Article-Type Template
An Article Type Template in Classic Salesforce Knowledge defined the visual layout an Article Type used when it rendered to readers in the Help Center, the support site, and the Knowledge sidebar.
Definition
An Article Type Template in Classic Salesforce Knowledge defined the visual layout an Article Type used when it rendered to readers in the Help Center, the support site, and the Knowledge sidebar. Each Article Type had a Template assigned to it that decided how the article's fields displayed: as a Table of Contents at the top, as collapsible sections, or in a default linear flow. The standard Templates shipped by Salesforce covered the most common content shapes (Table of Contents, FAQ-style accordion, Linear), and admins could create custom Visualforce-based templates for advanced presentation needs.
Lightning Knowledge folded the Article Type Template concept into the standard Lightning component system. The presentation of an article is now governed by Lightning page layouts plus Article Visualforce or Article Lightning Web Components, depending on the surface. The term Article Type Template still appears in Classic-era documentation, certification guides, and partner blog posts but no longer describes a current Salesforce capability. Most production orgs migrated off Classic Knowledge years ago; the templates they once configured were either translated into Lightning components or replaced with standard Help Center presentation. Reading any contemporary Knowledge guide should treat Article Type Template as a legacy concept that maps to Lightning components rather than to a current feature surface.
Article Type Templates and their successors in Lightning Knowledge
The Classic Article Type Template model
Each Classic Article Type had a Template setting in Setup that decided the article's read-time presentation. Standard templates included Table of Contents (sections collapse with a TOC at top), Linear (sections flow vertically), and FAQ (each Q&A pair collapsible). Admins picked one per Article Type; the choice applied uniformly to every article of that type.
Custom Visualforce templates
Beyond the standard templates, developers could write Visualforce pages designated as Article Type Templates. The page rendered the article's fields using whatever HTML and components the developer chose. Custom templates were common for branded support sites and unusual layouts (multi-column, image-heavy, embedded video).
Why templates mattered to read-time experience
The template was the difference between a wall of text and an organised, scannable article. A 10-section How-To article looked daunting under a Linear template but compact under a Table of Contents template that defaulted sections collapsed. Templates were thus more important to customer experience than most admins realised.
Lightning Knowledge presentation model
Lightning Knowledge does not have an explicit Article Type Template setting. Instead, articles render through Lightning Web Components inside the Service Console, Lightning Communities, and Experience Cloud Help Centers. Admins control presentation by choosing which component renders the article and how that component is configured.
Lightning Knowledge Article component
The standard Article component on Lightning record pages and Experience Cloud sites renders Lightning Knowledge articles with a default linear layout. Admins can override sections, add a rich text masthead, and embed Knowledge feedback all without writing custom code.
Custom Lightning components
For branded or complex layouts, developers build a custom Lightning Web Component that consumes the Article fields and renders them in whatever shape the brand needs. This is the modern equivalent of the Classic custom Visualforce template; the technology stack is different but the use case is the same.
Migration of template patterns
Orgs migrating from Classic to Lightning Knowledge usually identify which Classic Templates each Article Type used, then design Lightning components that reproduce the layout. The Table of Contents Template often maps to a default Lightning Article component with collapsible sections enabled. Custom Visualforce templates require rewriting as Lightning Web Components.
Where the term appears today
Article Type Template references in documentation predating 2020 describe the Classic concept. Current Salesforce documentation talks about Lightning components or Help Center page configuration. Treat older references as historical and translate to the Lightning equivalent.
How to migrate Article Type Templates to Lightning
Migration is mostly about identifying which Classic Templates the org used and rebuilding the same read-time experience with Lightning components.
- Inventory Classic Templates per Article Type
Document each Article Type and its current Template assignment (Table of Contents, Linear, FAQ, or custom Visualforce). Note any per-channel variations.
- Map each Template to a Lightning component
Standard templates usually map to the default Article Lightning Web Component with configuration adjustments. Custom Visualforce templates map to bespoke Lightning components.
- Build or configure Lightning components
Configure the standard Article component in Experience Builder for default cases. Build custom Lightning Web Components where the Classic template was custom.
- Validate read-time experience in a sandbox
Render representative articles through the Lightning components. Verify section behaviour, table of contents, and any branding match the Classic experience the team expects.
- Retire Classic Templates after cutover
Once Lightning Knowledge is production, Classic Templates no longer drive read-time experience. Remove unused Visualforce template pages and document the new presentation model.
- Classic Article Type Templates are not a Lightning Knowledge concept. Documentation that describes them is by definition legacy.
- Custom Visualforce templates do not migrate automatically; they must be rewritten as Lightning Web Components.
- Read-time experience differences are easy to miss until users notice. Validate in a sandbox against representative articles before cutover.
- Branded layouts often require Lightning component customisation. The default Article component is functional but rarely matches a custom brand.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Migrate to Lightning KnowledgeSalesforce Help
- Knowledge ArticlesSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Article-Type Template.
- Lightning Web ComponentsSalesforce Developer Docs
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What does an Article-Type Template control?
Q2. Which of these is a built-in Article-Type Template?
Q3. How are Article-Type Templates different from Article-Type Layouts?
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