Letter Formats

What is it and what is it for?

Letter Formats let you write your own HTML mixed with Razor code (for example @Model.CompanyInfo.CompanyName) to draw a complete document from top to bottom, the same way HTML Printing Formats do. AdmCloud compiles your code at print time, substituting each expression with the real data of the record you're printing (an invoice, a purchase order, an employee action, an asset assignment, etc.).

The difference is that Letter Formats live in their own list, separate from the general HTML Printing Formats catalog, and their editor is deliberately leaner: there's no separate header/footer split, no PDF on/off switch (a letter always prints as a full paginated document), no live preview panel, no Data Dictionary tab and no "Modify with AI" button. It's meant for straightforward, one-piece documents rather than the more elaborate, repeating-header invoices and orders that HTML Printing Formats are typically used for.

Like HTML Printing Formats, a Letter Format only takes effect once you assign it as the default format for its document type in Default Printing Formats; saving it here does not change what your users see when printing until you do that.

How to use it

1. Open the list. Go to Letter Formats, under Customization, and click New.
2. Name it. Give it a descriptive Name; it must be unique among your other Letter Formats.
3. Indicate which record it applies to. In the Object field, select the document or record type (invoice, purchase order, employee action, asset assignment, etc.) this letter is for; the list only shows types enabled on your plan and active modules.
4. Adjust the margins. The Top, Left, Right and Bottom Margin fields (10 mm by default) control the blank space around the printed content.
5. Confirm the Owner. It defaults to you, but you can hand it to another user; that person becomes responsible for it and, if you protect it (next step), the only one who can open its code.
6. Write the letter's code. In the large text box, write your HTML combined with Razor expressions (@Model.Property) to insert the record's real data. If you're not sure which properties are available for the Object you picked, open the same document type in HTML Printing Formats and check its Data Dictionary tab, if you have it enabled — both screens share the same data model per document type.
7. Restrict who can edit it, if needed. Turn on Only allow structure access to the owner so only the Owner can open, edit or view this letter's code.
8. Save. Using the Save button. Afterwards you can open it again from the list and Edit it.
9. Activate it as the default format. Go to Default Printing Formats and select your Letter Format for the corresponding document type. From then on, AdmCloud uses it every time that document type is printed or its PDF is generated.

Key capabilities

• Free-form HTML/Razor design over the whole document, using the same rendering engine as HTML Printing Formats.
• A dedicated, simplified catalog kept separate from the general HTML Printing Formats list, so your one-piece letters, certificates and notices don't mix with your transactional document formats.
• Applies to the same broad range of document and record types as HTML Printing Formats (invoices, purchase orders, employee actions, asset assignments, and more), depending on the modules active on your plan.
• Always renders as a full paginated document, with its own margins — there's no separate PDF toggle or repeating header/footer to configure.
• Access control by Owner, with the option to restrict editing and viewing of the code to that person only.
• Full audit trail: every save is recorded in the format's Security Log tab, including which fields changed when that detail is enabled for your company.
• You can transfer a Letter Format you own to another company you administer, from its Details screen.

Key fields

Validations when saving

• Name required: a letter cannot be saved without a name.
• Unique name: you cannot create a letter with a name already used by another existing Letter Format.
• Code required: the code box cannot be left empty.
• Owner required and active: the letter must have a responsible user assigned, and that user must be active in the system.
• Protected letters: if "Only allow structure access to the owner" is checked, only the Owner can edit or delete it.
• Cannot delete a letter in use: if it's assigned as the default format for a document type (at the company level or on any subsidiary), used as a bank account's check format, or part of a published Plugin, the system blocks deletion until you unassign it.

Availability, plan and permissions

• Letter Formats require the Enterprise plan. On other plans, this screen and its menu link are not available.
• Access to add, edit or delete Letter Formats is controlled by the "Document Printing Formats" permission, assignable per user or user group in Security.
• The document types available in the Object field depend on the modules and capabilities active on your plan; for example, Employee Actions and Asset Assignments require the Payroll/HR module.
• Transferring a letter to another company you administer requires the "Create Plugins" feature active, and isn't available on evaluation companies.
• For a letter to take effect when printing, it must be assigned in Default Printing Formats.

Tips and common mistakes