Whether you're building a template from scratch, starting with a Morningstar Template that has been pre-designed, or opening a saved template, there are many options available for editing and customizing it to fit your specific needs. When you create a new template, or open an existing one, the template opens to design mode where the options below are available.
The gear icon 
located in the upper left-hand corner of the screen has the following options:
New Report Template - Opens the dialog box for selecting a new template. Select from New Blank Report, Morningstar Template, or Saved Report Template.
Open - Select a previously saved template.
Save - Overwrite the existing report template with any changes.
Save as - Save the existing report template under a different name.
Export - The report is exported to PDF and opened for review.
Send To / Share With - Use these options to share a copy of the template with another Morningstar Office user, either inside or outside your firm.
When using the Send To option, a copy of the template is shared with the recipient, who then has full read/write access to their copy. They are shown as the Owner in their Saved Files grid, while the sender retains ownership in their grid.
When using the Share With option, a copy of the template is shared with the recipient but the sender is retained as the Owner. The permission level is set by the sender as Read Only or Read/Write. When Read Only is selected, the recipient cannot overwrite the existing template with any changes. Read/Write access allows changes made by either party to be reflected on the template for both the sender and recipient.
When using the Within My Firm option, you are prompted to select the recipient name from available Office names within your firm.
When using the Outside My Firm option, you are prompted to select the e-mail login of a different Office client, and the permission level of Read Only or Read/Write.
When the system prompts you the report has been sent or shared, it is then available to the recipient under their Office login. They may need to use the Action menu, Refresh Landing Screen option to see the template.
Application Settings - Set the default appearance for reports created from a blank template. These settings have no effect on Morningstar or Saved templates. To alter the appearance of these templates, use the Home, Template, or individual component menus.
Exit - Closes the open template and returns to the Report Studio grid. Note: You may be prompted to save changes prior to the template closing. Select Yes to save any changes to the existing template, select No to exit without saving changes, or Cancel to return to the template.
Double-click on any of the text fields on the report to edit them. You can type in any text or use the drop-down menus to choose from pre-defined fields like Date or Page # to have the data automatically filled in. The tabs at the top of the screen (Home, Chart, Data Table, Format) apply global changes to the template.
Home Tab
Setting - In this section, you can change the data source, and globally apply changes to the appearance of the template.
Accounts - Use this option to select new client data to display on the report template.
Click the Accounts icon to open the Select Client or Account screen.
Click the magnifying glass next to the Find field to locate a new client or account.
Use the Within and Find By fields to narrow the search. Select from the Begins with, Contains, or Include Prospect options, and then click Go.
Locate the client or account from the Available Records section. Highlight the name and click OK.
The client now appears selected in the grid. Click OK to load this client data into the report template.
Template - Change the data and layout settings for the template.
Data Tab
Set the reporting Time Period. Use the drop-down menus to select Start Date, End Date, and Report As-of Date.
Use the magnifying glass icons to lookup the desired number of Benchmarks. Most reports allow up to three.
Use the magnifying glass icon under Calculations to select an index for comparison. Use the drop-down menus to select the Return Type and Fee Type.
Under the Display section, check the box to include Accrued Interest and Liquidated Holdings, or to Hide Closed Accounts and Mask Account Numbers.
Layout Tab
Under the Report Template section, set the attributes for the overall appearance of the template.
Use the drop-down menus to change the Font type and color, and the background color of the report pages.
The margins are pre-set based on the paper type selected for the template but can be manually altered by using the up/down arrows or manually typing a value in the field.
Display "Source: Morningstar Office" - When this option is selected, the report displays this text in the lower left-hand corner of each page of the report. This indicates the report was generated from the Morningstar Office program.
Under the Component Title Settings section, set the attributes for the graph, chart, and table titles.
Use the drop-down menus to change the Font size and color. Use the icons to apply Bold, Italics, or Underline to the titles.
Bar Style - Use the drop-down menu to select the wide, narrow, or shading option. The wide and narrow bars are used to separate each component added to the template and will appear above the component title. The shading option applies to the component title.
Background Color - Use the drop-down menu to select the color for the bar style or title shading.
Under the Text Component Settings section, set the attributes for the graph, chart, and table text.
Use the drop-down menus to change the Font size and color.
Insert - This section provides the flexibility of adding or deleting pages, creating custom text boxes, and adding images to completely customize the design of the report.
Page - Use this option to insert or delete pages from the template.
Insert new adds a new page with default headers after the page currently displayed. Edit the default headers by double-clicking on the text. You can manually enter text or select from the drop-down menu to auto-populate the field.
Cover inserts a new page with default headers as the first page in the series. Edit the default headers by double-clicking on the text. You can manually enter text or select from the drop-down menu to auto-populate the field.
Insert a copy creates a duplicate of the currently selected page and inserts it following the original.
Delete removes a page from the report template.
Text - Use this option to insert a text box or notes on the page.
Custom Text - Add a text box to the report, which can be used to convey information to the client or further explain data points included on the report. Right-click in the text box and select Show Title to add a heading. Formatting options are also available.
Cover Page Text - In addition to formatting options, the Cover Page Text right-click menu includes a Prepared For option that automatically pulls in specific client information.
Note, Account/Client - Use this feature to pull in notes attached to the currently select client or account.
Image - Add a selected image to the page. This is useful for adding a company logo to the Cover Page.
Layout - Click in a section of the report template and based on the type of component you clicked on, the top tab may change but Auto Layout should still be available. Click on the option and select from the pre-defined series of layouts.
Export -To view the completed report, click the PDF, PPT, or XPS button, and then select to view the Template, Selected page(s) or Selected component.
Chart Tab
Note: You must have a chart, graph, or table component selected for most options under this menu to be available.
Time Period - Use the drop-down menus under the Start Date and End Date options to select a new reporting time period for the data.
Chart Area - Alter the position and appearance of data and text in this section.
Align - Choose the horizontal positioning from the top choices of Left, Middle, or Right, and the vertical positioning from the bottom three choices of Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Use the drop-down menus to select the Font type and size. Apply Bold, Italics, or Underline to text using the icons.
Axis - Increase or decrease the decimals displayed on numeric values.
Layout - Click in a section of the report template and based on the type of component you clicked on, the top tab may change but Auto Layout should still be available. Click on the option and select from the pre-defined series of layouts.
Export -To view the completed report, click the PDF, PPT, or XPS button, and then select to view the Template, Selected page(s) or Selected component.
Data Table Tab
Note: You must have a chart, graph, or table component selected for most options under this menu to be available.
Format - Alter the position and appearance of data and text in this section.
Grid - Use the grid option to add dividing lines between rows or columns of data, as well as edges of component divisions for separation of data. Click All to add grid lines to all aspects of a component, or select each grid line individually. To turn off all grid lines, select None.
Align - Choose the horizontal positioning from the top choices of Left, Middle, or Right, and the vertical positioning from the bottom three choices of Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Font Settings - Use the drop-down menus to select the Font type and size. Apply Bold, Italics, or Underline to text using the icons. The Lock icon toggles word wrapping on and off for the column headings. The feature is turned on by default. When the lock icon is depressed, the option is turned off and column headings revert to one line. This may cause some of the heading text to not be visible or print on reports.
Decimal - Increase or decrease the decimals displayed on numeric values.
Layout - Click in a section of the report template and based on the type of component you clicked on, the top tab may change but Auto Layout should still be available. Click on the option and select from the pre-defined series of layouts.
Export -To view the completed report, click the PDF, PPT, or XPS button, and then select to view the Template, Selected page(s) or Selected component.
Format Tab
Insert - This section helps to alter the appearance of individual pages through pre-defined headers and footers. You can also add custom text and images to personalize the report.
Header / Footer - Select a pre-defined header or footer from the list. Double-click the text fields to edit them and fill-in with your own text, or use the drop-down menu to make a selection that will auto-populate the field. Images can also be added to the forms via the Insert Image fields.
Text - Use this option to insert a text box or notes on the page.
Custom Text - Add a text box to the report, which can be used to convey information to the client or further explain data points included on the report. Right-click in the text box and select Show Title to add a heading. Formatting options are also available.
Cover Page Text - In addition to formatting options, the Cover Page Text right-click menu includes a Prepared For option that automatically pulls in specific client information.
Note, Account/Client - Use this feature to pull in notes attached to the currently select client or account.
Image - Add a selected image to the page. This is useful for adding a company logo to the Cover Page.
Style - Alter the position and appearance of data and text in this section.
Align - Choose the horizontal positioning from the top choices of Left, Middle, or Right, and the vertical positioning from the bottom three choices of Top, Middle, or Bottom.
Bullets / Numbering - Apply bullets or numbering to text.
Font Settings - Use the drop-down menus to select the Font type and size. Apply Bold, Italics, or Underline to text using the icons. The Lock icon performs two functions from this tab.
When working with Data Tables, the lock icon toggles word wrapping on and off for the column headings. The feature is turned on by default. When the lock icon is depressed, the option is turned off and column headings revert to one line. This may cause some of the heading text to not be visible or print on reports.
When working with Text boxes, the lock icon breaks the threading chain for text. When threading is turned on, the text is displayed at the default font size and flows into additional text boxes (if available) when the written text is too large to fit in the first text box. When the lock icon is depressed, the threading chain is broken, and the font size of the text is reduced so that all text will fit into one box and the subsequent text boxes are deleted. The Chain icon turns on threading, allowing the text to flow into additional text boxes when available.
Columns - Use the drop-down menu to set the number of columns to display in a text box.
Layout - Click in a section of the report template and based on the type of component you clicked on, the top tab may change but Auto Layout should still be available. Click on the option and select from the pre-defined series of layouts.
Export -To view the completed report, click the PDF, PPT, or XPS button, and then select to view the Template, Selected page(s) or Selected component.
Components like graphs, charts, and tables can easily be added to a page from the task bar at the bottom of the screen. By default, quick add icons for all components are displayed. Click on the first section of the bottom task bar to select whether to display quick add icons for All Charts, All Tables, or All Components.
Click here 
for more information on the component settings.
Cursor over the quick add icons in the bottom task bar to view a small sample of the chart or table.
Drag and drop these components onto your page. Use the Auto Layout function from the Chart tab at the top of the page to arrange the components in an appealing flow.
To edit the appearance of a graph/chart/table, click on the component to select it, and then use the Chart Settings or Table Settings menu from the bottom task bar. Chart and table settings are specific to each chart, graph, or table.
From the left navigation pane, the right-click menu is available for the following functions:
New - Inserts a new page where your cursor is located.
Duplicate - Creates a copy of the selected report page.
Delete - Removes the selected page from the report template.
Within a report template, depending on which chart or graph you are editing, the right-click menu options listed below are available. In addition to the ones listed, you can also modify the chart/graph/table colors, font, and border appearances.
Cut - Removes the component and places it on the clipboard.
Copy - Copies the component to the clipboard.
Paste - Pastes the contents of the clipboard to the selected area.
Delete - Removes the selected component.
Show Benchmark - Select one of up to three benchmarks to display, where applicable.
Show Time Period - Displays the begin and end dates for the data included.
Show Crosshairs - For plot graphs, you can select this option to show intersecting lines.
Show Currency - When selected, adds a line denoting the currency to the header.
Show Values - This option adds a corresponding legend to the data showing the value of each column or row.
Show X-Axis Label - When available, this selection adds a label describing the data on the bottom, left to right, of the graph.
Show Y-Axis Label - When available, this selection adds a label describing the data on the left-hand side, bottom to top, of the graph.
X and Y Axis Settings - Set the display for the data by adjusting the axis intervals and the formatting options.
Legend - Allows you to select where the legend for a chart or graph will be displayed, or whether to remove it altogether.
In addition to the basic menu functions (cut, copy, paste, delete), the right-click menu for tables can also provide these menu selections:
Select - Choose the cell, column, or row to apply changes to.
Highlight
Background - Allows you to select a highlight color for a cell, column, or row in a table. You must use the Select feature first.
Foreground - Allows you to change the font color for a cell, column, or row in a table. You must use the Select feature first.
Insert Column/Row - Adds a column or row to a table.
Delete Column/Row - Removes the selected column/row from the table.
Data Setting - This option is specific to the selected row. Edit the name of the row, set the column width for displaying data, and select the number of decimals to be displayed.
Decimal Places - Globally set the decimals places to be displayed for all row.
When text or notes are added to the form from the top menu, in addition to the basic menu functions (cut, copy, paste, delete) these options are available:
Show Title - This option toggles the text or note title on or off. A check next to the option indicates it is turned on. The title is limited to one line of text. The actual text box fills the section allotted by the layout.
Overflow Text - Text boxes have a defined character limit based on the size of the text box. This option allows the text to exceed the character limit of the current text box. The additional text will not show on reports. The purpose of this is to allow you to include all of your desired text and then you can adjust the size of your text box to include all of the text as needed afterwards.
Start/Build Thread - When this option is selected, the text is displayed at the default font size and flows into additional text boxes (if available) when the written text is too large to fit in the first text box.
Cancel Threading - This cancels the threading chain. When this occurs, the font size of the text is reduced so that all text will fit into one box, and the subsequent text boxes are deleted.