Converting a (static) document into a CHILI publisher smart template takes a multi-facetted approach.

How smart your template will get, depends on your setup.

CHILI publisher provides several tools and concepts to Smarten your template.

Converters

Convert your Desktop App Document into CHILI publisher

CHILI InDesign Converter

CHILI Illustrator Converter

Variables

In a lot of cases, a good start is to add variables to your document.
Allow end-users to input on the fly, or connect with a datasource.

Open

Open

Getting started with variable data

Datasources

Structured Text Import

Your data can originate from a source, where meta-data or tagged information is available. Use this tagged text to automatically apply styles to tags in the text.

Structured Text Import

Alternate Layout

Provide not 1, but several output sizes in 1 document. This enables you to have only one document, one source of truth, but several output sizes.

Alternate Layouts

Dynamic Layouts

If several output sizes is not enough, you can make your layout dynamic.

Don’t design with a fixed size in mind, but give your frame relative dimensions, relative to the size of your document.

Dynamic layouts

Dynamic asset Providers

Dynamic Asset Providers

Actions

Document Actions

Variable actions

Image fitting

Make sure your image fits the frame, once the frame has resized due to your document resizing.

Image Frame (fitting)

Smart Cropping