A neat trick in the DMP FLO Suite's InDesign templates is the use of layers in the template to make some parts of the template conditional. For an end user it is no more than checking a checkbox. But on the server-side, this will mean that the entire look and feel of the template can change.
Pannels or Logos
In a huge amount of cases, these layers are used for pannels, logos, or different promotional indications. 2 for the price of 1, house brand, for sale, and so on. DTP personnel simply create the definition in the FLO Suite interface, and are able to create layers in the InDesign templates. End users check a checkbox ("ForSale", or whatever), and the logo or pannel that is placed on the matching InDesign layer is shown in the output PDF of the template. And by using a few more standard InDesign options (like text wrap on images), the rest of the lay-out automatically adapts itself to the presence of these items. After all, InDesign Server has the same logic and way of working as InDesign itself.
Different information
In other cases, the layers are used to make distinctions in types of information shown in the template output. A simple example could be a business card for a bank. If the user ordering the business card is an office director, the text on the business card will be different from a normal employee. This could be handled by creating two templates, but sometimes it much easier to embed everything into the same template. Less maintenance, more transparancy for users.
Different lay-outs
Similarly, these layers sometimes actually contain completely different lay-outs. A layer with two images and a long description, one with three images and a short descriptions, and the list goes on. Depending on the content (or a decision of the user), a different lay-out can be used. Similar to differences in content, these functionalites might be the difference between 5 InDesign templates, or a single template. And that can save you time.
User in control
The decision for the use of the proper template is often put in the hands of the user. He selects an item from a pulldown, or checks one of the available checkboxes, and the result is shown. If the content doesn't look good enough, a different combination is tried, untill the preview of the output suits his wishes.
Automatic calculations
Or in other cases, the choice is made automatically. The example of the bank director is just one case of that. Point of sales materials for supermarkets (with actions, pannels, old prices, and so on) are another very fine case where a lot of the layers are hidden or shown based on the information of the underlying product.