# How to make an editable template in the Design Editor > turn a design into a template people personalise, like a keychain where they type their own name A template is a design with a few parts left open. You make a name keychain once, and anyone can type their own name, pick a shape and download a file ready to cut. They don't need to know the Design Editor, and your template never changes. Templates are free. You need an account to save and share one, and a saved template counts as a Design Editor project. People who use a shared template don't need an account. ## What you need - A free MyLaserTools account. - A design in the [Design Editor](/design-editor). Text, shapes, symbols from the library and your own SVG files all work. ## Step 1: Make the design Build the design the way it should look before anyone changes it. For a name keychain that is a tag, a keyring hole, a name and a small symbol. If you want to offer a choice, like a round or a square tag, draw both versions in the same place. Give each part a clear name in **Layers** (double-click the name to rename it). People see some of these names later, for example **Round tag** as a choice on the form. ## Step 2: Choose what people can change Click a part of the design. **Properties** now shows **Let people change this** with the options that fit that part. Click one, and the **Template** panel opens with the new option at the top, ready to name. ![The name on a keychain selected in the Design Editor, with Let people change this in the Properties panel](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/let-people-change-this.webp) With the name selected, Properties offers Type their own text, Show or hide it and Choose between versions. - **Type their own text**: for a name, a date or a message. Tick **Let people change the font** if they may pick another font. - **Show or hide it**: for an optional part, like the keyring hole. - **Change its size**: for a hole or a symbol. You set the smallest and largest size under **More options**. - **Change the line width**: for Outline lines. - **Pick a different symbol**: people choose any symbol from the library, and it fits the space of the one you used. - **Choose between versions**: select two or more versions together, then click it. Shift-click to select more than one part, on the canvas or in **Layers**. ![Two keychain tags selected together, with Choose between versions in the Template panel](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/choose-between-versions.webp) Both tags selected. Choose between versions turns them into one option where people pick the shape. ## Step 3: Name each option and set how it starts Each option is one box in the **Template** panel. **Name people see** is the label on the form, so write it for them: Name, Keyring hole, Shape. Below it you set how the option starts, which is also what your design shows now. Long text shrinks to keep the width you gave it, so a long name doesn't run off the tag. Rarely needed settings, like the most letters allowed, are under **More options**. ![The Template panel with four options: Name, Keyring hole, Symbol and Shape](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/template-form.webp) Four options make a complete keychain: the name with its font, the keyring hole, the symbol and the shape. ## Step 4: Preview it as a customer Click **Preview as a customer** at the bottom of the **Template** panel. It opens the page people will use, with the live preview, the 3D view and the downloads. Try a long name and every option. Nothing you change here touches your design. ![The customer preview with the name Olivia on a round tag](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/preview-as-a-customer.webp) The preview shows each version as a small picture, so people can see the shapes before they choose. ## Step 5: Save it Click **Save template**. Your templates are listed in [My Designs](/profile/designs) under **Templates**. **Use** opens the same customer page, so you can fill one in for an order and download the file without opening the editor. ![The Templates section in My Designs with a Name keychain template and a Use button](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/my-designs-templates.webp) Templates in My Designs, with the number of options each one has. ## Step 6: Share it in the community gallery To let everyone use it, click **Publish**, add a title and a description, and tick **Share as an editable template**. In the [community gallery](/community-designs) the design gets an **Editable template** label, and its page becomes the customer page. Every download counts toward your design. If you change the template later, choose **Published** > **Update public copy** and keep the box ticked. ![The publish dialog with Share as an editable template ticked](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/share-as-editable-template.webp) Share as an editable template lists the options people can change. ## What people see People open your design in the gallery, change the options and download an SVG for the laser, or an STL or 3MF for a 3D printer. **Open in Design Editor** gives them the whole design to edit further. ![A shared keychain template on its design page, personalised with the name Noah](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/editable-templates/customize-on-design-page.webp) The design page is the customer page: options on the left, live preview on the right. ## Tips for good templates - Try the longest name you expect in the preview before you share it. - Offer only the things people really change. Three or four options suit most designs. - Name versions before you make a **Choose between versions** option, because people see those names. - Download the SVG from the preview and open it in your laser software once, to check the cut. ## Do people need an account to use a template? No. Anyone can fill in a shared template and download the file. They need an account only to save their own copy in the Design Editor. ## Can people change parts I didn't open up? Not on the design page. **Open in Design Editor** gives them the whole design, like any shared design, so share only what you are happy for people to edit. ## How do I stop sharing a template? Choose **Published** > **Update public copy** and untick **Share as an editable template**. The design stays in the gallery as a normal design. You can also hide it or remove it from the gallery in the same menu. ## Make it yours - [Design Editor](/design-editor): start a new design or open one of your projects. - [Community designs](/community-designs): templates other makers have shared. - [My Designs](/profile/designs): your saved templates under **Templates**. --- Open the Design Editor: https://www.mylasertools.com/design-editor Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/editable-templates