template

To publish a template, complete the two steps:

1. Open the template you want to publish and, in the top right corner, click the Publish button.

   

2. In the popup notification, confirm the publishing:

   

Once the template is published, its status changes from Ready to publish to Published. In the Published status, you cannot edit labels, but you can initiate a validation. In the latter case, the Published status is changed back to Draft, and you can make edits again.

When a template is in the Published status, you can include it into Business Processes and use it in datasets or Manual Tasks.

Delete template

To remove a template permanently, find one in the list on the Templates page, open the Actions menu, and select Delete.

Then, confirm the deletion.

Copy template

To copy a template, find the template you want to copy in the Templates list, open the Actions menu, and select Copy.

You can also make a copy using the Actions menu at a particular template page:

Export and import templates

Templates can be exported from and imported to your Control Tower instance as a zip bundle. The feature is especially useful when you frequently move templates across various environments (for instance, from dev to prod).

To export a template, in the list on the Templates page, find the template you want to export, open the Actions menu, and select Export.

You can also export a specific template using the Actions menu on the template's page:

To import a template, click + in the top right corner of the Templates page and select Import. If you are on the empty-state screen, click the Start in the Import section to initiate the template's import.

A progress bar appears at the top of the page, showing the stages of the import process.

Each generated template has a unique ID and name. While the import operation is in progress, the ID and name of the imported template are compared to those of the existing templates. Conflicts are resolved in one of the following ways:

• If a template with the same ID already exists at the destination, you get an error message, and the import is terminated.

• If a template with the same name already exists at the destination, you get a notification where you have to choose one of the options:

  • Keep both: the import continues, and the conflict is resolved by automatically adding a postfix to the name of the imported template. Thus, you keep the existing template untouched and add a new one to the list.

  • Replace: the import continues, and the conflict is resolved by overriding the existing template with the same name.

  • Cancel: the import is terminated.

note

You can import more than one template simultaneously.

Once the import ends, the template appears on the Templates list. In the bottom right corner, an appropriate message is displayed with a View link. Click the link to open the imported template.

Use template in AutoML Bridge step

When a template transitions to the Ready to publish or Published status, the corresponding template model becomes available for usage in a Business Process. You can find the model in the Models list if you set the Type filter to Template.

You can make use of the template model via the AutoML Bridge step when you build a Business Process. It requires providing a PDF file or image link as input to the mentioned step.

Use templates for Manual Tasks

When you work in Manual Task Designer, you can use a template to build a single-page form layout with the Labelling component:

1. In the Layout menu, find the Labelling component and drag-and-drop it to the working canvas. The component's settings page opens immediately.

   Alternatively, to open the settings page, move the pointer over the Labelling component and click the Edit (pencil) button.

   

2. On the component's settings page, select the Generated from template option and choose a template from the respective drop-down list. Then, fill in other fields as required and click Save.

   

   The form layout is automatically generated from the selected template. However, you cannot modify or view the template-based form configuration from Manual Task Designer. To view the form or make changes, follow the link in the message displayed on the right panel.

   

For details on the single-page task layout, refer to Design Manual Tasks via Task Designer Operation.

Use templates in datasets

You can use templates to assist in the generation of the Document type dataset:

1. Create a document dataset and navigate to the Labels tab to set up labels.

2. On the Labels tab, switch the Builder mode. Hover over the drop area on the right panel and click the Edit button to open the settings page.

   

3. Select Generated from template as the creation method. Choose a template from the respective drop-down list, fill in other fields, and click Save.

   

   The labelling layout is automatically generated from the selected template. However, you cannot modify or view it on the Labels tab. To view the layout or make changes, follow the link in the message displayed on the right panel.

   

tip

Templates can be especially useful for creating test sets.

For additional information on datasets, refer to the Manage datasets guide.

Test templates

You can use model test flows to test templates and collect statics like for other Information Extraction models.

For that, start a test as described in the guide. In the Model testing window, choose a trained template model and select a prepared test set.