# Template Creation 2026 Checklist

**Last Updated:** 2026-03-17

Checklist for creating new Excel and Google Sheets templates following 2026 best practices.

## Pre-Creation

- [ ] Run `php v2/scripts/templates/create-new-template.php --keyword="..." --category=...`
- [ ] Run `php v2/scripts/templates/run-new-template-pipeline.php --template={slug}`
- [ ] Complete SERP analysis (Serper MCP, 30+ min)
- [ ] Review template-comparison-report.md and competitor-template-analysis.json
- [ ] Complete CONTENT_OUTLINE.md

## Template Definition

### Structure

- [ ] Instructions sheet first (type: instructions)
- [ ] Data entry sheets with headers in row 1
- [ ] Freeze panes at A2 for data_entry/report/calculation sheets
- [ ] Sheet order: instructions → data → calculation → report

### Styling

- [ ] Use valid presets only (header, input_cell, input_cell_empty, title, subtitle, note_cell, info_cell)
- [ ] No data_cell, formula_cell, or header_light (use input_cell/header)
- [ ] Ordio branding colors (#4D8EF3, #10B981, #EF4444)

### Input Cells

- [ ] Add placeholder text to input_ranges: `"placeholder": "[Enter date]"` or `"[Name eingeben]"`
- [ ] Use input_cell_empty for empty cells, input_cell for example data
- [ ] Data validation: dropdowns for categorical, number validation for numeric

### Formulas

- [ ] English function names only (SUM, IF, VLOOKUP, not SUMME, WENN)
- [ ] All formulas have "=" prefix
- [ ] IFERROR for error handling where appropriate

### Named Ranges

- [ ] Add named_ranges for key data (e.g. MitarbeiterDaten, Stundenlohn)
- [ ] Use in formulas for portability

### Navigation

- [ ] Add hyperlinks in instructions sheet: `"url": "sheet://'SheetName'!A1"`
- [ ] Link to all data/report sheets

### Excel Tables

- [ ] Add excel_table for data_entry sheets (PhpSpreadsheet 5.5+ supported)
- [ ] Contiguous range, unique table name

## Generation

- [ ] `php v2/systems/excel-template-generator/scripts/template-cli.php generate {slug}`
- [ ] `python3 v2/scripts/dev-helpers/validate-generated-xlsx.py`
- [ ] `python3 v2/scripts/dev-helpers/validate-template-consistency.py`
- [ ] Open in Excel/LibreOffice – no repair prompt

## Google Sheets

- [ ] `php v2/scripts/templates/generate-google-sheets-template.php --template={slug}`
- [ ] Verify copy URL works
- [ ] Test formulas and formatting in Google Sheets

## Validation

- [ ] `php v2/systems/excel-template-generator/scripts/validate-all-generated.php --min-score=90`
- [ ] Excel MCP inspection (optional, when debugging)

## References

- [TEMPLATE_CREATION_WORKFLOW.md](TEMPLATE_CREATION_WORKFLOW.md)
- [EXCEL_TEMPLATE_BEST_PRACTICES.md](../excel-generator/EXCEL_TEMPLATE_BEST_PRACTICES.md)
- [EXCEL_UI_UX_BEST_PRACTICES.md](../../v2/systems/excel-template-generator/docs/research/EXCEL_UI_UX_BEST_PRACTICES.md)