Manage invoice templates
Design the layout of your invoices with the visual template editor — header, footer, logo, fonts, colors, stationery. Multiple templates per language possible.
Web
Chöre›Chor öffnen›Verwaltung›Kassenbuch›Rechnungen›Einstellungen›Vorlagen
Diese Funktion ist nur im Web verfügbar.
Permission required: Cashbook › Invoices › Settings
What is it?
The template editor is a WYSIWYG tool with which you visually design the layout of your invoice PDFs — without programming knowledge. You can:
- Design header and footer with logo, address, VAT ID, bank
- Recipient block with variables for name, address, VAT ID
- Line item table with columns of your choice (description, quantity, unit, price, VAT, total)
- Totals block with net, VAT, gross
- Set fonts, colors, sizes
- Upload stationery PDF as background
- Insert variable placeholders that are replaced with real data for every invoice
Available variables
| Group | Variable | Example / note |
|---|---|---|
Association / seller (seller, alias club) |
seller.name |
Musterchor e.V. |
seller.address_line1 seller.address_line2 |
Musterstraße 1 / c/o board | |
seller.postal_code seller.city seller.country |
12345 Musterstadt / DE | |
seller.email seller.phone seller.website |
||
seller.vat_id seller.tax_number |
DE123456789 | |
seller.iban seller.bic seller.bank_name |
||
| Donation / non-profit data | org.name org.address org.zip org.city |
from donation settings |
org.tax_id org.tax_office |
tax number + tax office | |
org.exemption_date org.exemption_period org.purpose |
tax exemption notice | |
| Recipient | customer.name |
Max Mustermann |
customer.address_line1 customer.address_line2 |
||
customer.postal_code customer.city customer.country |
||
customer.vat_id customer.email customer.language |
||
| Invoice | invoice.number |
RE-2026-0001 |
invoice.date invoice.due_date invoice.currency |
EUR | |
invoice.total_net invoice.total_tax invoice.total_gross |
||
invoice.header_note invoice.footer_note |
||
invoice.is_credit_note invoice.credits_number |
true for credit note, original number | |
| Bank account on the invoice | account.name account.iban account.bank_name |
from linked cashbook account |
account.type account.currency |
||
| Tax mode | meta.tax_mode meta.is_kleinunternehmer |
regular / small-business §19 |
| Today | today.date today.year today.month |
2026-05-17 / 2026 / 5 |
today.month_name today.day |
May / 17 | |
| Line items | items (loop) |
per item: description, quantity, unit, unit_price, tax_rate, line_net, line_tax, line_gross (aliases: total = line_gross, subtotal = line_net) |
How to create a template
- Open Administration > Cashbook > Invoices > Settings > Templates.
- Click "+ New template".
- Enter name and language at the top in the bar.
- Design the layout — drag frames from the sidebar, insert variables via the slash menu, change style settings.
- Mark as default if this template should be used automatically for new invoices.
- Save at the top right.
Multiple languages
Per language (German, English, Français, …) you can create your own template. For an invoice in language "English" Chorilo automatically suggests the English default template.
Actions
- Edit — opens the template in the editor
- Duplicate — copy with suffix "(Copy)", handy for experimenting
- Set as default — marks as default for the language
- Delete — soft delete (existing invoices remain untouched)
Permission
You need cashbook.invoices.settings — a dedicated, restrictive permission. Template changes affect all future invoices, so not every person with cashbook.edit should be allowed to do this.
Tips
- Start with the default template ("Chorilo Standard DE") and adapt it rather than starting from scratch.
- Upload a high-resolution logo (at least 600 px wide) — it looks significantly better in the PDF.
- Test the template with sample data in the live preview before marking it as default.
- Avoid hard-coded text like "Musterchor GmbH" — always use variables so the template works across choirs.
Frequently asked questions
How many templates can I create?▾
Any number per language. One template per language is the default — it gets suggested automatically for new invoices.
What's the difference to a normal PDF editor?▾
The invoice template editor works with placeholder variables like {{seller.name}} or {{invoice.number}}. You design the layout ONCE — the concrete data is filled in automatically for every invoice.
Can I delete a template that has already been used for invoices?▾
Yes — the template is soft-deleted, the existing invoices however keep the archived PDF (it won't change). New invoices can no longer pick this template.
How does Chorilo switch between language templates automatically?▾
When creating an invoice the recipient's language is selected — Chorilo automatically suggests the default template for this language. If no default exists, it picks the first template in this language, otherwise any template.
What happens if I save a template live while editing?▾
Immediately effective for new invoices. Already finalized invoices keep their archived PDF — it is NEVER re-rendered. Only drafts use the updated template on the next preview render.
Can I add stationery (background PDF)?▾
Yes — in the template editor under style settings you can upload a stationery PDF. It is placed behind the content, optionally only on the first page or on all pages.
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