Within the Automate365 section of the BindTuning app, you'll find five types of template catalogs. This article explains the purpose and use of each.
Before diving into the specifics, let's look at common features across all catalogs, designed to help you efficiently manage and discover templates:
Template cards and details: Each template appears as a card. Clicking it reveals a detailed view with comprehensive information, components, and settings.
M365 App icons: Icons on each card quickly show the primary Microsoft 365 application (e.g., SharePoint, Teams) the template is designed for.
Tags for filtering: Templates are categorized with tags. Use these powerful tools to filter and locate templates by topic, department, or functionality.
Status labels: For editable templates, labels like "Draft" or "Checked out" on the card indicate its current state.
Multi-select for bulk actions: Several catalogs support multi-selection of cards. This enables efficient bulk actions.
Pre-made templates
This catalog contains templates developed by the BindTuning team. These ready-to-use templates save you time by providing pre-built solutions for common needs, like learning portals, document centers, or employee directories. They are designed for practicality, utility, and to follow intranet best practices.
Pro-Tip: BindTuning's pre-made templates are fantastic starting points! Use them directly for quick deployments, or easily copy and refine them to perfectly match your brand's unique needs.
Created by me
This catalog stores all templates and drafts you've created as the workspace owner. You'll likely use this catalog most frequently.
Beyond simply managing the template itself, this catalog offers key insights and control over its distribution:
View installation history: Enter template details to see a comprehensive list of its installations. Note: This history specifically displays installations initiated directly through the BindTuning App.
Control template publishing: From this catalog, you can easily publish your templates to other self-service catalogs (publish to the Company Catalog, or publish to the SharePoint Catalog), making them available for end-users. Conversely, you can unpublish them to remove them from those catalogs without deleting.
Shared with me
This catalog displays templates created and shared with you by other users within your Automate365-licensed workspace. This collaborative space allows you to leverage designs created by your teammates.
On each template card in this catalog, you'll find the avatar and name of the original template creator, providing easy recognition and context.
Heads Up! If your "Shared With Me" catalog appears empty, it's possible that asset sharing isn't enabled in your BindTuning workspace. Learn more about enabling asset sharing to unlock this collaborative feature.
Company catalog
The Company Catalog is specifically designed for end-user self-service provisioning via URL. All templates listed here are made available for your end-users to discover and provision directly through a dedicated gated link.
This catalog supports robust audience targeting, ensuring that only relevant templates are visible to specific users or groups within your organization. Templates are distributed via a unique, public, and shareable URL to be provided to your users.
To access and share your Company Catalog URL
At the top of the Company Catalog page, you'll find a "Share Catalog" link. Clicking this link opens a pop-up window, allowing you to easily "Copy catalog link" to distribute to your intended audience.
Learn more about Self-service via URL (publish templates to the Company Catalog).
SharePoint catalog
This catalog also facilitates end-user self-service provisioning. Templates published to this catalog are made available directly within SharePoint's native "new site creation" process. Instead of a public URL, these templates appear as options when users create new sites directly within SharePoint, streamlining the provisioning experience. It also supports audience targeting to control template visibility.
Learn more about Self-service in SharePoint (publish templates to SharePoint).
By leveraging these different catalogs—your personal "Created by me" and "Shared with me" views, along with the self-service "Company Catalog" and "SharePoint Catalog"—you're well-equipped to efficiently manage, discover, and deploy your organizational templates. Remember, mastering these tools empowers your team to maintain consistency and streamline provisioning across your Microsoft 365 environment.