Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.experio.cloud/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Overview
Document Templates let you upload branded files that the AI uses as a base for generated documents. When a template is active, generated output inherits its branding, structure, and formatting. Templates are organized by categories (e.g., Case Study, Proposal, Resume) and support multiple output formats.
Navigate to Settings > Document Templates in the admin panel.
Template Categories
Categories group templates by purpose. When users generate a document, the Generate button shows templates organized by category for easy discovery.
Default Categories
The system ships with six seeded categories:
| Category | Description |
|---|
| General | General-purpose document templates |
| Case Study | Templates for case study documents |
| Resume | Templates for resume and CV documents |
| Proposal | Templates for business proposals |
| Executive Summary | Templates for executive summary documents |
| List of Projects | Templates for project listing documents |
Managing Categories
Navigate to Settings > Template Categories in the admin panel.
- Create — Add a new category with a name and optional description. A URL-friendly slug is auto-generated from the name.
- Edit — Update the name, description, or active status.
- Deactivate — Inactive categories and their templates are hidden from users.
- Delete — Permanently removes the category. Templates in a deleted category become uncategorized.
To seed the default categories after a fresh deployment, run:cd server && pipenv run python manage.py seed_template_categories
Supported Template Types
| Type | Extension | Description |
|---|
| pptx | .pptx | PowerPoint presentation with slide layouts and branding |
| message | — | Formatted chat response (no file download — output appears directly in chat) |
The message type produces a formatted response in the chat window instead of a downloadable file. Use it for structured text outputs like summaries or formatted lists.
Adding a Template
- Click Add Template — this opens a full-page form
- Fill in:
- Name — identifier used in the
/generate command (must be unique within the selected category)
- Type — select the output format (
pptx or message)
- Category — select from available categories (e.g., General, Case Study, Proposal)
- Description — optional notes about the template
- Retrieval Instructions — guides what data the AI should retrieve (see below)
- Output Instructions — guides how the AI should format the output (see below)
- File — upload a template file (required for pptx; not applicable for message)
- Click Create
For PPTX templates, the system parses the file and extracts slide layout names. Templates must contain at least one recognized layout name to be accepted.
Retrieval Instructions
This field tells the AI what data to look for during the retrieval/scope phase of generation. It is injected into the pipeline before the AI begins gathering context.
Examples:
"Find all projects for this client including project name, client name, dates, and budget""Retrieve the candidate's work history, education, skills, and certifications""Gather financial metrics, market analysis, and competitive positioning data"
Output Instructions
This field tells the AI how to structure and format the final output. It is injected into the report writer phase.
Examples:
"Format as a professional case study with Executive Summary, Challenge, Solution, and Results sections""Create a one-page executive summary with key findings, recommendations, and next steps""Organize as a bulleted project list grouped by client, with dates and status for each project"
Retrieval and output instructions work together: retrieval instructions ensure the right data is gathered, and output instructions ensure it is presented in the right format. Both are optional — when left blank, the AI uses conversation context and its default formatting.
PPTX-Specific: Supported Layout Names
PPTX templates must include slide layouts named after the following supported types (case-insensitive):
| Layout Name | Purpose |
|---|
section_header | Section divider slide with accent background |
bullets | Bullet point content slide |
quote | Centered quotation with attribution |
two_column | Side-by-side content columns |
table | Data table with styled header row |
key_metric | Big number/KPI with supporting text |
timeline | Horizontal timeline or roadmap |
blank | Minimal spacer slide (footer only) |
comparison | Structured VS comparison layout |
closing | Thank you / end slide |
SECTION_HEADER, Section_Header, and section_header all match.
The blank Layout
The blank layout is critical — it serves as the fallback for any slide whose layout name doesn’t match the supported list. Templates missing a blank layout will show a warning in the admin UI.
If your template has no layout named “blank”, slides using unsupported layout names will fall back to the last available layout, which may produce unexpected results.
What Templates Provide
Templates control the visual branding of generated documents:
- Slide master backgrounds (gradients, images, shapes) — for PPTX
- Logo placement and footer design
- Font families and default text styling
- Color schemes defined in the slide master
- Retrieval guidance (what data to gather)
- Output formatting guidance (how to structure the result)
Templates do NOT control content placement. For PPTX, the AI uses programmatic builders to position titles, bullet points, tables, and charts at precise coordinates on each slide.
What Works
- Multiple templates can be active simultaneously
- Users select a template from the Generate button (wand icon) in the chat input
- Templates are grouped by category in the Generate dropdown
- The
/generate command supports --type, --template, and --category flags
- Each supported PPTX layout type uses the matching template layout for its background/styling
- Layout badges in the admin show green for supported layouts, gray for unsupported
Known Limitations
| Limitation | Detail |
|---|
| Only 10 PPTX layout types | Custom layout names (e.g., TITLE_AND_BODY, BIG_NUMBER, MAIN_POINT) are not supported. Slides requesting these fall back to the blank layout. |
| No per-layout content placement | Template placeholder positions are not used for content. All content is placed programmatically at fixed coordinates. |
| No image placeholders | Picture/image placeholders in templates are ignored. |
| Title slide uses blank layout | The title slide does not use a template’s title layout — it’s drawn programmatically. |
| No template preview | There is no visual preview of the template in the admin UI — download and open in PowerPoint/Keynote to inspect. |
Managing Templates
Activate / Deactivate
- Only active templates appear in the Generate dropdown for chat users
- Multiple templates can be active at the same time
- Click Deactivate to hide a template from users without deleting it
Edit
Click Edit to open the full-page form where you can update:
- Name, description, category, and type
- Retrieval instructions and output instructions
- Upload a replacement file (re-parses layouts for PPTX)
Download
Click Download to get the original template file for inspection or editing.
Delete
Permanently removes the template and its file data. This cannot be undone.
Creating a Compatible PPTX Template
To create a PPTX template that works with Experio:
- Open PowerPoint or Google Slides
- Go to View > Slide Master
- Create or rename layouts using the supported names listed above
- Design each layout with your branding (backgrounds, logos, fonts)
- Ensure a layout named
blank exists
- Save as
.pptx
- Upload to Experio
Start with an existing Experio template (download one from the admin) and customize it to match your brand. This ensures all required layout names are present.
Using Templates in Chat
A Generate button (wand icon) appears in two places when at least one template is active:
- Chat input toolbar — next to the model selector
- Artifact Panel header — shown when a long-form response is open on the right
From either location:
- Click the wand icon
- Browse categories in the dropdown (e.g., General, Case Study, Proposal)
- Hover over a category to see its templates — each shows a type badge (
pptx or msg)
- Click a template name
Behavior differs slightly by entry point:
- From the chat input toolbar — the
/generate command is filled into the chat input with the appropriate flags so you can review or edit it before pressing Enter.
- From the Artifact Panel — the
/generate command is sent immediately using the current conversation context, so the agent can reformat the long response into the chosen template without a separate prompt step.
Manual Command
You can also type the command directly:
/generate --type pptx --template "blue"
/generate --type pptx --category "Case Study" --template "Standard"
Command Flags
| Flag | Required | Description |
|---|
--type | Yes | Output format: pptx or message |
--template | No | Template name (case-sensitive match) |
--category | No | Category name (case-insensitive match). When omitted, lookup is not filtered by category |
Template Lookup Priority
When resolving which template to use, the system checks in this order:
- Category + Template name — both
--category and --template specified
- Template name + Type — only
--template specified (backward-compatible)
- Category + Type — only
--category specified (uses first active template in that category)
- Type only — neither specified (uses first active template matching the type)
What the User Sees
- The AI analyzes the conversation and composes the document
- For pptx: a downloadable PowerPoint file appears in the chat as a source attachment
- For message: formatted output appears directly in the chat
Tips for Best Results
- Have a conversation with analysis/data before generating — the AI uses conversation context to build the document
- Use specific requests: “generate a case study summarizing the project above”
- Configure retrieval instructions on templates to guide what data the AI gathers
- Configure output instructions to control the structure and formatting of the result
- For PPTX, the AI automatically selects appropriate layout types (bullets for lists, tables for data, timelines for chronological content)
Natural Language Template Detection
Experio automatically detects when a chat message matches an available template category and applies the corresponding template behind the scenes — no special commands needed.
- When a user types something like “create a case study for Acme Corp”, the system recognizes the intent matches the Case Study category and auto-applies that template’s retrieval and output instructions to the generation pipeline.
- If multiple templates match the detected category, the assistant asks a follow-up question so the user can choose which template to use.
- If no category matches, the message is processed normally without any template behavior.
- This works alongside the Generate button — users can either type naturally or use the wand icon. Both paths produce the same template-powered output.
- No configuration is required. The system automatically checks all active template categories against incoming messages.
- PPTX template by name: “create a pptx using our project strategies template” matches the specific PPTX file by name, even without mentioning the category.
- New generation in conversation: Saying “now create a case study from that” starts a new generation request — the system treats it as a fresh query and matches the appropriate template. Follow-up messages that reformat existing output (e.g., “make it shorter”) might not trigger template matching.
- External data + template: “create a case study based on my latest emails about ManTech” combines template matching with external tool retrieval in a single request.
Natural language detection only considers active categories and templates. Deactivate a category or template to exclude it from automatic matching.
How PPTX Generation Works
When a user sends /generate --type pptx --template "name":
- The AI composes slides using the 10 supported layout types
- For each slide, the system finds the matching layout in the template (case-insensitive)
- A slide is created from that layout — inheriting its background and master styling
- Content (title, bullets, tables, charts) is placed programmatically
- If no matching layout is found, the
blank layout is used as fallback
- The final PPTX is returned as a downloadable file
