Templates: what has changed and why

Templates in ABOSS have been redesigned to support e-invoicing and XML output. The existing PDF-based template system remains fully available and continues to work as before. What has changed is how company data and financial calculations are handled to meet the requirements of structured e-invoicing.

This article explains the differences between the old and new setup, why these changes were needed, and what they mean for your templates and workflow. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are covered in separate articles and linked where relevant.

1. Old vs new template setup
2. Why the change was needed
3. The new dual-output structure
4. Update templates
5. What this means for your workflow

The original template system in ABOSS was designed for PDF invoices. It offered full control over layout, branding, and the way company data and calculations were displayed. This system is still fully supported. If you do not need XML invoices or connection to Peppol, you can continue using your existing PDF templates without making any changes.

To support e-invoicing, templates have been extended so they can also generate XML files. This required changes in how invoice data is structured and processed. Instead of relying entirely on template code, certain parts of the invoice are now handled in a more structured and standardized way.

The visual flexibility of PDF templates remains, but the underlying data now follows rules that ensure XML compliance.

More and more governments, clients, and accounting platforms require invoices in a structured XML format. These invoices must meet strict legal and technical standards and need to be processed automatically.

PDF invoices, regardless of how well designed, cannot meet these requirements. By restructuring how invoice data is handled, ABOSS ensures that invoices are legally compliant, internationally accepted, and ready for future e-invoicing standards, while still supporting branded PDF output.

With the updated system, invoices can now generate two outputs from the same data source.

PDF: A human-readable invoice that reflects your branding and template design.

XML: A structured, machine-readable invoice that meets e-invoicing and Peppol requirements.

Both outputs are always based on the same underlying data. This guarantees consistency between what your client sees in the PDF and what accounting systems receive through XML.

To support XML output, two parts of the template system have been updated.

⚠️ Please note: updating templates can sometimes feel complex or overwhelming. You can always reach out to us via the support chat — we’ll be happy to adjust the templates for you.

Entity-based data

Templates now work with entities instead of agency information when generating XML invoices. The entity you select when creating an invoice determines which company details appear on both the PDF and XML.

Existing {{ agency… }} codes continue to work for PDF-only templates. For XML export, you must use the new {{ entity… }} codes.

For a full explanation and a complete list of available entity codes, see:
​Updating templates with entity codes

Backend calculations

Financial calculations are no longer defined by manual formulas inside the template when working with e-invoicing. All calculations are now processed in the backend to ensure XML compliance.

Instead of writing calculation logic in the template, you control which financial values appear on the invoice through toggle settings in the template configuration. This applies to totals, VAT, WHT, costs, and related amounts.

For a detailed explanation of how calculations work and how to update existing templates, see:
​Updating calculations in templates

Your overall workflow remains largely the same, but with a few important differences when working with e-invoicing:

You must select an entity when creating an invoice.
The selected entity is displayed consistently on both PDF and XML exports.
Financial calculations are controlled through template settings instead of manual formulas.
If you do not need XML invoices or connection with Peppol, you can continue using PDF-only templates without changes.

For a complete overview of how entities, templates, and invoices work together, see:

Workflow: from entities to templates to invoices

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