Expiry Type vs. Template vs. Directory: what's the difference?
Three features that all "add structure" to expiries, but solve different problems - here's how to tell them apart.
What is it
These three are the features people most often mix up, because they all seem to be about "categorizing" expiries. They're actually solving three different problems:
Why / when to use it
- Expiry Type = a simple label for filtering/counting (e.g. "License", "Contract"). No extra fields. Use when you just need to group and search.
- Template = a reusable set of extra structured fields applied to an expiry (e.g. every vendor contract needs "Contract Value" and "Renewal Notice Period"). Use when the same category of expiry always needs the same additional structured data captured consistently, rather than typed loosely into Notes.
- Directory = reusable records about entities (people, companies, vendors, assets, properties) that exist independently of any one expiry and get linked to however many expiries relate to them. Use when the same real-world person/company/asset shows up across multiple expiries and you don't want to retype their details each time.
- A concrete example: a "Software License" Type groups all your license expiries together; a "Software License" Template adds fields like "Seats Purchased" and "License Key" to each one; a Directory entry for the vendor ("Acme Software Inc.") holds their account manager's contact info and gets linked to every expiry you have with them. All three can - and often should - be used together on the same expiry.