{"id":2489212,"date":"2024-09-24T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2489212"},"modified":"2025-07-02T05:56:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:56:28","slug":"getting-started-with-templates-in-arcgis-storymaps","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/constituent-engagement\/getting-started-with-templates-in-arcgis-storymaps","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with templates in ArcGIS StoryMaps"},"author":129801,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[37131],"tags":[398132,24421],"industry":[],"product":[36611,380802],"class_list":["post-2489212","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-constituent-engagement","tag-arcgis-storymaps","tag-templates","product-story-maps","product-arcgis-storymaps"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":129801,"user_firstname":"Warren","user_lastname":"Davison","nickname":"Warren Davison","user_nicename":"wdavison","display_name":"Warren Davison","user_email":"wdavison@esri.com","user_url":"https:\/\/warrenrdavison.wixsite.com\/maps","user_registered":"2020-11-18 21:21:08","user_description":"I specialize in creating engaging maps and graphics that tell immersive, place-based stories. Based in Kitchener, Canada, I work with Esri\u2019s StoryMaps team, where I enjoy sharing the creative process behind each project. When I'm not exploring vectors and pixels, you\u2019ll likely find me cycling around town with my kids along for the ride.","user_avatar":""}],"short_description":"Templates have arrived in ArcGIS StoryMaps! Find out how you can use them in your storytelling workflow.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Introducing templates<\/h1>\n

With the <\/span>August 2024 release<\/span><\/a>, ArcGIS StoryMaps now includes Templates. This new feature, currently in beta, provides a means to templatize your storytelling efforts and help streamline how you create consistent, high-quality stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why templates?<\/h1>\n

Authors can create templates from scratch or even from an existing story. Either way, authoring a template is nearly identical to authoring a story, with the key difference being the instruction block. Authors can use this new instruction block to guide formatting and suggest media, giving authors a head start in their storytelling process.<\/p>\n

Just as <\/span>themes<\/span><\/a> ensure visual uniformity across stories within your organization, templates serve as a blueprint for the content within those stories. These structured frameworks set authors up for success by guiding them through the storytelling process, ensuring consistency and quality across stories. Authors can quickly start their reports, stories, or presentations with a strong foundation by creating templates with reusable patterns and detailed instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use cases abound<\/h1>\n

We\u2019ve envisioned a few scenarios where templates could help streamline the storytelling process, but we\u2019re sure you can think of many more!<\/p>\n

Student projects<\/h2>\n

Templates can be powerful tools for course projects in an educational setting. A teacher might design a template with prescribed sections, such as maps, photos, charts, and clear instructions that guide students through their research. When students duplicate the template for their story, they follow a structured framework and receive guidance on how to populate effectively populate each section with data and media.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2497992,"id":2497992,"title":"Templates_Blog_Samples_1","filename":"Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","filesize":1037194,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-storymaps\/constituent-engagement\/getting-started-with-templates-in-arcgis-storymaps\/templates_blog_samples_1","alt":"","author":"129801","description":"","caption":"","name":"templates_blog_samples_1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2489212,"date":"2024-09-23 13:13:23","modified":"2024-09-23 13:13:23","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1-1536x864.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":864,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1080,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1-826x465.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Templates_Blog_Samples_1.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"