Creating a Student Card Template from a Word Document

This guide walks you through designing a template with dynamic fields and uploading it to the system. The template can then be used to generate student cards, either individually or in bulk.

This guide uses Microsoft Word to create the template, allowing for advanced customisation and layout control.

If you're new to using Word documents as templates, we recommend viewing this article first.

Before You Start

1. If you are not using standard CR80 (credit card-size) cards, check the exact dimensions of the cards you plan to print.

2. Confirm the printable area supported by your card printer, as some printers may not allow edge-to-edge printing and may require additional margins.

3. Decide what information you want to include on the card, such as the student’s name, date of birth, and other key details.

4. Make sure you have the necessary permissions assigned. If unsure, contact your system administrator for assistance.

Step 1 - Create the Template File

If you'd rather start with a ready-made template, download the file below and make your changes. You can then skip to Step 2.

StudentCard.docx

1. Start by creating a new Microsoft Word file.

2. Go to the Layout tab and from the Page Setup panel:

   1. Click on Size and select the Credit Card option.

   2. Click on Orientation and select Portrait.

   3. Click on Margins and adjust them according to your printer’s specifications. Set the margins as small as your printer allows to maximise the printable area.

3. Add your logo and apply any desired styling.

4. Insert the bookmarks you want to include on the card. Commonly used bookmarks are:

   1. { MERGEFIELD "students-student_photo IMAGE 120" }-> Inserts the student’s photo at 120px width.

   2. { MERGEFIELD "students-first_name" } → Inserts the student’s first name

   3. { MERGEFIELD "students-last_name" } → Inserts the student’s last name

   4. { MERGEFIELD "students-student_number" } → Inserts the student’s number

   5. { MERGEFIELD "students-dob \@ "dd/MM/yyyy" }-> Inserts the student’s date of birth, formatted as dd/mm/yyyy.

If enrolment details are required, insert the relevant enrolment bookmarks as needed.

5. Save the file with the extension .docx

Step 2 - Upload the Template File

1. Log into the Next Generation app.

2. Go to Utilities > Templates

3. Click New Template in the header bar.

4. Select the initial template options as follows:

   1. Object: If you are including any enrolments bookmarks or creating the student cards from enrolments, choose Enrolments. Otherwise, choose Students

   2. Channel: Document

   3. Select the Word Document Template option

   4. Type: Template

5. Click Next

You will now enter the details for the template:

1. Enter clear and meaningful values for both the name and API name.

2. If you use template categories, select the one that best fits.

3. For the file name, enter a meaningful name. This will be the name of the file when generating a student card. For example:
   {{students-student_number}} - {{students-first_name}}, {{students-last_name}}

4. Upload the file you have created for the template.

5. Click Save and Exit

Step 3 - Test Template

1. If you added the student’s picture bookmark on the template file, make sure to pick a student that has a picture (view this article for details)

2. Go to the student or the enrolment (depending on what object you selected when creating the template) details page.

3. Click Merge Document in the header. A pop-up window will appear.

4. Select the Template you have created.

5. Ensure the ‘Add to document store’ option is not selected. As this is only a test, there’s no need to save the file in the student’s document store yet.

6. Click Merge to download the document.

7. Review the content to ensure everything appears as expected. If any changes are needed, update the original file and re-upload it to the template.