Key Concepts

Understanding these core concepts will help you get the most out of Crove.

Templates

A template is a reusable document design with dynamic placeholders (variables). Think of it as a blueprint — you design it once, then generate unlimited documents from it.

Templates contain:

• Rich text content — Your document's text, formatting, tables, and images
• Variables — Dynamic placeholders that get replaced with real data
• Expressions — Computed values and conditional logic
• Form schema — The form configuration for data collection
• Roles — Definitions of who fills what

Variables

Variables are the bridge between your document and the form that collects data. When you insert a variable like {{Client Name}} into your template, Crove:

1. Creates a placeholder in the document
2. Auto-generates a form field to collect the value
3. Replaces the placeholder with the real value when the form is filled

Variable types

Expressions

Expressions allow you to create computed fields and conditional logic using JEXL (JavaScript Expression Language).

Computed fields

Calculate values automatically based on other variables:

// Total with tax
unitPrice * quantity * 1.2

// Full name
firstName + " " + lastName

// Days until deadline
dateDiff(deadline, today(), "days")

Conditional visibility

Show or hide form fields and document sections based on conditions:

// Show "Company Name" field only if type is "Business"
accountType == "Business"

// Show discount section if amount exceeds threshold
totalAmount > 1000

Documents

A document is a specific instance of a template, filled with real data. When someone fills the form on a template, a document is created.

Document lifecycle

Template → Document Created → Sent → Opened → Filled → Signed → Completed

Document statuses

Roles

Roles define who fills which parts of the form. In a multi-party document, different people fill different fields.

For example, in a sales contract:

• Sales Rep role fills: Company details, pricing, terms
• Client role fills: Client name, address, payment info
• Client role signs: Client signature

Each role can have:

• A display name and color
• Assigned form fields
• A signing order (sequential or parallel)

Forms

The form is what recipients see when they fill a document. Crove automatically generates form fields from your template variables, but you can customize everything:

• Field types — Text, dropdown, date picker, signature, and more
• Validation — Required fields, min/max values, regex patterns
• Layout — Organize fields into sections and pages
• Conditional visibility — Show/hide fields based on other values

Audit trail

Every document action is logged in a tamper-proof audit trail:

• Document created, sent, opened
• Form fields filled with timestamps
• Signatures captured with IP address, user agent, and consent
• PDF generated and downloaded

The audit trail can be exported as a separate PDF for compliance.

Workspaces

A workspace (organization) is your team's shared environment. Each workspace has its own:

• Templates and documents
• Team members with roles (Owner, Admin, Staff)
• Billing plan and credits
• API keys and webhook configurations
• Custom domain and branding settings