> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Inspection Templates and Template Hub: Hive Inspect FAQ

> Answers about Hive Inspect templates: the Template Hub, official state forms, why template changes skip started reports, saving comments, ratings and more.

Real questions inspectors asked our support team, with the answers. Tap a question to open it; each one has its own link you can share.

## Getting a template

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I import my template from Spectora, HomeGauge, HIP or other software?" id="import-template-from-other-software">
    Yes, for several programs. Spectora, HIP and HomeGauge templates can be imported yourself: open [Templates](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/templates), click **Upload** and choose your software. For other software, ask in the chat bubble in your dashboard and our team will tell you what's possible.

    Imported templates often need some clean-up, because every program structures templates differently.

    See [Importing templates](/how-tos/import-templates), [Importing a template yourself](/faq/switching-and-integrations#self-import-template) and [Switching from other software](/switching).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Hive have NPMA-33, TREC, wind mitigation and other official forms?" id="official-state-forms-npma-trec">
    Yes. The Template Hub has official-form templates, including NPMA-33, Texas WDI, TREC REI 7-6 and Florida forms such as the 4-point, wind mitigation, roof and WDO reports. Click **Special PDF Only** in the Template Hub to see them. These templates carry a **Special** tag.

    You fill them in like any other report, and Hive prints the PDF in the official form layout. Generate the PDF from the Web Editor to check it before you publish.

    Don't add, remove or duplicate sections, subsections or comments in these templates. Each item maps to a spot on the official PDF, so changes can break the form. If a form stopped printing correctly after edits, delete the template, import it again from the Template Hub and attach the new copy to your service. Don't import another program's version of these forms. Import them from the Template Hub instead.

    See [Special PDF templates](/how-tos/import-templates#special-pdf-templates) and [Import certified templates](/templates/certified-templates#guide-to-using-special-pdfs-in-template-hub).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where is the Template Hub, and do its templates include comments?" id="where-is-template-hub">
    The Template Hub is on the [Templates](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/templates) page of the web dashboard. Click **Template Hub** at the top of the page, then **Import Template** on the one you want.

    Yes, Hub templates include their full comment library. Most were shared by working inspectors, and they cover residential, commercial, new construction, pre-drywall and other inspection types, plus the official state forms. There is no extra charge to import one. Once imported, the copy is yours to rename and edit.

    See [Importing templates](/how-tos/import-templates#option-2-import-from-the-template-hub).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Hive build my template for me, or should I start from scratch?" id="can-hive-build-my-template">
    Hive doesn't write templates for you, and you shouldn't start from a blank template. Building one from scratch takes a long time.

    Import a template from the Template Hub that is close to how you work, then edit it in the template editor. You can also ask in the [Hive Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1202950231646461). Inspectors there often share their templates.

    See [Popular templates to start from](/how-tos/import-templates#popular-templates-to-start-from) and [Editing templates](/how-tos/editing-templates).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Templates and your reports

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why don't my template changes show up in a report I already started?" id="template-changes-existing-reports">
    Template changes only apply to reports created after you make the change. Once a report has been created from a template, it keeps the version it was built from. This includes rescheduled inspections.

    To get the latest version into an inspection that doesn't have data yet:

    1. Open the inspection and click **Edit Reports** under **Quick Actions**.
    2. Click **Add Report** and select the template. This creates a new, blank report.
    3. Remove the old report.

    Removing a report deletes everything entered in it, so only do this before you start writing. If you have already started, make the change in the report itself, and in the template for future reports. To preview template changes, use a test inspection and add the template as a new report.

    See [Manage an inspection](/inspections-and-reports/inspection-functions#guide-to-accessing-miscellaneous-functions-for-inspections).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I save a comment I wrote in a report back to my template?" id="save-report-comment-to-template">
    Use **Save to Template** on the comment. In the Web Editor, it's the floppy-disk icon on the comment. In the mobile app, tap **Save to Template** when you add or edit the comment, then sync.

    Hive saves the comment's name, text and settings to the template. Photos and answers from the report are not saved. If you edited an existing template comment, saving replaces that comment in the template. Comments saved from a duplicated section go back to the original section.

    The **Auto-select** checkbox on a new comment only applies to the current report. It doesn't add the comment to your template.

    See [Save comments to template](/how-tos/saving-comments-to-template#saving-comments-to-a-template-in-inspection-reports).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use more than one template on one inspection?" id="multiple-templates-one-inspection">
    Yes. Each template you add to an inspection becomes its own separate report. This works well for things like a main home plus a detached structure, or a home inspection plus a WDI form.

    Add templates to a service so they're included automatically, or add one later from **Quick Actions** → **Edit Reports** → **Add Report**. If you want everything in a single report, move the sections into one template instead.

    See [Set up services and fees](/business-tools/services-and-fees#setting-up-services-for-inspections).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Editing your template

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I move or copy sections and comments to another template?" id="move-copy-between-templates">
    Use **Move** or **Duplicate** in the template editor on the web dashboard.

    1. For a section, click the three dots next to its name and choose **Move Section** or **Duplicate Section**, then pick the target template.
    2. For a subsection, use its three-dot menu the same way.
    3. For comments, tick the checkbox on each comment (or **Select all**), click **Move** or **Duplicate**, and choose the target template, section and subsection.

    Templates can't be merged in one step, so move one section at a time.

    See [Duplicate](/how-tos/editing-templates#duplicate) and [Move](/how-tos/editing-templates#move).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I export, back up or share my template?" id="export-back-up-share-template">
    You can't export or download a template yourself yet. To keep a backup copy inside Hive, click the three dots on the template and choose **Duplicate Template**.

    To share a template with another inspector, click the three dots, choose **Share with Friend** and enter the email they use for Hive. A full copy, comments included, is added to their templates.

    See [The template menu](/how-tos/template-overview#the-template-menu).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I hide optional sections until I need them, like Pool or Spa?" id="hide-optional-sections">
    Yes. In the template editor, select the section or subsection and switch off the **Section Visible** or **Subsection Visible** toggle. It's hidden by default in new reports. This works like the optional setting in Spectora.

    When you need it on site, unhide it from the end of the list in the mobile app or the Web Editor. Visibility works for sections and subsections, not individual comments. Spectora's optional setting doesn't carry over in an import, so set it again in Hive.

    See [Write reports in the mobile app](/inspections-and-reports/mobile-reports#guide-to-writing-reports-in-the-mobile-app).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I make a comment checked by default on every report?" id="auto-select-comment-every-report">
    Set it in the template editor, not in the report.

    1. Click edit on the comment.
    2. Tick **Auto-select this comment**. For a multiple-choice comment, set a **Default Value** instead.
    3. Click **Save Changes**.

    The comment is then selected in every new report created from that template, and you can still remove it on site. To stop items from coming in pre-checked, untick the same setting.

    See [Comment types](/how-tos/template-structure#comment-types-in-information-and-limitations).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Comments, ratings and categories

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What's the difference between checkbox, multiple choice and text comments?" id="comment-types-checkbox-multiple-choice">
    Information and Limitation comments come in three types:

    * **Checkbox Item**: the default and the most common. You include it or skip it. Use it for most narratives.
    * **Multiple Choice**: you pick from a list, such as Wood, Laminate or Tile. Type the options separated by commas.
    * **Text**: for typing a value, such as a water temperature.

    Defect comments are their own type, with a category and a recommendation service. You can't change a comment's type after you create it, or turn an Information comment into a defect. Create a new comment of the right type and copy the text over.

    See [Comment types](/how-tos/template-structure#comment-types-in-information-and-limitations).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I rename the defect categories?" id="rename-defect-categories">
    Click the three dots on the template, choose **Template Tools** and edit **Category Names**. Each template can have its own names for the blue, orange and red categories.

    Templates without their own names use the account-wide names in [Report customization](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/business-tools/report-customization). If a rename doesn't show, check the template's own **Category Names** too. Existing reports keep the names they were created with, so changes show on new reports. There are three categories, and their colors can't be changed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I turn ratings like IN, NI, NP and D on or off?" id="turn-ratings-on-off">
    Open the template and use the **Ratings** toggle under the template's overview. Ratings apply to every subsection in that template. Turn them off and the ratings disappear from the mobile app, the Web Editor and the report.

    When ratings are on, you can rename, recolor, add or remove ratings, up to eight. Tick **Auto-select on Defects/Observations** on a rating, such as D, to select it automatically whenever you add a defect in that subsection. Changes apply to new reports.

    See [Disable ratings](/how-tos/disabling-ratings#disabling-ininpinb-ratings-in-inspection-templates).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still stuck?

<div className="hive-rows hive-rows-sm">
  <a className="hive-row" href="https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    <span className="hive-row-main">
      <span className="hive-row-title">Ask in the chat bubble</span>
      <span className="hive-row-line">Open your dashboard and use the chat bubble. Our team answers seven days a week</span>
    </span>
  </a>

  <a className="hive-row" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1202950231646461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    <span className="hive-row-main">
      <span className="hive-row-title">Ask the inspector community</span>
      <span className="hive-row-line">Other inspectors answer in the Facebook group</span>
    </span>
  </a>
</div>


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