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Template to Finished Report

This workflow article traces the journey from template design to finished report PDF — how a template’s schema, canvas, and visual-page rules become the actual document the client downloads. It’s the structural counterpoint to Booking to Published Report (which is the order lifecycle); this one is the document lifecycle.

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The 7-step template-to-report flow

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Step 1 — Build Schema

Where: Schema Upload & Review or Template Editor What you do: Define the structure of the inspection — sections, subsections, fields. Two paths: After Step 1, your template has the schema — what mobile inspectors see, what shows up as fields on the report. Without canvas + styling (Steps 2–3), the report renders with platform defaults.

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Step 2 — Canvas Design

Where: Template Designer What you do: Configure the visual canvas — the rating scale (TREC vs Binary), default cover, margins (96 px = 1 inch), colors that override tenant defaults, finding card style, photo grid layout (1/2/3 columns), and finding card border/background. Why it matters: Canvas changes affect every rendered PDF from this template. Set up once, every inspection inherits. Picking the rating scale here is critical: TREC Standard (I/NI/NP/D) is the default for Texas residential; Binary Pass/Fail is used for commercial or specialty inspections.

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Step 3 — Page Styling

Where: Visual Page Designer What you do: Configure per-page rendering — page header (logo + company info + alignment), major section headers (font, weight, alignment, background color), subsection headers, page footer (page number + company info + license number). Common design patterns:
  • Minimalist — white headers, dark text, thin bottom border
  • Bold brand color — solid primary-color section bars, white text
  • Subtle gray band — light-gray header background, dark text, no border
Pick once. Every report from this template uses the same page chrome.

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Step 4 — Inspection Capture

Where: Mobile Capture Screen What inspectors do: Use the mobile app to capture findings against the template’s schema. Each finding inherits its section/subsection from the schema. The template controls what inspectors see: If the schema is missing a section the inspector needs, the inspector cannot add it from mobile — they message you to extend the template, you publish, and on next inspection-open the new section appears.

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Step 5 — Report Workspace

Where: Inspection Reviewer on web What you do: After the inspector marks complete, walk through every finding in the 4-column workspace. Polish narratives, run AI Draft on field-noted findings (2 IT each), generate SPOs per system (10 IT each), build the executive summary, run AI Priority Analysis. The template’s role here: Pre-defined sections and subsections organize the findings; the Inspection Reviewer’s left column groups by section per the template’s hierarchy.

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Step 6 — PDF Render

Where: Server-side, triggered by Generate PDF Preview or Publish How it works:
  1. The backend’s PDF pipeline reads the inspection + the template snapshot
  2. The cover designed in Cover Designer renders as page 1
  3. The Visual Page Designer rules render the page header on every body page
  4. Section headers render per the Visual Page Designer config
  5. Findings render as cards using the Template Designer’s finding-card style
  6. Photos render using the Template Designer’s photo grid (1/2/3 columns, caption above or below)
  7. Executive summary renders findings flagged “Include in summary,” ranked if AI Priority Analysis was run
  8. SPOs appear in the section overview of the executive summary
  9. Page footer renders with page number + company info + license
Variables resolved at render time: $ClientNames, $InspectionAddress, $InspectionDate, $InspectorName, $InspectorLicense, $CompanyName, $CompanyLogo, $InspectionFeeTable, $ContractDate Page-level variables are resolved per the Company Info and Company Settings values.

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Step 7 — Client Receives

Where: Client’s email inbox + Client Portal What happens: The report.published workflow trigger fires; configured email steps send the report to the client ($ReportLink) and agent ($AgentReportLink). The client clicks the link and lands on the Client Portal where they can:
  • Download the PDF
  • View the report inline
  • Build a Repair Request
  • See payment options
  • Sign any post-inspection documents
The agent gets a summary-only Realtor Portal view (no pricing, no repair request).

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Template snapshot — the key concept

The template’s schema and canvas are captured at inspection-creation time (Step 4) as a snapshot on the inspection record. Why this matters: Snapshots let you evolve templates without breaking in-flight work.

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Iteration tips

  • First template: start with Initialize TREC. Don’t over-customize until you’ve shipped a few real reports.
  • Branding pass: customize the cover first (Cover Designer) and section header style (Visual Page Designer). These have the most visible impact.
  • Schema iteration: add/remove fields as you find gaps. Inspectors will tell you what’s missing within the first 5 inspections.
  • Test before going live: use Generate PDF Preview on a real inspection before publishing real reports against a new template.