Generating Event Documents

The Documents tab on an event lets you create, store, edit, and download event-specific documents. You can upload a file, write a simple document in the editor, build a reusable structured document, or create a document from an existing template.

Getting There

• Open an event.
• Click More in the event tabs.
• Select Documents.

Overview

The event's Documents tab shows all documents saved against that event. From here you can create a new document, open editable documents, download file-based documents, and delete anything you no longer need.

When you click Create document, EventWorks gives you four ways to create it.

Key Concepts

The Four Document Creation Options

When creating a document, you can choose:

• Upload file — upload an existing Word or file-based document
• WYSIWYG editor — create a simple document with basic formatting
• Template builder — build a structured document with sections, fields, and print options
• Select template — create a new document from a saved template (any document in your Documents library that is not attached to a specific event)

Editable vs Download-Only Documents

Uploaded files are mainly managed as stored files, while WYSIWYG and template-builder documents can be edited inside EventWorks.

Export Formats

Template-builder documents can support different export formats. This lets you create different output versions of the same document by including or excluding selected sections.

How To...

Create a Document

• Open the event's Documents tab.
• Click Create document.
• Enter a Title.
• Choose one of the four creation methods.
• Complete the fields for that method.
• Click Create document.

Upload a File-Based Document

• In the Create document window, keep the Upload file tab selected.
• Enter a title.
• Choose your file.
• Click Create document.

The document will then appear in the list with a Download option.

Note: Files uploaded directly to an event are stored as-is. If your Word file contains ${...} placeholders that should be filled in with event data, upload it to the global Documents library first and then use Select template on the event — see Document Variables below.

Create a Simple WYSIWYG Document

• In the Create document window, click WYSIWYG editor.
• Enter a title and create the document.
• Open the document from the list.
• Enter and format the content.
• Click Save.

Create a Template-Builder Document

• In the Create document window, click Template builder.
• Enter a title and create the document.
• Add sections and fields to structure the document.
• Configure any print options, such as document headers and logo settings.
• Use Preview to check the output.
• Click Complete when you are happy with the layout.

Template-builder fields bind directly to event data (for example, an "Event name" field maps to the event's name) instead of using ${...} text placeholders. Available field types include text, number, date, select/radio/checkbox, file, image, table, and rich text. Document headers, logos, and section visibility are controlled per document, with defaults inherited from Settings > General > Document Defaults.

Create a Document from a Saved Template

• In the Create document window, click Select template.
• Choose the template you want to use.
• Enter a title if needed.
• Click Create document.

The dropdown lists every document in your global Documents library that has not been attached to an event. To add a new template here, create a document outside an event using the same Upload file / WYSIWYG / Template builder methods — those documents become available in this dropdown for any event.

Note: This list does not include quote, invoice, purchase order, job sheet, or note templates. Those are separate systems managed under Settings and used by their own areas of EventWorks.

Download a Document

• Go to the event's Documents tab.
• Find the document you want.
• Click Download.

For template-builder documents, the download options may include different export formats if those have been configured.

Delete a Document

• Go to the event's Documents tab.
• Find the document you no longer need.
• Click Delete.
• Confirm the deletion.

Warning: Deleting a document removes it from the event, so make sure you no longer need it before confirming.

Settings & Configuration

• Documents available in the Select template dropdown are simply documents in your global Documents library that are not attached to an event.
• Template-builder document headers can inherit defaults from Settings > General > Document Defaults.
• Quote, invoice, purchase order, job sheet, and note templates are configured in Settings and used by their own parts of EventWorks — they are unrelated to the Select template option above. See Creating Document Templates.
• Electronic signatures depend on the Signable integration being connected. See Electronic Signatures.

Tips & Best Practices

Tip: Use Upload file when you already have an approved document outside EventWorks, and use Template builder when you want a reusable structured document inside EventWorks.

Tip: If a template-builder document needs different client-facing and internal versions, set up export formats instead of creating separate documents from scratch.

Document Variables (Word and WYSIWYG)

You can include ${...} placeholder variables in Word documents and WYSIWYG documents, and EventWorks will replace them with live event data when a new document is generated for an event from one of those templates.

• Word with variables — upload the .docx file to your global Documents library (not attached to an event), then on each event use Select template to generate a copy with values merged in.
• WYSIWYG with variables — create a WYSIWYG document in your global Documents library, then on each event use Select template to create a copy with values merged in. (Variables in a WYSIWYG document already attached to an event are also resolved when the document is saved.)

Variables do not apply to Template-builder documents, which bind directly to event data through their fields rather than using text placeholders.

How Variables Work

Wrap a variable name in ${...} wherever you want the value to appear, for example:

Quote for ${eventClientAccountName}
Event: ${eventName} on ${eventDate}
Total: ${total}

When the document is generated for an event, each ${variableName} is replaced with the corresponding value. Variables that don't exist on the event (for example, no venue assigned) are replaced with an empty string. Dates and currency values are formatted using your account's regional settings.

Note: Values are baked into the generated document at the moment it is created. If event data changes later, the existing document does not auto-update — recreate it from the same template to pick up the new values.

Event Details

Client Account and Contact

Pricing and Totals

Cost Line Tables (Word Documents Only)

Word documents support repeating cost rows. Add the variables below into a single table row in the document, and EventWorks will clone the row once per cost line, including subtotals for each cost group:

For a costs-by-type summary table, use these variables in a single repeating row:

Note: The repeating-row variables only work in uploaded Word documents because they rely on the Word table structure. For WYSIWYG documents, use ${costsTable} instead, which inserts a pre-formatted costs table.

Tip: The same variables work whether the document is generated directly on an event or created from a saved template — saved templates that include ${...} placeholders will have them filled in when the new document is created.

Custom Field Variables

Each custom field defined in Settings > Other > Custom Fields also has a document variable in the format ${customAttribute} (for example ${customAttribute1}). The exact variable for each field is shown in the Custom Fields list.

Custom fields on the event itself, and on the event's client account, are both available — see Custom Fields for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use Upload file for existing files, WYSIWYG editor for simple typed documents, Template builder for structured reusable layouts, and Select template when you already have a saved template ready to use.

No. File-based documents are mainly downloaded and replaced, while WYSIWYG and template-builder documents can be edited in EventWorks.

Yes. Template-builder documents can use export formats to create different output versions.

Related Articles

• Creating Document Templates
• Document Types
• Electronic Signatures