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Start from a template

Templates let you begin with something already set up instead of a blank canvas. GOAT offers three kinds:

  • Project templates: open a prepared project with styled layers, finished analyses, and a dashboard. A good starting point when you want a complete example to explore or adapt.
  • Workflow templates: a ready-made analysis workflow where only your own data is missing. You supply the input layers and run it.
  • Layout templates: print-ready page layouts, with the page size given in millimetres.

This page focuses on project templates. For the other two, see Save a workflow as a template and the Layouts page.

Browsing templates​

On the Home page, the Start from a template row shows the available templates. You can:

  • Filter by kind: All templates, Project, Workflow, or Layout.
  • Filter by source: who the template came from (Everyone, GOAT, Mine, Team, Organization, or Shared with me). A template shared with your team or organization, directly or through a folder, is listed under Team or Organization.
  • Click All templates to open the full template browser, where you can search templates and preview one before using it.
Start from a template row on the Home page

Templates from GOAT are also available under the Templates tab of the Catalog.

Using a project template​

1
On the Home page, find a project template in the Start from a template row, or open All templates and filter by Project.
2
Select a template to preview what it contains.
3
Click Use template. GOAT creates a new project from the template, with its layers, analyses and dashboard already in place, and opens it.
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A project template opens as a new project you own. You can change it freely without affecting the template.

Datasets in a template​

When you save a project as a template (Save project as template… in the Project Menu) or a workflow as a template, the Inputs table lists every dataset it uses. For each one you decide how the people who use the template get it:

  • Ship (read-only): everyone sees your dataset in their project. They can look at it and analyse it, but not change it, unless you also share it with them as editor. This is the default.
  • Copy for every user (with content): everyone who uses the template gets their own copy of the dataset, with all its features, columns, styling, dropdown fields and description. They can edit their copy freely.
  • Empty copy for every user: like a copy, but without features: the same columns, geometry type and styling, ready for each user to enter their own data, for example planned projects in a training.

A raster dataset, or one read from an external service, has no features to copy, so it can only be shipped. In a workflow template you can also switch a dataset off so that the template asks for a layer when it is used.

When someone uses the template, GOAT first creates the project or workflow with your dataset and then makes their copies in the background; you can follow them under Job status. Until a copy is ready, the dataset is shown read-only. Once it is ready, it takes the place of your dataset everywhere in their project: on the map, in the dashboard and in workflows.

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A copy is made from your dataset as it is when the template is used. Changes you make to your dataset afterwards do not reach copies that already exist, and changes others make to their copy never reach your dataset. Everyone who may use the template can read the datasets it ships or copies with content, however the template was shared with them, also through a shared folder. A dataset that was only shared with you to view is not passed on this way. An empty copy only takes the columns, geometry type and styling, so your dataset itself stays private: it is not shared and never becomes public.