Forum Discussion
Allow administrators to configure default field selection for Word Templates
Description
When creating a new Word Template in Business Central, the default field selection is currently based on field type. Text fields and primary key fields are included by default, while many other useful fields are excluded.
This creates extra work for users because important business fields such as:
- Post Code
- Country/Region Code
- Currency Code
- Payment Terms Code
- Shipment Method Code
- Salesperson Code
must be manually selected every time a new Word Template is created.
The challenge is that even if a Word document already contains merge fields for these values, the fields are unavailable unless they are explicitly selected in the template setup. As a result, organizations must repeatedly perform the same field selection for every new template.
Suggested improvement
Provide a page where administrators can configure default Word Template fields per table.
Example:
| Table | Default included fields |
|---|---|
| Customer | Post Code, Country/Region Code, E-Mail |
| Contact | Post Code, Mobile Phone No., Country/Region Code |
| Vendor | Post Code, Payment Terms Code |
This would:
- Reduce repetitive configuration work.
- Ensure consistency across templates.
- Improve usability for non-technical users.
- Reduce support questions about missing merge fields.
The current behaviour could remain the default, while organizations could optionally define their own standard field selection.
Business impact
Organizations that use Word Templates extensively often create many templates over time. Repeatedly selecting the same fields for every template is time-consuming and error-prone. Central administration of default field selections would improve productivity and template consistency.