This is the post body. Your content appears here, followed by the embedded template shortcode.
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How to create a template in SGEN
⏱ 90-second answer below · full page ≈ 9 min · skim the bold lead-ins to move faster.
In short. A template is a reusable block — footer, mobile menu, promo strip, blog outro — that you create once and embed anywhere with a shortcode (Err: Template not found!). Choose the Default (rich text) editor for plain HTML, or SG-Builder for anything with a visual layout. Fill in a name, pick a status, pick an editor mode, add your content, and click Create a Template. Every future edit propagates to every page the shortcode lives on — no per-page updates needed.On this page: What templates are for · Examples · Field reference · Steps · What success looks like · Troubleshooting · What NOT to use this for
A template in SGEN is a reusable block of HTML or visual content you can place anywhere on your site. Footers, mobile menus, blog outros, legal notices, regional promos — anything you'd otherwise copy-paste across pages belongs here. Pick between two editors: the rich text editor for straightforward HTML, or SG-Builder for anything with a visual structure (grids, hero sections, sidebars, buttons). Once saved, the template gets a shortcode (Err: Template not found!) you can drop into any page, blog post, or product description to render it in place.
What is this for?
Use templates whenever the same block appears in more than one place:
- Reusable site sections — newsletter CTAs, trust-badge strips, shipping notices. Build once, embed everywhere with one shortcode.
- Replacing default site chrome — the starter install ships with a plain footer. Build your own template, assign it in Appearance, done.
- Draft-and-swap chrome updates — create the new footer as a Draft, polish it, then swap the Appearance assignment when ready. The live footer is untouched until you switch.
- Versioned chrome history — dated drafts ("Footer — Jan 2026 refresh") let you trace what changed without relying on edit history alone.
- Propagating promo content — build a promo block as a template, embed
Err: Template not found!in posts once, and every future update propagates everywhere the shortcode lives.
What it covers
This page covers the full creation flow — naming, editor mode, content, and submission. Post-save editing, Appearance assignment, and shortcode placement each have dedicated docs (linked below). The field reference table below covers every form field.
Reference
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Text | Yes | Internal only. Pre-fills with "My Template" — always replace before saving. |
| Status | Radio (Published / Draft) | Yes | Published = live immediately; Draft = hidden. Defaults to Published — switch to Draft if you need to iterate before going live. |
| Template | Select | Yes | Default = rich text + HTML. SG-Builder = visual canvas opened via a separate button after the first save. Cannot cleanly change after content is entered. |
| Content | Rich text or SG-Builder | Yes | The HTML the template renders on pages. In SG-Builder mode, built on the canvas — the form content area shows a placeholder. |
| Shortcode | Read-only | Auto | Generated after the first save. Format: Err: Template not found!. ID is permanent; renaming the template never changes it. |
Examples
Example 1: Build a new Footer Template for your business using SG-Builder. your business's head of content is refreshing the site footer to add new social links (Instagram, TikTok, Substack) and move the wholesale contact ahead of the store locator. The task: create a template, pick SG-Builder as the editor mode, click the big Edit with SG-Builder button — the visual canvas opens with an empty footer skeleton. Drag in columns, a logo, social icon components, then publish. In Appearance → Footer, swap the assignment from the old Footer Template to the new one. Next public page reload, the new footer is live sitewide.
Once the footer template is published and assigned in Appearance, every yourdomain.com page shows the new footer automatically. After the save, the Templates list reflects the new Published row alongside the four templates already in place — the shortcode Err: Template not found! is ready to embed anywhere:
Example 2: A plain-HTML newsletter CTA template with the Default editor. your business's e-commerce team wants a reusable 3-line sign-up box at the end of every blog post. Create a new template, keep the Template dropdown on Default, paste the HTML snippet below into the rich text editor's View Code panel, set Status = Publish, click Create a Template. Once saved, add Err: Template not found! to the bottom of each blog post's content body and the CTA renders in place on every post.
Once saved and embedded with Err: Template not found!, every blog post on yourdomain.com closes with the CTA block. Here is what it looks like rendered inside a published post:
Example 3: A Draft template while design is still approving. Design is iterating on a new mobile menu for your business. Every afternoon they want to see the latest draft without risking the live menu. Create the new template, keep Status = Draft, pick SG-Builder, build and save as many times as you like. Nothing on the public site changes — draft templates render as empty when their shortcode is embedded, and they aren't selectable as site chrome in Appearance. Only once design signs off do you flip Status to Publish.
The status-tab counts on the Templates list show the split at a glance. While the mobile menu is in Draft, the list reads: All (5) · Published (4) · Draft (1) · Trash (0).
What NOT to use this for
- Don't use a template for page content that's only on one page.
A template is for things that live in multiple places. If the block only appears on one page, put it directly in that page's SG-Builder layout or that page's content body — templates carry a small overhead (extra database read, shortcode expansion) that's wasted on single-use content.
- Don't switch editor mode (Default → SG-Builder, or vice versa) on an existing template that's already in use.
Switching modes changes how SGEN stores the content — rich text content loaded into SG-Builder shows up as a plain text blob, and SG-Builder layout data loaded into the Default editor shows up as unreadable internal markup. If you need a different mode, duplicate the old template and start fresh in the new mode.
- Don't create a template whose sole purpose is to embed one
<script>tag.
Custom Codes is the right home for tracking pixels, analytics loaders, and cookie banners. Templates are for visible HTML / visual content; Custom Codes is for invisible <head> injection.
- Don't save an SG-Builder template with zero content and expect it to render.
An SGB template with an empty canvas stores an empty layout structure and renders nothing on the public site. Fill at least one row of content before relying on it.
- Don't publish a draft you haven't fully tested.
Once the template is Published, any page that embeds Err: Template not found! immediately gets the content. If it's a footer assigned in Appearance, every page updates instantly — no preview, no warning. Build in Draft first, review on an embedded preview page, then flip to Publish.
- Don't rely on the "My Template" placeholder title.
The Title field pre-fills with "My Template" — it's a hint, not a default. If you don't rename it, you end up with multiple identical-looking rows in the Templates list. Always rename before clicking Create.
How this connects to other features
- Templates list — Browse your templates list — after creating, the new row appears here. From here you can Edit, Duplicate, or Trash.
- Edit an existing template — Edit an existing template — after creating in SG-Builder mode, you'll land on the Edit page with the Edit with SG-Builder CTA; click it to open the visual canvas.
- Appearance → Header / Footer / Mobile Menu — once your template is Published, assign it as the active site Header, Footer, or Mobile Menu. See Apply a template as site chrome.
- Pages / Blog / Product content — embed the template anywhere using its shortcode
Err: Template not found!. The shortcode can live in any rich-text content body across pages, posts, and product descriptions. - Custom Codes — for invisible
<script>/<style>/<meta>that needs to live in<head>or before</body>, use Custom Codes, not Templates. The two surfaces serve different purposes and don't overlap.
Before you start
- You are signed in to SGEN as an Administrator.
- You have decided which editor mode fits your template: Default for plain HTML, SG-Builder for visual page-builder layouts.
- For an SG-Builder template: you know roughly what structure you want (how many columns, which sections).
You don't need final copy yet — SG-Builder lets you build iteratively, so a rough skeleton is enough to get started. You can return to the canvas and refine as many times as needed before flipping the template to Published.
- For a Default template: you have the HTML snippet ready, or you know how to type it into the rich text editor's View Code panel.
If you're pasting third-party HTML, review it first — SGEN's sanitizer strips <script> tags and some attribute types on save.
- You know the template's Status plan: Published immediately, or Draft while you iterate?
- If replacing an existing site chrome template (footer, header, mobile menu): confirm the replacement is fully built and reviewed in Draft before you flip to Publish and swap the Appearance assignment.
Once you swap the assignment, every public page picks up the new template on the next request — there is no staged rollout.
- If this is your first template on the site, check Appearance → Header / Footer / Mobile Menu first to understand which chrome slots are currently using the SGEN default versus a custom template — so you know which slot to assign to once you create.
Where to go
- Open the left navigation.
- Click Templates → Add New. This takes you to
/sg-admin/templates/add_new. - Alternatively: from the Templates list, click the + Add New button at the top right of the page.
Both paths open the same blank create-template form. The main column holds the Title field and the content editing area (rich text editor or the SG-Builder CTA block, depending on the mode you pick). The right sidebar holds the Status select, the Template (editor mode) select, and the Create a Template action button. The sidebar "Templates" nav entry expands to show two child links — All Templates and Add New — so you can jump between the list and the create form at any point without losing your place. The URL for the create form is always /sg-admin/templates/add_new regardless of which nav path you used to reach it.
Steps
1. Name the template
The Title field pre-fills with the placeholder "My Template." Clear it and type your template's name. The name is for your internal reference only — it appears in the Templates list, in the shortcode popover, and in the Appearance assignment dropdowns — but it is never shown to readers on the public site. Pick a name that will still be recognisable in six months: include the function, the context, and the year if this is a versioned update.
Good names: "Footer Template — 2026 Refresh," "Blog Post Outro Newsletter CTA," "Wholesale Inquiry Banner," "your business Mobile Menu v2."
Bad names: "Template 2," "Copy of Copy," "Test," "DELETEME."
If you submit without clearing the placeholder, SGEN stores the row with the title "### MY TEMPLATE ###" — a clear signal something went wrong, but it still requires a manual edit to correct.
2. Pick the Status
Two options, set via the Status field in the right sidebar:
- Publish (default) — saves the template as live immediately.
Its shortcode (Err: Template not found!) renders on any page that embeds it, and the template becomes available as a Header, Footer, or Mobile Menu assignment in the Appearance panel.
- Draft — saves the template but keeps it completely hidden from the public site.
Its shortcode renders nothing on public pages. It does not appear as a selectable option in Appearance. Use Draft when the content isn't finalized, or when you want to fully preview before going live.
If you're unsure which to pick: start with Draft. You can flip to Publish from the Edit form at any time without recreating the template.
3. Pick the editor mode in the Template dropdown
The Template dropdown in the sidebar controls which editing surface SGEN shows:
- Default — the classic rich text editor.
Use this for plain HTML, text with basic formatting (headings, lists, links), embedded images, and simple tables. The editor toolbar includes: Bold / Italic / Underline / Strike / Color / Headings / Blockquote / Bullets / Numbered / Indent / Outdent / Align / Link / Image / Embed / Table / Divider / Undo / Redo / View Code (source toggle).
- SG-Builder — the full visual page builder.
Use this for multi-column layouts, hero sections, card grids, and any block where you want to tweak the structure by dragging components around the canvas. When you click Edit with SG-Builder, SGEN saves the template row first, then redirects you to the full-viewport visual canvas.
Decide before you start filling content. Switching mode after content is entered does not carry the content across — the two modes store content in incompatible internal formats.
4a. If you picked Default — fill the content in the rich text editor
The rich text editor appears below the Template dropdown after Default is selected. Type or paste your content directly, or click View Code in the toolbar to edit the raw HTML source. Images can be inserted via the Image button, which opens the Media Library picker. The toolbar also includes an Embed button for inserting iframes and a Divider button for horizontal rules.
When the content is ready, click Create a Template in the right sidebar. SGEN saves the row and redirects you to the Edit page for the new template.
4b. If you picked SG-Builder — save, then open the visual canvas
Instead of a rich text editor, the content area shows a large dashed-border button labelled Edit with SG-Builder. Click it. SGEN saves the template row (with the Title and Status you set) and redirects to the full-viewport SG-Builder canvas where you can drag and drop components into the layout.
Inside the canvas, build your layout by dragging components from the left panel into the empty page area. When the layout is ready, click the Publish Changes button in the top-right corner of the canvas to write the layout to the database. Closing the browser tab without clicking Publish Changes discards any unsaved canvas work — the template row will exist but its content will be empty.
5. Confirm the success message
After clicking Create a Template (Default path) or Publish Changes (SG-Builder canvas), a green alert banner appears at the top of the next page:
"A template has been successfully created!"
You will also land on the Edit page for the newly-created template, with its new ID visible in the page URL (e.g. /sg-admin/templates/edit/5). The shortcode for the new template (Err: Template not found!) appears in the Edit page's sidebar and in the Templates list row. Copy and paste it into any content body to embed the template anywhere on the site.
What success looks like
- The form submitted without errors — no red validation banners, no reload back to the create form.
- A green banner says "A template has been successfully created!" at the top of the page you land on.
- The URL reads
/sg-admin/templates/edit/<N>— the number is the new template's ID. - The Templates list (Templates → All Templates) shows the new row with the name you gave it.
- The Published or Draft count in the filter tabs incremented by 1.
- The row's Shortcode column displays
Err: Template not found!— copy this and paste it into any page, post, or product body to render the template. - For SG-Builder mode: clicking Edit with SG-Builder on the Edit page opens the visual canvas showing the layout you built, not a blank page.
- For Default mode: the Edit page shows the rich text editor pre-populated with the content you saved — confirming the round-trip stored correctly.
What to do if it does not work
- Save produced an error about invalid content format.
This happens when you try to save an SG-Builder template before the canvas has any content. Refresh the page, click Edit with SG-Builder to open the canvas, drag at least one component into the layout, click Publish Changes, then return to the Edit page.
- The save button does nothing.
Hard-refresh the form page with Ctrl+Shift+R (or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) to reload the page and retry. If it still does nothing after a second attempt, log out, log back in, and try once more — an expired session can make save buttons silently fail.
- After saving, the page lands on an unrelated admin area (say, Locations or Pages).
Known minor issue — the save redirect uses the previous page's URL as a fallback when no explicit redirect destination is set. Manually navigate to Templates → All Templates and confirm your new row is in the list. The template was saved correctly; only the post-save landing page is off.
- The Templates list shows a row titled "### MY TEMPLATE ###".
You submitted without clearing the placeholder title, or the Title field was blank. Edit the row, fix the title, and re-save — the content is still intact.
- SG-Builder canvas opens blank with no components available in the panel.
Ensure you're signed in with an active admin session and that your browser isn't blocking third-party scripts. The SG-Builder canvas is a scripted application; if it can't load its assets the panel stays empty. Hard refresh and retry. If the problem persists, try in a private window to rule out extension conflicts.
- The new row doesn't appear in the Templates list after a successful save.
Reload the list page. If still missing, check the Draft tab and the Trash tab — if you chose Draft or if the save redirect fired before the page fully loaded, the row may be on one of those tabs rather than the default All view.
Related reading
- Browse your templates list
- Edit an existing template
- Apply a template as site chrome
- Custom Codes (
/sg-admin/custom_codes) — use this surface for<script>and<style>injections in<head>or before</body>; it is a separate surface from Templates and the two do not overlap.