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Build Your First Inspection Template

Templates define the structure of an inspection — the sections, subsections, and data fields that your inspectors work through on-site. 1nSpecT ships with a pre-built TREC Texas Residential template. You can use it as-is, customize it, or build a completely custom template from scratch.
  1. In the web admin, click Templates in the left sidebar.
  2. You will see a list of all templates associated with your account.
  3. Click + New Template or tap an existing template to edit it.

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Template Structure

Every template is organized as a two-level hierarchy: 
Template
 └── Section  (e.g. "I. Structural Systems")
      └── Subsection  (e.g. "I.A. Foundations")
           └── Fields  (informational data capture fields)

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Sections

Sections correspond to the major divisions of your inspection report (e.g. Structural Systems, Electrical, Plumbing). Each section gets its own PDF chapter with a color-coded header.

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Subsections

Subsections are the individual inspection areas within a section. Each subsection generates a rating row in the PDF (Inspected / Not Inspected / Not Present / Deficient) and can contain any number of data capture fields.

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Fields

Fields capture structured data per subsection. Field types available:
TypeUse
informationalText, number, or select inputs shown in the tech-spec grid of the PDF
ratingDrives the I / NI / NP / D rating boxes (handled automatically by the mobile app)
commentFree-text area for inspector narrative notes
photo_containerAnchor point for photo attachments
signatureSignature capture (used in client-facing agreements, not inspection fields)

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Using the Schema Builder

The Schema Builder is the visual editor for building your template structure.

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Adding a Section

  1. Click + Add Section at the bottom of the section list.
  2. Enter a section name (e.g. “Electrical Systems”) and an optional short name for PDF headers.
  3. Click Save Section.

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Adding a Subsection

  1. Expand a section by clicking its row.
  2. Click + Add Subsection.
  3. Enter a subsection name. Short names (under 20 characters) are displayed on the mobile inspector app’s navigation bar.
  4. Click Save.

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Adding Fields to a Subsection

  1. Expand a subsection.
  2. Click + Add Field.
  3. Choose a field type, enter a label, and set whether the field is required.
  4. Informational fields will appear in the tech-spec grid in the PDF report for that subsection.

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Reordering

Drag sections, subsections, and fields to reorder them. The PDF renders in the exact array order of the template schema.

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The TREC Texas Residential Template

If you are performing residential inspections in Texas, the pre-built TREC template is ready to use. It includes:
  • All required TREC sections (Structural Systems through Optional Systems)
  • TREC-compliant I / NI / NP / D rating schema
  • Pre-configured subsections matching TREC Standards of Practice
  • Informational fields for system age, capacity, fuel type, etc.
Tip: You can clone the TREC template and customize it rather than editing the master, so you always have a clean copy to revert to.

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Canvas Design Settings

After building your template structure, use the Canvas tab to control how the PDF report renders for that template. Key canvas settings:
SettingDescription
MarginsPage margins in pixels (96 px = 1 inch) for preamble, section, and summary pages
Primary / Secondary / Accent colorsOverride global branding for this specific template
Rating column layoutWidth of the I/NI/NP/D column in section pages
Finding card styleBorder, background, and typography for deficiency cards
Photo gridCaption position (above/below), grid columns
Changes to Canvas settings affect all future PDF generations for that template.

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Publishing a Template

When your template is ready:
  1. Click the Publish toggle on the template detail page.
  2. Published templates become available to inspectors on the mobile app when creating a new inspection.
  3. Unpublished (draft) templates are only visible to admins.

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Next Step

With your template built, you are ready to Create Your First Order.