The Templates page holds two different reusable things. They're easy to confuse, so it's worth being clear up front:
- Document types define a single kind of document — what it's called, what instructions the client sees, and how uploaded files are automatically renamed.
- Request bundles define a whole set of items you send together, so a recurring collection becomes a two-click job.
You can use Doxxiom without either. They exist to stop you retyping the same things every month.
Document types
A document type answers three questions:
- Name — what the item is called, e.g. "Tax Return", "ID Card", "Invoice".
- Instructions (optional) — shown to the client under the item. This is the single best place to prevent bad uploads: "Please upload your most recent tax return as a PDF, all pages included."
- Naming pattern (optional) — how the uploaded file gets renamed.
Create one from Create Template on the Document Types tab.
Automatic file naming
Without a naming pattern, an uploaded file keeps the name the client gave it —
IMG_4821.jpg, scan (final) (2).pdf, and so on. A naming pattern replaces that
with something consistent.
Patterns are built from variables:
| Variable | Becomes |
|---|---|
{client_name} | The client's full name |
{company_name} | The client's company |
{document_type} | The name of the template or request item |
{date} | Date of upload, as 2026-08-02 |
{year} | Year of upload, four digits |
{month} | Month of upload, two digits |
So the pattern {client_name}_{document_type}_{year} turns whatever the client
uploads into Jane_Smith_Tax_Return_2026.pdf. The original file extension is
always kept.
A few behaviours worth knowing:
- Spaces become underscores, and accents are simplified (
ébecomese) so the names stay safe across Windows, macOS and every cloud provider. - The name is calculated once, at upload time. A file uploaded in January keeps its January date forever — it won't silently change if you view it later.
- Your client always sees the filename they uploaded, in their portal. The renamed version is what you see and what gets synced to your cloud storage.
Year means the year of upload, not the period the document covers
All three date variables read the clock at the moment of upload. They know nothing about the period the document actually relates to.
That distinction bites whenever you collect for a closed period. Ask for 2025
financial statements in March 2026 and {year} resolves to 2026 — the year
you collected them, not the year they cover. A late filer who uploads in January
gets a different year again from one who uploads in December, for the same
document.
So when a document belongs to a fixed period, write the year into the pattern literally instead of using the variable:
{client_name}_Financial_Statements_2025— always correct, whenever it arrives{client_name}_Financial_Statements_{year}— correct only if collected during 2025
Keep {year} for documents whose period genuinely is "now" — a current proof of
address, an ID scan, a signed engagement letter.
Include something that sorts well
Starting a pattern with {client_name} groups a client's files together in
any folder listing. Putting the year or {date} at the end keeps
chronological order within each type.
Request bundles
A bundle is a saved list of items. If every new corporate client needs the same seven documents, build the list once and reuse it forever.
There are two ways to create one:
- From the Request Bundles tab, using Create Bundle.
- From inside the request builder — tick Save as reusable bundle, give it a name, and the list you just typed is saved as you send the request.
Bundle items can be:
- items drawn from a document type, so they inherit its instructions and naming pattern,
- one-off custom items typed directly,
- yes/no questions with their own conditional items underneath.
To use one, select Bundle in the request builder and pick it. The items are loaded in, and you can still add, remove or edit anything before sending — editing a request never changes the saved bundle.
A yes/no question needs at least one conditional item beneath it. A question with nothing attached has nothing to reveal, so Doxxiom won't let you save it.
Editing and deleting
Editing a document type changes it for future uploads only. Files already uploaded and named keep the name they were given. The same goes for bundles: editing one has no effect on requests already created from it.
Deleting either is permanent, but harmless to existing work — requests already sent continue to function normally.
Plan limits
Free plans cap the number of document types and bundles you can keep; paid plans remove the cap. See Plans and billing.
Where to go next
- Document requests — put templates and bundles to work
- Cloud integrations — where the renamed files end up