The goal of a "Clone Team" template is to copy an existing reference team in Microsoft Teams 1:1. Depending on your selection, channels, tabs, apps, members, and folder contents are duplicated. This function is ideal for Teamsware administrators to efficiently roll out standardized project environments.

1. Navigation: Opening Templates

To create a new template, first navigate to the administration area of your Teamsware environment:

• In the Teamsware Admin area, open the Templates and Packages block on the right side.
• Select the Templates menu item.

2. Initializing a New Template

In the "All Templates" overview, you can manage existing templates or add new ones:

• Use filters if necessary (Active, Disabled, All by Type).
• Click the Add New Item button while you are in the "Active" tab.

3. Creating a Template – Basic Data

Fill in the standard form with the basic information:

• Title: Choose a descriptive name (e.g., "Clone AK - Project Team Construction File").
• Active: Set the toggle to Yes so the template appears in the selection list.
• Order: Here you can define the sorting in the list (solely for visual organization).
• Description: Enter a short purpose for the template.
• Template Type: You must select Team.

4. Switching the Creation Variant to "Clone Team"

By default, the creation variant is set to "New Team" (empty team). For a cloning process, you must change this:

1. In the "Team Template" section, change the creation variant to Clone Team.
2. After the switch, the field for the Teams / Group ID will appear.

5. Determining and Entering the Reference Team's Group ID

To clone the correct team, Teamsware requires the unique identification number (GUID) of the reference team.

How to obtain the ID:

• Go to the desired reference team in Microsoft Teams.
• Click on the three dots (More) and select Get link to team.

Important when pasting:

In the "Teams / Group ID" field, only the pure GUID should be entered. A copied link looks like this, for example:
.../conversations?groupId=3d86411a-da6f-4053-8138-3b9dc6f89e5a&tenantId=...

Remove all characters before and after the ID, so that only the following part remains:
3d86411a-da6f-4053-8138-3b9dc6f89e5a

Note: If the complete URL or parameters like "tenantId=" remain in the field, the template will not be recognized and errors will occur.

6. Visibility and Governance Settings

These options define the default settings for every team created with this template:

• Visibility: Private (members only) or Public (discoverable by the entire tenant).
• Lock "Visibility" setting: Prevents users from manually changing this value when creating the team.
• Hide in Address List / Outlook: Controls visibility in M365 directories.
• Allow Guests: Determines whether external guests may be added to the team.

7. Defining Clone Options

Select individually which components of the reference team should be copied:

• Clone Apps? (e.g., Planner, OneNote, Tabs)
• Clone Channel / Channels? (Copies the entire channel structure)
• Clone Members? (Adopts all existing owners and members)
• Clone Tabs? (Adopts pinned websites or apps)

8. Linking Naming Conventions

Scroll down to link the template with your naming rules for titles and SharePoint URLs:

• Naming Convention (Title): Rule for the team name (e.g., PR_Number_ProjectName).
• Naming Convention (URL): Rule for the SharePoint site URL.

Important: The rules must have been created separately in the admin area beforehand. Ensure that the App Type of the rule matches the field (Teams rule for the title, SharePoint rule for the URL). An incorrect combination leads to error messages during team creation.

9. Common Errors & Solutions

Tip: After saving the template, always perform a test run with a test project to ensure that all naming conventions and cloning settings apply as desired.