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How Form Templates Work With Articles

Form templates define reusable field sets for Knowledge Base articles. Instead of free-form-only pages, you can standardise metadata and structured inputs—then create, update, or retire templates as your content model matures.

Why use templates

Templates reduce drift: every “how-to” can capture the same product area, audience, and related links. They also power consistent rendering in the help desk when those fields are shown to readers.

Creating a template

In Knowledge Base template configuration, add fields (text, choice lists, attachments, images, and other supported types). Name templates clearly—for example “Incident response checklist” versus “Policy overview”.

Applying a template to articles

When creating an article

Select the template early so the editor shows the right fields from the start. The article body still uses the rich editor; template fields capture structured data alongside it.

When updating an article

You can fill new template fields after a template change. If a template removes fields, coordinate with authors so data loss is intentional and communicated.

Updating and deleting templates

  • Update: adjust fields when your taxonomy changes; expect to review existing articles for compatibility.
  • Delete: only when no article depends on the template, or after migrating articles to a replacement template—deletion can block creation flows that still reference the old definition.

Relation to article CRUD

Templates shape how articles are captured; they do not replace create, update, or delete on the article itself. Think of templates as schemas: articles remain the records your users read in the help desk.