> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getsmelt.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Templates

> What templates are and how they work

A template is an AI prompt configuration that tells Smelt how to generate personalized copy for each row in your CSV.

**Templates = AI prompts + configuration**

## Template Categories

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cold Outreach" icon="envelope">
    Opening lines, hooks, attention grabbers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Lead Qualification" icon="filter">
    Scoring, fit assessment, prioritization
  </Card>

  <Card title="Value Proposition" icon="gem">
    Benefits, ROI statements, competitive advantages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Personalization" icon="user">
    First lines, follow-ups, meeting requests
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

You can also create **Custom** categories for your specific use cases.

## Template Fields Explained

| Field                  | Description                              | Required |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | -------- |
| **Name**               | Identifier for the template              | ✅        |
| **Category**           | Organization/filtering                   | ✅        |
| **Prompt Template**    | AI instructions with `{{variables}}`     | ✅        |
| **Output Column Name** | What the generated column will be called | ✅        |
| **Character Limit**    | Max characters for output                | Optional |
| **Word Limit**         | Max words for output                     | Optional |
| **Forbidden Words**    | Words that should never appear           | Optional |
| **Reference Columns**  | Which CSV columns to use                 | Optional |
| **Model**              | AI model (gpt-4o-mini default)           | Optional |
| **Temperature**        | Creativity level (0-1, default 0.7)      | Optional |
| **Max Tokens**         | Output length limit (default 150)        | Optional |

## System vs Custom Templates

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="System Templates">
    * 17 pre-built templates in Template Library
    * Created by Smelt
    * Read-only — cannot edit directly
    * Click "Duplicate" to customize
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Custom Templates">
    * Templates you create
    * Full edit/delete control
    * Stored in "My Templates"
    * Used when creating jobs
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How Templates Work

<Steps>
  <Step title="You Write a Prompt">
    Include `{{Column}}` variables that reference your CSV data

    ```text theme={null}
    Write a personalized hook for {{First Name}} at {{Company}} 
    in the {{Industry}} industry.
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Smelt Reads Each Row">
    For every row in your CSV, the variables are replaced with actual data

    ```text theme={null}
    Write a personalized hook for Sarah at Acme Corp 
    in the SaaS industry.
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="AI Generates Output">
    The AI creates unique copy based on that specific lead's data

    ```text theme={null}
    "Scaling a SaaS sales team is no small feat, Sarah—"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Output Is Saved">
    The generated copy is saved to your specified output column
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Key Concepts

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Variables pull from your data">
    `{{Company}}` gets replaced with the Company value from each row.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Each row gets unique output">
    10,000 rows = 10,000 unique AI-generated outputs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Templates are reusable">
    Create once, use across multiple jobs and files.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Output columns become personalization fields">
    The new columns export with your CSV for use in sending tools.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>