Using Templates

This page covers the complete workflow for creating, applying, and managing templates in LOP.

Saving a Plan as a Template

You can save any plan as a template from within the editor. The plan should have all the items and containers configured the way you want the template to look — quantities, properties, container types.

1. Open the plan in the editor
2. In the top toolbar, click the Save as Template button (bookmark icon) or click File → Save as Template
3. In the dialog that appears, fill in:
   • Template name — a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Standard Weekly Export — EU Route")
   • Description — optional, but useful for helping teammates understand when to use this template
   • Tags — optional keywords to help with searching (e.g., "europe", "40GP", "electronics")
4. Click Save Template

The template is immediately available in the Templates library and to all team members.

Applying a Template to Create a New Plan

1. Go to the Templates page in the left sidebar
2. Browse or search for the template you want
3. Click Apply Template on the template card
4. In the Apply dialog:
   • Give the new plan a name
   • Optionally scale quantities — enter a multiplier (e.g., 2.0 doubles all item quantities, 0.5 halves them)
   • Optionally override container type — change the container type for all containers in the template (useful if this shipment is going by a different container size)
5. Click Create Plan

LOP creates a new plan with all items and containers from the template. The new plan opens in the editor with all items in the Unplaced state.

6. Review and adjust items if needed (add, remove, or modify quantities)
7. Run the optimizer to generate the loading plan

Quantity Scaling

The quantity scaling option multiplies all item quantities by the specified factor when creating the plan from the template.

Examples:

• Template has 48 boxes of Product A and 12 drums. Scaling factor 2.0 → plan gets 96 boxes and 24 drums
• Template has a fractional load. Scaling factor 0.5 → half-load plan with halved quantities
• Scaling factor 1.0 (default) → exact template quantities, no change

Scaling applies uniformly to all items. If you need to adjust quantities for individual items independently, apply the template with the default scale and then edit item quantities in the editor before optimizing.

Editing a Template

To update a template's item definitions, quantities, or container configuration:

1. Go to the Templates page
2. Click the template name or the edit icon
3. The template opens in a template editor (similar to the plan editor but with no optimizer controls)
4. Add, remove, or modify items and containers
5. Click Save Changes

Alternatively, you can make changes to a plan created from the template and then save it as a new version:

1. Apply the template to create a plan
2. Make your changes in the plan editor
3. Use Save as Template and either update the existing template or save as a new one

Duplicating a Template

To create a variation of an existing template:

1. In the Templates page, find the template
2. Click the three-dot menu on the template card
3. Select Duplicate
4. A copy is created with the name "Copy of [original name]"
5. Edit the copy to create your variant

This is useful for creating seasonal variants, regional variants (different container types for different routes), or scaled versions of a standard template.

Favoriting Templates

To mark a template as a favorite:

1. Click the star icon on the template card

Favorites appear at the top of the Templates list and can be filtered to show only favorites. This helps your most frequently used templates stay accessible even as the library grows.

Deleting Templates

To delete a template:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the template card
2. Select Delete
3. Confirm in the dialog

Deleting a template does not affect any plans created from it. Plans are independent and remain intact.

Only the template creator or an Admin can delete a template.

Managing the Template Library

As your organization's template library grows, keeping it organized helps everyone find the right template quickly:

• Use consistent naming conventions — e.g., "Route — [destination] — [container type]" or "Customer — [name] — [product category]"
• Write descriptions — a one-sentence description of when to use this template saves teammates from guessing
• Tag systematically — decide on a standard tag vocabulary for your team (container types, routes, customers, product categories)
• Retire stale templates — delete templates that are no longer relevant. A clean library is easier to navigate than a large, outdated one
• Review quarterly — periodically review templates against actual shipment patterns to keep default quantities and container types current