====== Plan Templates ======

//Plan Templates// are a powerful feature of Astroid that can greatly reduce the time spent in creating high quality treatment plans. In a simple sense, a //Plan Template// is just a starting point that can be used when creating new treatment plans for this or other patients. When a //Plan Template// is applied during new plan creation (see [[planning:userguide:tutorials:creating_a_plan|here]] for creating a new plan), all user specified plan parameters from the template are copied into the new plan. In essence you are applying the plan to a new set of images and structures, therefore it is important that structure names and other data are consistent in your //Patient Models// when using //Plan Templates//.

===== Saving Plan Templates =====

//Plan Templates// can be defined globally at the site level for all users at your institution and each user is also free to create their own private list of user level //Plan Templates//. A //Plan Template// can be easily created from any existing plan by opening the General/History block. At the bottom of this block the user may then choose either //Save as User Plan Template// or //Save as Site Plan Template//.{{ :planning:userguide:tutorials:template_save.png?400 |}} The user then provides name for the Template and fills in any description information as desired. {{ :planning:userguide:tutorials:template_info.png?400 |}}



When saving an existing plan as a template, there are a few rules/tips that should be kept in mind which will help make your templates easier to use in the future:
  * In order for templates to work well there needs to be consistency in use of structure names (e.g.- Brainstem consistently labeled Brainstem, not brainstem, Brain stem, brain_stem etc.). Note that proper and consistent use of //Site Structure Templates// is a great way to ensure this is adhered to by all users.
  * Most Astroid Plan parameters reference data that will change properly when applied to a new //Patient Model// using a //Plan Template//, however, care should be taken when using //Explicit Points// as these include fixed coordinate values that they may not transfer as desired from plan to plan. avoiding the use of //Explicit Points// is the best practice for //Plan Templates//, but if they must be used be sure to check each explicit point in the new plan after applying a template.
  * //Plan Templates// are specific to the //Site Structure Template// used by the //Patient Model//; therefore if a template is created for a prostate patient, for example, that template will not show up for a breast patient due to the //Site Structure Template// selection being different.
  * Keep in mind that a //Plan Template// can be created to any level of completion desired within the planning process. For example, a simple template could be created that adds only a few planning structures (e.g. rinds, expansions, etc) or a complex template could be saved that includes all plan data including the full optimization constraints and objectives. Different disease sites may lend themselves to different levels of detail in the //Plan Template// so users are encouraged to explore different options to determine what works best for their clinical workflow.

===== Using Plan Templates ===== 

//Plan Templates// are applied when creating a new plan: 

  - Click on the blue //Add Plan// link under the //Patient Model// to create a new plan 
  - From the //Base Plan// drop down menu choose the //Plan Template// that should be used and then click OK {{ :planning:userguide:tutorials:template.png?400 |}}
  - Open the new plan and check that all plan parameters have been applied as expected (pay special attention to //explicit points// as described above)
  - Make any changes necessary within plan and then proceed with planning from this starting point
  - If used well, you should be able to review the plan, make a few minor edits, and be at the point of running feasibility & optimization much faster than when starting from scratch