Open the template manager
Click Manage templates in the left panel. The button sits at the bottom-left below the table list and opens built-in templates plus your own saved templates.
How to create a custom template in Rowvia
A custom template is a set of output columns and instructions that tells Rowvia how to process similar documents or text sources into one table. Start from a built-in template, edit it as Markdown, and test it on your own sources.
Start from the closest built-in template
Choose the built-in template that is closest to your document type, copy it into your own templates, then adjust column names and instructions. You do not need to start from scratch: keep the general rules for missing values, exact amounts, dates, and uncertain data.
Template Markdown format
Rowvia uses a simple structure: the first heading is the template name, the paragraph below it is the global instruction, and each second-level heading creates one output column. An optional frontmatter header can set description, category, and categoryName; column headings can also include a width such as {width=220}.
Steps
Workflow in the app
Start from a built-in template
Find a similar template, review its columns, and click Copy to mine. The copied template is a safe starting point for your own changes.
Edit the Markdown
Each ## heading creates a column. Adjust instructions, widths, and the template header, then save the template first and use it in the table afterwards.
Use the template in the table
After applying the template, Rowvia adds instructed columns to the table. You can still edit them before processing rows.
Template Markdown format
Rowvia uses a simple structure: the first heading is the template name, the paragraph below it is the global instruction, and each second-level heading creates one output column. An optional frontmatter header can set description, category, and categoryName; column headings can also include a width such as {width=220}.
---
description: Template for incoming purchase orders in documents, URLs, or text.
category: custom-templates
categoryName: My templates
---
# Purchase orders from sources
Use only information explicitly present in the source. If a value is missing or uncertain, return an empty value.
## Order number {width=180}
Find the purchase order number or customer reference. Return only the identifier.
## Customer {width=220}
Find the customer, buyer, or ordering party name.
## Delivery date {width=170}
Find the requested delivery date and normalize it when safe.
How to draft a template with an AI chat
You can use an AI chat to draft the first Markdown version. Do not send sensitive documents or personal data; describe the document type, anonymized field examples, and the output you need.
I want to create a Rowvia template in Markdown format.
Format:
---
description: Short template description
category: custom-templates
categoryName: My templates
---
# Template name
Global instructions
## Column name {width=220}
Instruction for this column
Documents I process:
[describe the document type without sensitive data]
Fields I need to extract:
[list fields]
Draft a template with concise column names, practical column widths, and clear instructions. If a value is not present in the document, the instruction should say to return an empty value.
Safety
What not to send to an AI chat
Do not paste full contracts, invoices, healthcare documents, personal data, non-public prices, or internal business terms. For a template draft, a general document description, anonymized structure, and the list of required fields is usually enough.
Validation
How to validate the template
- Try 3 to 5 typical PDF documents.
- Check empty values, amounts, dates, and identifiers against the original PDF.
- Tighten column instructions where Rowvia returns an answer that is too long or uncertain.
- When the output fits, save the template and reuse it for similar documents.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to write Markdown manually?
Not always. The fastest path is to copy a similar built-in template and adjust only the column names and instructions. An AI chat can help with a first draft that you review in Rowvia.
Can Rowvia import a Markdown file?
This step does not add a separate file import flow. You edit the template directly in the template manager as Markdown text.
What makes a good column instruction?
A good instruction says which value to find, how to return it in one cell, and what to do when the value is missing or uncertain.
Can I set the template category or column widths?
Yes. The Markdown frontmatter can include description, category, and categoryName. In a column heading, use a pattern such as ## Amount {width=180} so the applied table has a more practical layout.