Initial Value Templates

Overview

Initial Value Templates are used to remove manual setup when editors create new content. In this starter, templates pre-populate site and language so new documents are correctly scoped from the first save.

Core implementation lives in:

• apps/sanity/templates/singleLanguageTemplates.ts
• apps/sanity/templates/multiLanguageTemplates.ts
• apps/sanity/structure/helpers/initialValueTemplates.ts
• apps/sanity/sanity.config.ts

How templates are applied

In apps/sanity/sanity.config.ts, template handling happens in order:

1. existing templates are modified for single-language site behaviour
2. multi-language defaults are adjusted
3. extra templates are appended (including site/language templates and page alias templates)

This keeps creation flows consistent across different site setups in the same project.

Static vs dynamic templates

apps/sanity/templates/multiLanguageTemplates.ts provides two template styles:

• Static templates: pre-composed IDs and friendly titles (preferred in editor menus)
• Dynamic templates: parameterised templates for programmatic or contextual creation flows

Both variants can populate:

• site for site-specific document types
• site + language for translatable document types

Template IDs and params are centralised in apps/sanity/constants/templates.ts.

Editor UX safeguards

modifyNewDocumentOptions(...) in multiLanguageTemplates.ts removes less useful template entries from the create menu, reducing noise and avoiding duplicate options.

In the structure layer, apps/sanity/structure/helpers/initialValueTemplates.ts attaches the relevant template items directly to list panes, so “new document” actions inherit site/language context automatically.

Why teams use this

• Fewer editorial mistakes from wrong site or locale assignment
• Faster document creation in large multi-market programmes
• Consistent governance without requiring editor training on internal field semantics