PlanMaker 2026 · Templates · Beginner
Create and Reuse a PlanMaker Document Template
Create a reusable PlanMaker PMVX template, save independent requests and revise the master without changing earlier documents.
Official 2026 documentation reviewed; native application verification pending · Editorial standards
Build a reusable three-line supply-request template, then create two independent requests from it. The success condition is three separate files: one reusable master and two completed documents whose inputs do not leak into the next request.
Construct a clean master
Start a new workbook. Put Supply request in A1, Request reference in A2 and ENTER REFERENCE in B2. Enter the following grid beginning at A4. The row numbers here identify worksheet addresses.
| Row | A: Item | B: Quantity | C: Unit price | D: Line total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Paper | 0 | 6 | =B5*C5 |
| 6 | Pens | 0 | 2 | =B6*C6 |
| 7 | Folders | 0 | 3 | =B7*C7 |
| 8 | Total | =SUM(D5:D7) |
Use a restrained heading style and a light fill for the input cells B2 and B5:B7. Give C5:D8 a suitable two-decimal numeric display. The price column is reusable example data; the quantities and reference are per-request inputs. All line totals and D8 should initially be zero. Avoid placing customer identities, previous order numbers, or external workbook links in the master.
Keep a short instruction in A10: Enter reference and quantities; save each request as a new document. This travels with the template and is more dependable than remembering what a colored cell meant several weeks later. If another person will use the file, consider the separate cell protection tutorial after this lifecycle works.
Save the template and instantiate it
- Choose File → Save as and select PlanMaker template under Save as type.
- On desktop, the documented workflow switches to the templates folder. Inspect the actual folder and give the template a distinctive name such as
Supply-request-training.pmvx. Do not replace Normal.pmvx. - Confirm the save. Check the saved type and name; merely typing a template-looking extension on an ordinary workbook is not this workflow.
- Choose File → New, clicking the icon itself to open the dialog. Select the training template and confirm with OK.
- In the new document set B2 to
REQ-101and B5:B7 to 4, 10, 5. Expected line totals are 24, 20, 15, with D8 = 59. - Save this instance as
REQ-101.pmdxusing the ordinary PlanMaker document type. Check its filename before subsequent saves. - Use File → New again and select the same template. Before typing, verify B2 is ENTER REFERENCE, quantities are zero and total is zero. Set B2 to
REQ-102and quantities to 2, 3, 4. Expected totals are 12, 6, 12 and 30. Save asREQ-102.pmdx.
Opening the master through File → Open is a different operation: that is how you edit the template itself. File → New creates the intended fresh document. Verify the distinction before putting real data into a file.
Prove the files are independent
In REQ-102 change the pens quantity B6 from 3 to 8. D6 should become 16 and D8 should become 40. Save it, then reopen REQ-101 and check its total remains 59. Create one more disposable instance from the template and confirm its total is still zero. This checks both master preservation and instance separation without trusting filenames alone.
If a new instance already contains REQ-101, you may have saved real request data into the master. Stop using it. Open the template explicitly, restore the placeholder reference and zero quantities, inspect the formulas, and save a clearly named corrected template. Existing completed requests should be audited separately; repairing the master does not retroactively repair them.
Advanced case: revise the master safely
Suppose the next template needs envelopes at 4 per pack. Use File → Open, select PlanMaker templates in the file-type list and open the training master. For a non-destructive revision, use Save as to create Supply-request-training-v2.pmvx before editing. Replace A8 with Envelopes, B8 with 0, C8 with 4 and D8 with =B8*C8; move the total label to A9 and put =SUM(D5:D8) in D9. Remove any leftover total formula from the old location before inserting the new line formula.
Choose File → Save to save these edits to the v2 template master. Then choose File → New, select the saved v2 template and create a fresh v2 instance with quantities 1, 2, 3, 4. The four lines should total 6, 4, 9, 16, giving 35. Use File → Save as to save the new instance as Supply-request-v2-example.pmdx, using the ordinary PlanMaker document type. Do not save this completed instance over the PMVX template master. Close and reopen the PMDX example and verify its four line totals and D9 = 35. This explicit expansion avoids a missed final line in the total. The original REQ-101 remains a three-line request totaling 59. Template changes affect future instances, so do not promise existing requests will inherit the new row.
Troubleshooting and format boundaries
- Template absent from File → New: verify its saved folder and type. The default template folder is configured on the Files tab of settings; inspect it rather than changing a working global setting casually.
- Wrong starting values: compare the master input cells against the zero-input fixture before blaming recalculation.
- Missing calculations: inspect D5:D7 for formulas, not pasted numeric answers. A template preserves document content, including calculations.
- Need Excel exchange: retain the PMVX master and test a separate exported instance. See file formats and compatibility.
- Mobile differs: the 2026 creation page explicitly says the automatic template-folder switch is not supported on Android/iOS. These desktop steps are not mobile instructions.
Scope, verification and sources
PlanMaker 2026 paid desktop, English ribbon interface; documentation-backed instructions, native application execution pending. NX builds require matching controls; compatibility with every NX build is not established here. FreeOffice 2024 and Android/iOS are outside this tutorial scope.
The fixture values and expected arithmetic were checked independently. The new application steps have not been executed in a native PlanMaker GUI. No native screenshot is supplied; neither calculated fixtures nor website rendering prove application behavior. Check the stated acceptance results in your installed build before relying on the workflow.