UPDATE: The original method for creating page templates manually has now become out-of-date so this section of the article is in the process of being updated.

Once you have been using Roam for a while, you will find that you are often setting up similar types of pages. These could include pages for books or article you are reading, for blog posts that you are writing or for projects you are starting.

You may want to ensure that the metadata you are collecting for a particular page type is standardised. Or you may want to start a new project with a specific checklist.

What you need for both these situations are previously developed templates that can be pasted into your new page.

There are two ways of creating templates – automatically or manually.

Creating page templates automatically

The automatic option involves using a text expander or macros application, whereby the typing of a string of letters causes the formatted template content to be pasted into the page.

Maggie Appleton has created a very useful video showing how she uses Keyboard Maestro to create templates in Roam.

The macros Maggie has developed in Keyboard Maestro can be downloaded via the button below.

Maggie's Keyboard Maestro macros

(Maggie is a talented designer and, if you are interested in Building a Second Brain ideas, I recommend that you have a look at the sketchnotes she’s produced on the BASB course – illustrated.dev/secondbrain1.)

Keyboard Maestro is only available for Macs. Alternatives that can be used include:

For people new to the concept of text expanders, Khe Hy has written a useful article on The Life-changing Magic of Text Expanders.

Creating page templates manually

The original method described here for creating page templates manually has now become out-of-date so this section is in the process of being updated.

Conclusion

I very much recommend setting up a process for page templates. What you will probably find as you use them is that you will change the categories as you discover which are useful for your purposes and which new ones you need to add.