Community Suggestion: Expanded Custom Templates - Additional Fields & Settings for Robust Customization

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Expanded Custom Templates - Additional Fields & Settings for Robust Customization

Feature Upgrade · Custom article templates (studio) · Created by kaixabu
closed

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

Currently, World Anvil allows users to create Custom Article Templates through the Studio. This is a fantastic feature that enables structured worldbuilding, but it is somewhat constrained. The current system only allows customization of basic structure, presentation, styling, and HTML formatting, limiting the scope of what a template can truly define.   Note: I’m aware that similar requests have been made in the past, each with varying levels of detail. However, with the recent UI updates, I believe this is a good time to revisit the idea. That said, I fully understand that even with the existing generic options, implementing this would require significant effort and may be deferred or not accepted at all.   The issue is that many essential article fields and settings—which are part of the generic article type—cannot be set within a custom template. This results in authors having to manually adjust settings every time they create an article, which leads to inconsistencies, extra workload, and potential oversight. Not saying that the current offering is not already a HUGE timesaver, just thought it COULD be a little better.   Expanding the fields available in Custom Templates would allow world owners to create more robust, pre-configured templates that automatically apply design, navigation, preferences, and metadata settings—ensuring a more efficient and consistent worldbuilding experience. While staying within the "Generic" framework.   Several key fields and settings that could enhance Custom Templates but are currently missing include:   Sections:
Sidebar Sections:
  • Sidebar Display
    • Footer Sections:
  • Author Notes
    • Header Sections:
  • Subheading
  • Credits

    • Design:
    Basic:
  • Article Cover Image
  • Excerpt
  • Mouseover Snippet
  • Icon
    • Navigation:
  • Parent Category / Parent Article
    • Preferences:
  • All available checkboxes
    • Advanced Settings:
  • Scrapbook
  • Pronunciation
    • While some fields may require technical considerations (e.g., slugs, security, secrets), many could be pre-filled, toggled, or templated as placeholders to guide authors through completing them. This would greatly improve consistency across worlds, even when different users are contributing content.  

    How does this feature request address the current situation?

    Expanding Custom Templates to include these additional fields and settings would allow worldbuilders to create fully structured, ready-to-use templates that reduce the manual setup required for every article. This enhancement would:  
  • Ensure that important fields are never forgotten by pre-filling them or setting default values.
  • Provide consistency across articles by enforcing structured formatting, metadata, and display settings.
  • Reduce the time spent adjusting individual article settings after creation.
  • Allow world owners to define specific preferences for their world’s organization and style.
  • Improve collaboration by enabling multiple authors to adhere to the same standards, even if they are not the world owner.

    • With this update, templates could function as fully fleshed-out article blueprints rather than just a starting structure, enabling a faster, more efficient worldbuilding workflow.  

    What are other uses for this feature request?

    Beyond improving article structure, expanding Custom Templates could also benefit:  
  • Multi-user worlds: Ensuring consistent formatting and settings across different authors.
  • Organized world management: Streamlining how articles are categorized, linked, and formatted.
  • Fiction and RPG settings: Pre-configuring character sheets, locations, and story structures for game masters or writers.
  • Editorial oversight: Making sure publishing preferences (e.g., comments, visibility, adult indicators, etc.) are automatically applied.
  • Automated consistency: Guaranteeing every article follows thematic and structural rules of a world, avoiding inconsistent organization.

    • This feature would be an immense quality-of-life improvement for all World Anvil authors, particularly those managing large, detailed settings with multiple contributors.

    The Team's Response

    Thanks for the suggestion! We're planning a new system that will address at least most of the issues you mention, but it will be in a different way than you describe so this is closed. If whenever this update comes you think it's still missing something, feel free to open a new suggestion!
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    Current score

    21/300 Votes · +5800 points

    Votes Cast

    • +300

      by Narrator90
      on 2025-03-25 07:10

    • +300

      by Dragolithic
      on 2025-03-25 03:54

    • +300

      by zi.sh
      on 2025-03-22 22:36

    • +300

      by Wordigirl
      on 2025-03-21 19:57
      yeah I do wish they were more customizable, but I'm aware it would probably take more effort from the team, if it is even possible with how things currently stand. Neverhtless, thanks for suggesting and I hope they are able to implement at least some of these! God bless.

    • +100

      by NaloAsgeer
      on 2025-03-16 18:13

    • +300

      by Kittymonster
      on 2025-03-16 16:27
      Would love to see them get a face lift.   ... and also get bug-fixed so I can actually make use of this feature at all on my account.

    • +100

      by Michael Chandra
      on 2025-03-15 07:54

    • +100

      by AuraGuard
      on 2025-03-13 11:34

    • +300

      by A Sneaky Goblin
      on 2025-03-13 09:30

    • +100

      by DragonHeart[8787]
      on 2025-03-11 18:00

    • +300

      by Scalenex
      on 2025-03-11 08:18

    • +300

      by ss2020
      on 2025-03-11 02:14
      I would like to be able to change the labels of the varies fields.

    • +300

      by Writing Bishop
      on 2025-03-09 16:43

    • +300

      by bphilippe
      on 2025-03-09 11:00
      I use custom templates extensively. I write all the instructions and content in the vignette/free form field and copy/paste related texts in the related field after creating the article. This will definitively save time.

    • +300

      by csquid
      on 2025-03-09 01:38

    • +300

      by amelianite
      on 2025-03-08 23:06

    • +300

      by kerahope
      on 2025-03-07 23:58

    • +300

      by NovaTerra
      on 2025-03-07 19:05

    • +300

      by A Fierce Mimic
      on 2025-03-06 21:39

    • +300

      by Ratha
      on 2025-03-06 05:09

    • +300

      by TazztheMonster
      on 2025-03-05 17:53

    • +300

      by kaixabu
      on 2025-03-05 15:30
    Hello! <3 I hope you are having a nice day!

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