Change, copy or retire an agreement template

Start a new draft of a locked agreement template, lock the new version, copy a template, look back through its versions, or retire it so nobody starts new agreements from it.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Agreement Templates under Agreements, and press a template's name (or Open detail in its row menu). The template opens in a panel over the list; the page address is /agreements/templates/ followed by the template. History opens its versions in the same panel (the address ends in /history), and the editor is a full page (ending in /editor).

A locked version never changes, so agreements already sent keep their wording. To change a template you start a new draft, edit it and lock it. New agreements then use the new version.

Before you start

• Starting or editing a draft needs permission to manage template versions. Locking needs permission to publish templates, copying needs permission to create them, and retiring or archiving need their own permissions.
• A template has at most one draft at a time.

Steps

1. Open the template. The chips at the top show its status, the published version and any draft.
2. Press Create draft version. Nova copies the published version into a new draft and opens the editor. If a draft already exists, press Open draft editor instead.
3. Change the document (see Create an agreement template) and press Save.
4. Press Save & lock this version, add a note under What changed? (optional), and press Save & lock. Nova says Template version published. and opens the history.
5. To retire the template instead, go to Template lifecycle actions. Press Deprecate to stop anyone starting new agreements from it, or Archive to hide it from the everyday list. Agreements already made from it are kept.

What you see

• Clone under Template lifecycle actions makes a separate template you can change freely. Type a Name for the copy and press Clone template; the copy opens in the editor.
• Publish draft, in the same place, locks the current draft without opening the editor. Add a note under What changed? and press Publish.
• Four tiles: Total versions, Merge fields (the fill-in details), Composition blocks and Updated. Below them, the blocks and fill-in details of the current version, a preview with Load preview PDF, and Version inventory.
• History lists each version, marked Current live version or Editable draft, with the dates it was updated, published, deprecated or archived.
• In History, a draft has Edit draft, Publish and Archive. A published version has Deprecate and New draft from history, which starts a draft from that older version; pick it under Start from which version? and press Create draft.

If something looks different

• The editor shows This template is locked: there is no draft. Press Make an editable copy.
• Save & lock this version is greyed out: save your changes first.
• New draft from history is greyed out: a draft already exists. Lock it or archive it first.
• The editor says you can view the template but not change it: your role cannot manage template versions.

Open Agreement Templates