Messages XR Enterprise’s drag-and-drop editor uses a robust permission model to ensure brand consistency across your district while protecting private work. Your ability to view, edit, or delete a template depends on your organization role, the template type, and specific sharing permissions.
This article will help you see how it works!
Step 1: Locate your templates
Before managing permissions, navigate to the Template Library. Depending on your workflow, there are two ways to find your templates:
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The Templates tab: Navigate to Messages > Templates tab. This is the Master Library where you go to create new designs, edit source files, share templates with colleagues, or delete old versions.
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The message flow: In the Messages area > Create message tab > Email channel, clicking the Additional Email templates button will allow you to select a drag-and-drop template for that particular email message. Learn more in the article section, "Prepare your message content."
⚠️ Important Note
You cannot edit the Master Template design from within the Create Message flow. If you find a mistake in the master layout while building a message, you must save your draft and return to the Messages > Templates tab to edit the source file.
Step 2: Understand template types & visibility
There are different types of templates in the Messages area for you to use in your drag-and-drop messaging.
Locate your templates
Use the new Template Type dropdown to filter and display only the template type you would like to see.
It’s important to understand the difference between Template Types:
- System: Professional, read-only layouts provided by Finalsite. Use these to build your own templates without starting from a blank page.
- My organization: Templates created by your local Admins that are available to everyone in your specific school or department.
- Parent organization: Master templates pushed down from the District level to ensure every school stays "on brand" for major announcements.
- My own: Your private drafts and custom designs. Nobody else can see these unless you explicitly choose to share them.
Locate your visibility settings
Once you have opened up a template, you can see the visibility settings of that particular template. You can also make adjustments to the visibility settings, if necessary.
Configure your visibility settings
These settings control who can access your templates within the library.
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Public (Global):
Configuration: Set Visibility to Public and check the box next to Available for schools/child organizations.
Result: Every user in the entire system (all schools) can see and use this template. Best for global branding or legal footers.
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Private:
Configuration: Set Visibility to Private.
Result: Only the creator can see or use the template. Best for drafts or personal one-off messages.
Template visibility table
Wondering who can see which template type and what they're best used for? Use this table as a guideline:
| Template Type | Visibility & Access | Best For... |
| All | A combined view of all templates accessible to the user across all categories. | Browsing the full library of available options. |
| System | Visible to everyone. These are read-only "master" designs provided by Finalsite that cannot be deleted. | Starting from scratch with a professional layout. |
| My organization | Visible to your entire organization. All users in your school or department can see and use these. | Standard school newsletters or general announcements. |
| Parent organization | Visible to all child schools. These are pushed down from the District level via the Available to schools dropdown. | Maintaining brand consistency across an entire district. |
| My own | Visible only to the creator. No one else can see these unless you specifically make them public. | Drafts, personal notes, or confidential department messages. |
Step 3: Understand and configure roles and capabilities
In Messages XR Enterprise, your ability to interact with the editor is determined by your organization role. Your user role dictates how you interact with the drag-and-drop editor. While Visibility settings determine who can see a template, your Role determines your functional capabilities (Edit, Lock, Delete) within that template.
The system streamlines this into two categories: Admins and Non-Admins.
Admins:
- Create, edit, share, and delete both Public and Private templates within your organization.
- Lock or unlock rows and manage organization-wide designs.
- View and use templates shared down from a Parent Organization (District level).
Non-Admins:
- Create and fully manage your own Private templates.
- View and use Public or Parent templates to send messages, but you cannot edit the master design or delete them.
- When browsing the Templates tab, restricted templates open as viewer (read-only), but they automatically switch to editor when you are actively composing a message.
⚠️ Important Note
By default, permissions are strictly tied to your organizational level. However, we offer flexibility for specific workflows. For example, you can grant admin-level template permissions to a non-admin level user via a custom role configuration.
Need assistance? If you need to elevate a specific staff user’s role to Admin level or create a custom role, please reach out to Finalsite Support for assistance with this configuration.
Template role permissions and tasks
| Capability | Admins | Non-Admins |
|---|---|---|
| Library Management | ||
| Create Public Templates | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (Private only) |
| Delete Organization Templates | ✅ Yes | ❌ Own only |
| View Parent Org (District) Templates | ✅ View & Use | ✅ View & Use |
| Editor Controls | ||
| Lock/Unlock Branding Rows | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Edit Brand-Protected Content | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Edit Unlocked Body Content | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Duplicate/Delete Rows | ✅ Yes | Unlocked only |
Best Practices for sharing templates
When teams share the same template library without clear usage norms, even well-intentioned edits can lead to confusion, lost work, and inconsistent messaging. A few simple guidelines can prevent lost edits, mixed messages, and confusion across teams.
Here are some best practices for sharing templates with your team:
- Use naming conventions: Label templates clearly (e.g., “DO NOT EDIT – District Branding Master”) to signal ownership and purpose.
- Clone a template FIRST before editing: Encourage staff to duplicate templates before making changes. This preserves the original and avoids accidental edits.
- Centralize template management: Assign one or two point people to manage master templates and communicate updates to the team.
- Document usage guidelines: Include a quick guide or onboarding note within the template itself (e.g., in a hidden row or comment) to clarify how it should be used.