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This article answers common questions about migrating and using templates in the Doc Studio, including how to handle basic templates, variables, clauses, and formatting.

Click on the question below to be taken to the answer.

Getting started

• What is the new Doc Studio?
• Why was it introduced?
• What can you do with it?
• Who can use it?
• What happens to my old templates?
• How do I migrate basic templates to the Doc Studio?
• Can I keep the original advanced templates?
• Can I still use and assign legacy templates?

Doc Studio features

• What does the "Variable not supported" error mean?
• Why are secondary and tertiary signature variables not appearing in the variable library?
• Why is styling and formatting not fully retained after using the migration wizard?
• How do I use the variable library?
• How do I use a clause?
• How do I add an alternative clause group?
• How do I nest lists?

Answers

  What is the new Doc Studio?

Doc Studio is Employment Hero's new, all-in-one document template editor. It replaces the two previous editors — the Basic (PDF) Editor and the Advanced Editor — combining the best of both into a single, modern tool. 

  Why was it introduced?

Previously, customers had to choose between two separate editors when creating document templates, which could be confusing. Doc Studio simplifies things by giving you one place to create, edit, and manage all your document templates.

  What can you do with it?

Doc Studio is a WYSIWYG editor — meaning what you see on screen while editing is exactly what your final document will look like. Key features include:

• One unified editor — no more switching between tools or wondering which one to use.
• A searchable variable library — quickly find and insert fields (like employee name, start date, etc.) from a handy sidebar.
• Smart clauses — automatically show or hide sections of a document based on specific employee details.
• Multiple signatories — get sign-off from up to three internal approvers before sending a document.
• Image uploads — add logos, photos, and images directly into your templates.
• Full formatting support including headings, tables, font colours, bold, italics, hyperlinks, and more.

  Who can use it?

Doc Studio is available globally (AU, NZ, UK, CA, MY, SG) across all paid subscription plans, for both live organisations and those still in implementation.

  What happens to my old templates?

Your existing templates aren't going anywhere — you can still view and assign them to employees. However, to edit them going forward, you'll need to move them into Doc Studio:

• Advanced templates can be migrated using an in-platform migration wizard.
• Basic (PDF) templates will need to be recreated, but the new editor's copy-and-paste feature retains most formatting, making this straightforward.

  How do I migrate basic templates to the Doc Studio?   

As the migration wizard doesn't support basic templates, you will need to manually copy and paste the basic templates into a new template in the Doc Studio. The Doc Studio will retain most of the formatting from the basic template, so you will only need to do minimal editing.

  Can I keep the original advanced templates?   

When using the migration wizard, the platform will create a clone of the template in the new editor. This allows you to migrate templates, while keeping the original legacy templates untouched for safe record keeping. You can access the original advanced templates by clicking on the name of the template, and selecting Advanced (legacy) in the Template Type.

  Can I still use and assign legacy templates?   

You can still view and assign existing templates built using legacy editors to employees during this transition phase.

If you are time-poor, you do not need to migrate all the templates at once. We recommend a phased approach beginning with your most frequently used templates.

  What does the "Variable not supported" error mean?   

This error appears when the new editor identifies there was a variable in that position of the template, but no variable exists for it in the library. This would most likely happen in instances where users may be manually copying and pasting text. This process does not recreate the variables for them in that instance of the template, so we highlight the variable as not supported because we can't identify what it was.

Resolution: Reselect the variable in the new template if available in the library, or create a custom variable.

  Why are secondary and tertiary signature variables not appearing in the variable library?   

The secondary and tertiary sending signatory variables will only appear in the variable library if the template has been created with 2–3 sending signatories selected.

Resolution:

1. Navigate into Template Library.
2. Locate the impacted template and click Actions > Edit Info.
3. Select the desired number of sending signatories.
4. Click Save.
5. Edit the template and search for the sender signatures again in the library.

  Why is styling and formatting not fully retained after using the migration wizard?   

This is expected behaviour and is flagged to users before using the migration wizard. Not all formatting from legacy templates can be perfectly carried over.

Resolution: Fix formatting manually in the new editor.

  How do I use the variable library?   

When you click on the curly brackets icon, this will open the variable library. Here you will see all of the variable options you can select to insert into the template.

You can also insert variables into a table.

  How do I use a clause?   

Important: Clauses were previously known as contract blocks.

Add a single optional clause

A single optional clause is a clause you can choose to add to or remove from your document.

1. Type out the text passage in your document that you want to reuse.
2. Highlight the passage.
3. Click on the block icon on the top bar.
4. Give the clause a name, and select Single optional clause.
5. Click on Save.

  How do I add an alternative clause group?   

An alternative clause group is a set of interchangeable clauses where you pick the one that fits your situation. For example, if your contract has different probation periods for different roles, you would set those up as an alternative clause group so only the relevant one appears in the final document.

1. Type out the text passage in your document that you want to reuse.
2. Highlight the passage.
3. Click on the block icon on the top bar.
4. Give the clause a name, and select Alternative clause group.
5. Create or select a clause group name.
6. Click on Save.
7. Now you will have to use one of the options in your document. Each option in your clause group is reusable.

  How do I nest lists?   

If you want to use the bullet list or numbered list feature in the advanced Doc Studio and want to nest lists (create a list inside another list), all you need to do is press the tab key to create a list inside an existing list.

1. Click on the bullet list or the numbered list icon.
2. Create the first list item.
3. Press the Enter (PC) or Return (Mac) key to create the second list item.
4. Press the Enter (PC) or Return (Mac) key, then press the tab key to create the nested list.

Explore related content

• Create a document template in the Doc Studio
• Introducing the new Doc Studio for document templates
• Migrate your previous advanced document templates to the Doc Studio
• Recreate your previous basic document templates in the Doc Studio