Every template in Sharper has a Type that defines what it is used for, which merge variables are available, and whether it works alone or needs a companion Detail Template to render repeating line-item rows. This article explains what each type does, when Sharper uses it, whether it is an email or a print document, and how parent and child templates connect.

Templates are found at System Settings → Templates. For field descriptions on the template form itself, see System Settings - Templates Field Reference.

Template types fall into three categories:

Email types — Sharper delivers these directly to a customer's or staff member's inbox. When editing an email-type template, three additional fields appear on the form: Email Subject, Email From, and Email BCC.

Print and document types — Sharper uses these to render PDFs and on-screen documents. The email fields are hidden for these types.

Child block types — Small, repeating block templates that render a single line-item row. They do not stand alone; a parent template selects them in its Detail Template field.

Some templates cannot stand alone — they require a companion Detail Template to render the repeating rows inside a document. The parent template defines the overall structure: the header, customer block, totals row, and footer. The child (Detail Template) defines how each individual line item looks, and is rendered once per row.

For example: an Invoice with ten line items renders the Invoice parent template once, and the Invoice Item Block child template ten times — once per line item — inserting the repeated blocks into the parent at the detail placeholder. This separation lets you control the document wrapper and the row layout independently.

Several child types are reused by multiple parents — the Credit Memo Item Block serves Credit Memo Email, Email Attachment, and Print; the Deposit Pay Item Block serves both Deposit Pay Email and its Attachment; the Statement Transaction Block serves both Statement and Detailed Statement. Editing a shared child template affects every parent that references it. If you need different line-item layouts for different parents of the same type, create separate child templates and assign them independently.

Statements use the deepest nesting in the system, and all three levels must be linked for a complete statement to render:

ACH Declined (Email) - Sent to a customer when an ACH (bank transfer) payment fails during processing. Notifies the customer of the failure and prompts them to update their payment method.

ACH Sign-up Email (Email) - Sent to a customer when they enroll in ACH payment. Typically contains enrollment confirmation language or the ACH agreement summary.

ACH Terms And Conditions (Document) - Displays the full ACH terms and conditions to customers during the ACH enrollment flow. Rendered inline or attached - not delivered as a standalone email.

Credit Memo Email (Email) - Sent to a customer when a credit memo is issued on their account. Detail Template: Credit Memo Item Block.

Credit Memo Email Attachment (Document) - The PDF attached to the Credit Memo Email. Detail Template: Credit Memo Item Block.

Credit Memo Item Block (Child block) - The repeating line-item row block shared by Credit Memo Email, Credit Memo Email Attachment, and Credit Memo Print. Renders once per credit memo line item.

Credit Memo Print (Document) - The standalone printable credit memo for on-screen or PDF viewing outside of email. Detail Template: Credit Memo Item Block.

Customer Marketing Email (Email) - A general-purpose bulk email template for sending marketing messages to customers from CRM. Selected manually at send time. No Detail Template. See System Settings - Templates for steps to create one.

Deposit Pay Email (Email) - Sent to a customer when a deposit payment is collected. Detail Template: Deposit Pay Item Block.

Deposit Pay Email Attachment (Document) - The PDF attached to the Deposit Pay Email. Detail Template: Deposit Pay Item Block.

Deposit Pay Item Block (Child block) - The repeating line-item row block shared by Deposit Pay Email and Deposit Pay Email Attachment. Renders once per deposit line item.

E-sign (Document) - The contract document presented to the customer for electronic signature. This is the document they read and sign, not the email that delivers it.

E-sign Email (Email) - The email sent to a customer to initiate the e-sign process. Contains the link to the E-sign document.

Email Signature (Child block) - A reusable HTML signature block. Insert it into other email templates using the signature merge variable. Maintaining a single Email Signature template means updating it in one place updates all emails that reference it.

Invoice (Document) - The primary invoice document shown to customers on-screen or printed as a PDF. Detail Template: Invoice Item Block.

Invoice Item Block (Child block) - The repeating line-item row block used by the Invoice template. Renders once per invoice line item.

Online Booking Template (Document) - Controls the layout and branding of the public-facing online booking portal pages. Used to customize the customer-facing booking experience.

Payment Email (Email) - Sent to a customer confirming a payment has been received.

Payment Email Attachment (Document) - The PDF attached to the Payment Email. Rendered as a payment receipt document.

Payment Print (Document) - The printable payment receipt for on-screen viewing or counter printing. Not an email type.

Product Contract (Document) - The contract document associated with a product, presented during the booking or check-in workflow for customer acknowledgment.

Product Contract Email (Email) - The email that delivers the Product Contract to a customer.

Refund Email (Email) - Sent to a customer when a refund is issued on their account.

Refund Email Attachment (Document) - The PDF attached to the Refund Email.

Refund Print (Document) - The printable refund receipt for on-screen or counter printing. Not an email type.

Reservation Email (Email) - The confirmation email sent to a customer when a reservation is created or confirmed. Detail Template: Reservation Item Block.

Reservation Item Block (Child block) - The repeating row block used by the Reservation Email. Renders once per product or item in the reservation.

Reservation Item Extra Charge Description (Child block) - A description block used to format extra charge line items on reservation documents.

Non-Transient Reservation Item Description (Child block) - A description block for long-term or seasonal reservation line items on invoices and documents.

Transient Reservation Item Description (Child block) - A description block for transient (short-stay) reservation line items on documents such as the Transient Folio.

Reset Password Email (Email) - Sent to a customer who selects "Forgot your password?" on the online booking site or Customer Portal. Contains a one-time reset link that expires after one hour. This template is not used for staff logins - a staff member's Sharper password is reset directly by an administrator at System Settings, then Users.

Statement (Document) - The standard customer account statement. Detail Template: Statement Transaction Block.

Detailed Statement (Document) - An expanded statement showing more transaction detail. Detail Template: Statement Transaction Block.

Statement Transaction Block (Child block / Parent) - The transaction-group row block shared by Statement and Detailed Statement. Renders once per transaction group. This template also has its own Detail Template (Statement Transaction Detail Block), creating the three-level chain described above.

Statement Transaction Detail Block (Child block) - The deepest row block. Renders once per individual line item within each transaction group.

Status Update Email (Email) - Sent to a customer when a reservation status changes. Detail Template: Status Update Email Item Block.

Status Update Email Attachment (Document) - The PDF attached to the Status Update Email.

Status Update Email Item Block (Child block) - The repeating row block used by Status Update Email.

Transient Folio (Document) - The folio document presented to transient marina or dock customers at check-out, summarizing their stay and all charges. Detail Template: Transient Folio Item Block.

Transient Folio Item Block (Child block) - The repeating charge-row block used inside the Transient Folio.

Order Item Sale Description (Child block) - A description block used to format POS sale line items on invoices or receipts.

Power Meter Reading Description (Child block) - A description block used to format power meter reading entries on invoices and billing documents.

Every Detail Template relationship in Sharper, in one table:

All other types render as standalone documents with no child template. Types ending in Block or Description are themselves child templates — they are selected as Detail Templates on parents and do not have children of their own, except Statement Transaction Block.