Templates: A Guide

How to tell Stockroom what you want to keep track of — field types, the Default Template, and what happens when you change things later.

Templates are how you tell Stockroom what you want to keep track of. If you've ever wished your inventory app asked you for “Brand” and “Serial Number” instead of just a name and a price, templates are the feature you're looking for.

This guide walks through what templates are, how to build one, how they connect to your folders and items, and what happens when you change your mind later.

The short version

A template is a reusable list of fields, like a form you design once.
Every folder uses one template.
When you add an item to a folder, the fields you fill in come from that folder's template.

So if you have a folder called “Power Tools” that uses a “Tools & Equipment” template, every drill you add asks for exactly the details that matter for tools: brand, model, serial number, and where it's kept.

Template (defines fields) → Folder (uses a template) → Items (forms built from those fields)

You'll find your templates under the More tab → Templates.

Fields: the building blocks

Inside a template, each thing you track is a field (the app calls them Attributes). A field has a name you choose and a type that decides how it behaves.

Type	Best for	What you get
Text	Short details: brand, color, serial number	A single-line text box
Extended Text	Descriptions, notes, condition reports	A larger, multi-line text box
Quantity	How many you have	A number, with optional unit (Box, Case, Each, Pound…)
Currency	Prices and costs	A number formatted in your organization's currency
Date	Purchase date, expiration, sold date	A date picker
Toggle	Yes/no questions: “Insured?”, “Needs repair?”	A simple on/off switch
Link	Product pages, manuals, supplier listings	A tappable web link that opens in the app
Single Select	Fixed choices: sizes, statuses, locations	A dropdown you pick one option from

Single Select is the one type that needs a little setup. Its choices come from an Option Set, a named list you manage under More → Option Sets (for example, a “Shirt Sizes” set containing sm, md, lg, xl). Create the option set first, or create it on the spot while you're choosing the field type. The nice part is that one option set can be reused by as many templates as you like.

The Default Template

You don't have to build anything to get started. Stockroom includes a Default Template with five fields ready to go:

Name
Quantity
Price
Description
ID

New folders start out on the Default Template. If that's all you need, you can happily ignore the rest of this guide. The Default Template can't be edited or deleted, though — when you want something different, you create your own.

Creating a template

Go to More → Templates.
Tap the + button.
Give the template a name, like “Tools & Equipment” or “Office Supplies”.
Adjust the field list. It starts as a copy of the five default fields, so you're editing rather than starting from a blank page:
- Add a field with the Add Attribute row, then type a name and pick a type.
- Rename a field by tapping it.
- Reorder fields by dragging the handle on the right.
- Remove a field with the red minus button on the left.
Tap Create.

A few things worth knowing while you're in there:

The order matters. Fields appear on your item form in the same order you see them here, so put the details you fill in most often at the top.
Name can't be removed or moved. It's the title of every item, so it stays first.
Pick the type carefully. You choose a field's type when you create it, and you can rename it afterwards but not switch its type. If you picked Text and really wanted Currency, delete the field and add a new one.

Let AI draft it for you

Available on iOS only. Generating a template with AI is an iPhone and iPad feature, and it needs iOS 26 or later on a device that supports Apple Intelligence. If you're on another platform or an older device, the wand button simply won't appear — build your templates by hand as described above. Templates themselves aren't iOS-only, so anything you generate on an iPhone is a normal template that works everywhere you use Stockroom.

When it is available, the wand button sits next to the + on the Templates screen. Tap it, describe what you're tracking in plain language — “tools and equipment inventory with brand, model, condition, purchase date, and location” — and Stockroom proposes a full set of fields with sensible types. There are also tappable suggestions (Tools & Equipment, Book Library, Home Inventory, and more) if you'd rather start from an example.

You'll see the proposed fields before anything is saved. Tap Use Template to open it in the normal editor, where you can rename, reorder, add, and remove fields as usual, or Try Again for a different take.

Three fields that do extra work

Most fields simply store what you type. Three of the built-in ones are also wired into other features:

Name becomes the item's title everywhere in the app, and Stockroom warns you if you reuse a name that's already taken.
Quantity (the built-in one) drives low-stock alerts, your dashboard totals, and the per-item minimum quantity you set with the gear button on the item form.
Price (the built-in one) drives total-value calculations and reports.

You're free to delete Quantity or Price from a template if they don't apply to what you're tracking. Just know that items using that template won't feed low-stock alerts or value totals, because there's no number for Stockroom to add up. If you want those features, keep the built-in fields rather than adding your own lookalike named “Qty” or “Cost”.

Putting a template to work

Templates don't do anything on their own — they take effect when a folder uses one.

When you create a folder, the Template row lets you choose which template it uses.

For subfolders, Stockroom pre-selects the parent folder's template as a convenience, since related folders usually track the same kind of thing. You can change it before you save. Each folder keeps its own choice from then on, so changing a parent folder's template later does not change its subfolders.

When you add an item, the form is built from the folder's template. That applies to every way of adding items:

The regular item editor.
Quick Add with AI, which reads your description and fills in the template's fields (iOS only, same requirements as the AI template generator).
CSV import, where you map each column of your spreadsheet onto a template field. See the CSV import guide for the full walkthrough.

Changing your mind later

You'll want to add a field eventually, or move a folder to a different template. Stockroom handles both, and it shows you the consequences first.

Editing a template

Open More → Templates, tap a template, and edit it. If you only rename the template or its fields, the change saves immediately. If you add or remove fields, a Review Changes screen appears first, grouping everything into Removed, Added, and Unchanged.

Remember that a template can be shared by several folders, so an edit reaches every folder using it.

Switching a folder to a different template

Edit the folder and pick a new template. The same Review Changes screen appears, showing which fields you're trading away and which you're gaining.

What happens to data you've already entered

This is the part people worry about, so here it is plainly:

Added fields show up empty on existing items. Nothing else changes — fill them in whenever you get to it.
Removed fields stop appearing on the item form, so you can't edit those values anymore. The values you'd already entered are still stored and still visible on an item's detail screen and in that item's PDF export.

The catch: the next time you edit and save an item, it's saved using the current template's fields, and the leftover values from removed fields are dropped for good.

The practical advice: before you remove a field that holds data you care about, export the folder to CSV or PDF first. That way you have a copy, whatever you decide afterwards.

Templates elsewhere in the app

Copying and moving items. When you copy or move items, Stockroom only offers folders that use the same template (“Only folders using the same template are shown”). The fields have to line up for the values to survive the trip.
CSV import. The mapping screen lists the destination folder's template fields, and matches columns to fields by name automatically where it can. Review the matches, adjust anything it got wrong, and note that unmapped columns are skipped.
CSV and PDF export. You pick which fields to export. When your selection spans folders on different templates, the field list is the combination of all of their fields.

Deleting a template

Swipe a template away in the Templates list. If any folder is still using it, Stockroom stops you with “This template cannot be deleted because a folder is currently using it.” Move those folders onto a different template first, then try again. Otherwise you'll get a confirmation prompt — and deleting is permanent, so it's worth a second look.

Who can do what

Template abilities are part of your team role, so an admin can decide who gets to change your data structure:

View, Create, Edit, and Delete templates are four separate permissions.
Change template is a separate folder permission that controls who can point an existing folder at a different template.

With the built-in roles, Owners and Admins can do everything. Read-only members can look at templates but not change them. Stock Updaters don't have template access — they're there to update quantities, not redesign the form. Custom roles let you mix and match. See the Custom Team Roles guide for how to set those up.

If you can't find the Templates screen under More, you most likely don't have view permission; ask an owner or admin on your team.

How many templates can I have?

Your plan sets the limit. The free plan includes 5 templates, and paid plans raise that as you move up. When you reach the limit, Stockroom offers to upgrade rather than quietly failing. The Default Template doesn't count toward your total.

Common questions

Do I need a template for every folder?

Every folder uses one, but plenty of folders can share the same template. That's the point of a template — design “Tools & Equipment” once and use it for “Power Tools”, “Hand Tools”, and “Van Stock”.

Can I change a field from Text to Currency?

No. Types are set when a field is created. Delete the field and add a new one with the right type, keeping in mind the note above about data in removed fields.

Will editing a template change my existing items?

It changes which fields those items show and let you edit. It never fills in or overwrites values you've entered.

Can I copy a template?

Not directly. Create a new template and rebuild the field list, or — on iOS — use the AI generator to get most of the way there quickly.

What's the difference between a template and an option set?

A template is the form: which fields an item has. An option set is a list of choices that a single Single Select field can offer. Templates use option sets, not the other way around.

A suggested starting point

If you're setting up Stockroom for the first time:

Start with the Default Template and add a few items. It's the fastest way to learn what you actually want to track.
When you notice yourself typing the same detail into the Description field over and over, that's your cue — turn it into a real field.
Create a template for each distinct kind of thing you store. Tools and office supplies want different fields; power tools and hand tools probably don't.
Resist adding fields “just in case.” A short form you fill in completely beats a long one you skip.

For a broader walkthrough of account setup, folders, and inviting your team, see Getting Started with Stockroom Plus.