· @Aaron
How to use this guide
This guide lists what SmartDocs supports today for cover pages, headers and footers, so you can confirm your document design before implementation starts.
Everything described here is standard and available to configure.
Three things are worth knowing up front:
- Cover pages come from a fixed set of three layouts. You choose one and fill its fields; you do not move elements around on it.
- Headers have one layout. The content of that layout is configurable, the arrangement is not.
- Footers are assembled from three positions, which the page number and your custom text share between them.
Cover pages
Three cover layouts are supported. You pick one per document and supply the field values; the positions of the elements are fixed by the layout you choose.
The same six fields drive all three layouts, plus a logo image. Template 3 adds a company address line.
| Field | Template 1 | Template 2 | Template 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | Top, centred | Top left | Below company name, centred |
| Title | Centred, upper third | Lower left, largest text | Centre of page |
| Subtitle | Below title | Below title | Below title |
| Document Number | Below subtitle | Below subtitle | Above title |
| Company Name | Centred, lower half | Lower left, above the date | Top of page, largest text |
| Date | Below company name | Below company name | Not used |
| Copyright notice | Footer band, centred | Bottom left | Bottom left |
| Address line | Not used | Not used | Below the logo |
Template 1Plain white page, everything centred. Logo at the top, title block in the upper third, company name and date in the lower half, and a ruled footer band carrying the copyright notice. |
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Template 2Tinted full-page background with a left-aligned title block set low on the page. The logo sits top left. Company name, date and copyright sit in a ruled block at the foot of the page.
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Template 3Company-led layout. The company name is the largest element at the top, followed by the logo and an address line. The document number, title and subtitle sit together in the middle of the page. |
Headers
One header layout is supported. It has three zones across the page: logo on the left, a coloured title band in the centre, and a three-row metadata table on the right.
What you can configure
| Element | What you control | Constraints |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | Whether it appears, and which image | Left zone only |
| Document title | Free text | Fixed position in the centre band |
| Chapter name | Nothing. It is always the chapter name | Fixed position below the title |
| Band colour | Any colour | Applies to the whole centre band |
| Metadata row labels | Free text, one per row (for example Part, Revision Number, Date) | Three rows, no more and no fewer |
| Metadata row values | One system variable per row, chosen from a list of six | Values are populated by the system, not typed |
The chapter name is a fixed field. It is always present and always shows the name of the chapter the page sits in.
How the metadata rows work
Each of the three rows has an editable label on the left and a system variable on the right. You pick the variable from a dropdown; the platform fills in the value at publish time.
Values are resolved relative to the page the header appears on. A header on a page in Chapter 1 shows Chapter 1 in the Chapter Number field, and the version and date of that chapter in the chapter version fields.
The six available variables are listed in the metadata field reference below. The same six are available in footers.
Footers
The footer has three positions across the page: left, centre and right. Two pieces of content compete for them, so plan both together.
- The page number, in one of three formats.
- One optional free text field plus one optional metadata field, which sit together as a single piece of content.
You assign each of those to a position. The example below puts the page number left and custom text centre.
Page numbering formats
| Format | Example | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Simple numbers | 1, 2, 3 | The document is numbered straight through |
| Page of total | 1 of 48 | Readers need to know the document is complete |
| Chapter based | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 | Chapters are revised and reissued independently |
Chapter based numbering restarts at each chapter, which is what you want if chapters are controlled and reissued on their own revision cycle.
Custom text and metadata
| Setting | Supported |
|---|---|
| Custom text | One field, maximum 25 characters |
| Metadata | One system variable, from the same list of six as headers |
| Alignment | Left, centre or right |
| Font size | Set in points |
The custom text and the metadata field render together. In the example above, the text Chapter with the Chapter Number variable renders as Chapter 2.
Metadata field reference
Six system variables are available. The same six appear in header metadata rows and in the footer metadata field.
| Variable | Resolves to | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| {Chapter Number} | The number of the chapter the page sits in | Chapter |
| {Chapter Version} | The issue or revision number of that chapter | Chapter |
| {Chapter Version Date} | The date that chapter version was issued | Chapter |
| {Document Version} | The issue or revision number of the whole document | Document |
| {Document Version Date} | The date that document version was issued | Document |
| {Document Number} | The document control number | Document |
Scope matters. Chapter-scoped variables change value as the reader moves through the document; document-scoped variables are the same on every page.
You cannot define your own variables. If you need a value that is not on this list, raise it as a modification request.
Requesting a modification
Additional cover templates are available on request during implementation. If your document standard requires a layout, a field or a variable that is not described in this guide, bring it to your implementation contact with:
- A sample of the page as it must look, marked up with each field.
- The regulatory or customer requirement driving it, if there is one.
- Which documents in your library it applies to.
We will confirm whether it is a configuration change or a build, and what that means for your timeline.