• Permission to save and manage templates: Only users assigned a Group containing the 'Ability: Editorial / Assets / Full access' or the 'Ability: Editorial / Assets / Edit assets' will be able to save, duplicate, or delete Story Templates.

• Permission to create new content from templates: Users must have the standard Ability to create assets within Editorial.

What is a Story Template?

A Story Template is a standard BLOX NXT asset that has been flagged for use as a template. When an editor saves an asset as a template, the system duplicates the asset and marks the duplicate so that it can be used as a starting point for future content rather than published as a standalone story.

Templates preserve everything about the original asset that's useful for repeat use:

• Section tags

• Keywords

• Related media

• Presentation mode and presentation settings

• Body content structure (headings, placeholders, etc.)

• All other metadata associated with the asset

Two fields are intentionally cleared when an asset is saved as a template: Workflow and Start Time. These fields are unique to each individual story and should be set fresh each time a template is used.

Because templates are standard assets at the platform level, they are edited and managed using the same tools as any other content — there is no separate template editor. However, templates are hidden from normal search results by default, and they have their own dedicated management view in the left navigation. This keeps the template library clean and prevents templates from being mistaken for publishable content.

Saving an Asset as a Story Template

Any asset can be saved as a Story Template from within the BLOX NXT editor.

To save an asset as a Story Template:

1. Open the asset you wish to use as the basis for a template in the BLOX NXT editor.

2. Click the More Actions (⋯) menu in the editor toolbar.

3. Select Save as Template.

4. In the Save as Template modal, review the pre-populated fields:

   • Title — defaults to the original asset's headline. Update this to a descriptive template name (for example, "Weekly Sports Recap Template" rather than "Eagles defeat Hawks 24-17").

   • Slug — populated from the original asset by design. Update the slug to something repeatable and template-specific.

5. Click Save to create the template.

The new template is created as a duplicate of the original asset and added to the Templates management view. The original asset is unchanged and remains in its original location.

Managing Story Templates

The Templates management view is a dedicated section in the BLOX NXT left navigation, located under Assets and positioned beneath Quick Filters. It is accessible at /editorial/search/templates.

From this view, editors can:

• Search the template library by title or content using the search bar at the top of the view.

• Browse all templates across asset types in a single, unified list.

• Open a template to review or edit its content, metadata, or settings.

• Duplicate a template to create a variant — for example, a base "Election Coverage" template duplicated into separate "Primary" and "General" variants.

• Delete templates that are no longer needed. A confirmation dialog will appear before the template is removed.

• Create new content from a template using the standard duplicate / pre-launch flow (see Creating a New Asset from a Story Template below).

Creating a New Asset from a Story Template (Beta)

When creating a new asset in BLOX NXT, editors can optionally select a Story Template to pre-populate the new asset with the template's content and metadata.

To create a new asset from a Story Template:

1. Open the asset creation modal as usual — either from the + Create button or the relevant creation entry point for the asset type you want to create.

2. In the modal, locate the Story Template dropdown field.

3. Click the dropdown. The list of available templates will load when the dropdown is opened.

4. Select a template, or leave the field set to Blank to create the new asset without a template.

5. Optionally fill in the Workflow, Slug, and Start Date fields. Values entered here will override the corresponding values from the selected template.

6. Click Create to open the new asset in the editor.

The new asset opens pre-loaded with the template's content, metadata, section tags, keywords, related media, and presentation settings.

Notes & Limitations

• Workflow and Start Time are not carried over. These fields are intentionally cleared in templates and must be set fresh on the new asset.

• Templates are standard assets. They are edited, duplicated, and deleted using the same tools as any other content. There is no separate template editor.

• Templates do not support Notifier or Live View capabilities. These features are not relevant for template management.

• Templates are hidden from standard search. Use the Templates management view to find templates.

• All asset types are supported. Articles, galleries, collections, videos, polls, and other supported asset types can all be saved as templates.

Tips & Best Practices

• Use clear, descriptive template names. A name like "Weekly High School Sports Recap" is easier to find in a dropdown than "Template 4."

• Update the slug when saving a template. A template-specific slug (for example, tpl-weekly-sports-recap) helps both editors and developers identify template assets at a glance.

• Audit your template library periodically. Use the Templates management view to delete outdated templates and keep the library easy to navigate.

• Plan templates around recurring story types. Templates pay the highest dividend on story types your newsroom produces repeatedly — daily briefings, recurring columns, event coverage, sponsored content packages, and the like.