File note personalities
After launching our template upgrade feature, we discovered something important: many of you loved the new concise format, but just as many preferred the original narrative approach. This feedback led us to rethink. Instead of pushing everyone towards one style, we've introduced file note personalities, giving you complete control over how your file notes are written.
You can now choose between Expressive and Precise for each template. Both personalities capture the same information and work great for any type of meeting; it's simply about your personal documentation style. We've brought all the latest improvements and tools to both personalities, so you're not missing out regardless of which style you prefer.
Templates you recently upgraded now use the precise personality, while your existing templates remain expressive. You can switch templates between personalities at any time.
Better base templates
We've refreshed the default templates that ship with Claras based on feedback from advisers over the past year. They now focus on progressive documentation that builds naturally across the client journey, while being simpler to customise from the start. You can bring in fresh copies any time using the new Copy a base template drop-down on the meeting template page.
Template syntax has been simplified too. Visual "guidance blocks" now clearly distinguish between fixed text and dynamic content that gets filled automatically. We've included a library of guidance blocks to get you started, or you can create your own using square brackets [like this]. Templates with the old (placeholders) or no blocks at all continue to work as normal.
Template improver updates
The template improver tool now lets you preview both the template and file note before applying changes, with line-by-line differences highlighted in green and red. The whole process is faster too, taking around 30 seconds. Claras will tell you if your instructions need more information, and we've added better confirmation steps throughout to prevent accidental updates.
Template version control
File note templates now have full version history, just like document templates. See every change made by your team with line-by-line comparisons, and restore previous versions whenever you need.