Creating Templates in Google Docs

I was recently asked how to provide a Google document to people so that they could modify their own versions without changing the original document. In other words, they wanted to distribute a template to others.

3 methods of creating templates 

1. Submit a doc to the Wake Forest University Template Gallery
2. Use the URL hack
3. Create a google doc “faux” template

Submit a doc to Wake Forest University Template Gallery

1. Design and save your base file in google docs/sheets/slides
   (tip: use bracket as placeholders to signify data entry – [First Name] indicates the user should replace this text).
2. Go to docs.google.com (or slides.google.com, or sheets.google.com, depending on the file type) in another tab and verify you are signed into WFU Google. Template Gallery is not a feature in personal Google accounts.
   Note: I’m unaware of a way to access the Template Gallery from the Google Drive Home tab or My Drive tab at the time of writing this.
3. Click Template Gallery and then select Wake Forest University.
4. To submit your file click the Submit template button
   • Select a Category and click Submit Template and select the file you created in Step 1.

Note: once submitted to the Gallery, anyone that’s part of WFU can use the template. There is no limiting access to a subset of users. Everybody on WFU Google can access the WFU template gallery from the Docs, Slides, or Sheets Homepages

URL Hack (works on free or EDU google accounts)

1. Design your template in Google docs and set sharing permissions for whoever will be accessing (permissions are still part of the template ultimately – if you don’t know who ultimately will try to use the file then you should make the Sharing permissions Anybody With the Link can edit to ensure anybody can use it).
2. Look at the doc’s URL. Towards the end of the url you’ll see /edit along with some other alphanumeric characters
3. Now you need to edit the end of the URL.  Delete /edit and anything that comes after it.
4. At the end of the URL, type /template/preview
   1. So if your google doc URL starts out looking something like this:
      docs.google.com/lots/of/alphnumeric/edit?something
   2. Edit it so it ends up looking like this:
      docs.google.com/lots/of/alphanumeric/template/preview
5. Click the Enter key
6. You will get a new view of your document with a blue Use Template button.
7. Save or bookmark the URL of this view to give to whoever needs to use the template. 
8. When they go to the URL from step 6 they will click the Use Template button to get a copy of your template.

Faux Template (works on free or EDU google accounts)

1. Create your google doc to look and say whatever you want. Somewhere prominant in the document, instruct your users to 
   1. “Use the File Menu and select Make a Copy to create your own copy of this file” somewhere in the document
   2. Delete the instruction to use the File Menu and Make and Copy on their version
2. Share your doc out with View only rights and copy, save, or bookmark the share link.
3. When the person goes to the file they can’t edit it until they Make a Copy in their account. They can then edit and share as necessary since it is their own copy.

These should all work for docs, sheets, and slides.