Working with Templates

A Template is a collection of business logic and document language that will assemble a transaction-specific document based upon data within a Data Set created when one or more Users answer Interview questions. Each Template produces a document in the Document package for a given Transaction.

Creating a Template

Creating and uploading Templates is often the first step in creating content for an Account's Users. To create and upload the new Template, follow these steps:

• Obtain the HotDocs Package File version for your desired Template - All Templates used on the Document Agility are created in a commercially available document assembly software called HotDocs. There are two ways to obtain the HotDocs Package File Version of a HotDocs Template:
  • If you are the creator of the HotDocs Template - From within your HotDocs Developer Template List, right click the Template you wish to publish, click Upload then click Save Locally. At the screen which follows click OK to save a local copy of the Package File for your Template (which has a file extension of .hdpkg). See the HotDocs documentation on Template Packages for additional details.
  • If you are solely the Document Agility Content Provider - Ask the HotDocs Template creator to provide the Package File to you by following the steps above.
• Access the Create Template screen - From the Content Administration Main screen, click the Create Template button in the top right corner of the Templates list. This will launch the Upload Document Template screen.
• Enter Basic Template Information - Enter a screen name and description for the Template. Keep in mind that the screen name you provide will be the default name for any document that is generated using the Template, so the name must make sense to your End Users. In our banking example, this Template is for Loan Agreements, so the Template name could be "Loan Agreement". We might create another type of loan agreement template for other content we maintain, but both loan agreements might need to be named "Loan Agreement" in order to make sense to End Users. In that case it would be very important to enter a detailed Description to differentiate the two Templates.
• Choose the HotDocs Template Package File to upload - Click the Choose File button and browse to the correct HotDocs Template Package File on your computer that contains the Template (possibly along with an Interview) you wish to upload.
• Select whether your Template Contains and Interview - If your Template Package File also contains an Interview, which is permissible to do in HotDocs, click the Contains Default Interview check box. This indicated to the system that the Template contains an Interview that can be connected to one or more User Groups.
• Upload the Template - Click the Upload button at the bottom of the screen to start the upload process. Once the Template is uploaded, you will return to the Content Administration Main screen.

Editing Template Details

If you wish to change the name or description of a Template, follow these steps:

• Access your Template - From the Content Administration Main screen, in the Templates list, click the Edit button in the row corresponding to the Template you wish to edit.
• Make your desired changes - Enter your desired information in the Template Name and Desription text boxes at the top of the Edit Template screen.
• Save your Selections - Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen to save your selections. You will then return to the Content Administration Main screen.

Configuring Document Viewing/Generating Rights

Document Agility allows Content Providers to configure rights for any given User Group to view and/or generate documents that are part of a Transaction. To do this User Groups must be given appropriate access rights to the Template(s) that make up the Transaction Type.

To configure Template viewing/generating rights for User Groups, follow these steps:

• Access your Template - From the Content Administration Main screen, in the Templates list, click the Edit button in the row corresponding to the Template for which you wish to give one or more User Groups rights to view and/or generate Documents created by the Template.
• Connect your Template a User Group - In the Edit User Group Access to Generate and View Documents Using this Template section of the page, select the desired User Group from the Select User Group: drop down list.
• Choose the desired viewing and/or generating rights - Just beneath the Select User Group: drop down list, select whether Users in the User Group should be able to View Only or Generate & View Documents created with the Template.
• Choose whether or not Users can Ignore Unanswered Questions - Just beneath the viewing/generating selection, choose whether Users can ignore unanswered questions in the Interview and generate incomplete Documents anyway. There are times when this ability may be desirable. For example, in the case of very long documents when the User wants to see language in the document in certain areas that are complete, even when other sections may not yet be complete. To allow ignore unanswered click, the check box next to the Allow to ignore unanswered option.
• Choose the desired Document Output Format - In the Selected Output Formats selection, choose the Document Output format(s) in which Users in the Group can generate documents using the given Template.
• Grant Access to the Template - Click the Grant Access button to add the selected viewing/generating rights to the selected User Group.
• Save your Selections - Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen to save your selections. You will then return to the Content Administration Main screen.
  
   

Deleting a Template

If you wish to delete a Template, follow these steps:

• Access your Template - From the Content Administration Main screen, in the Templates list, click the Delete button in the row corresponding to the Template you wish to delete.
• Confim your action - Click the Delete button in the confirmation popup.
   

  TIP - You cannot delete a Template which has already been used to create documents.

  WARNING: Deleted Templates cannot be restored. Please be sure you wish to delete your Template before doing so.

Uploading a New Template Version

One of the primary reasons to use a document automation system such as Document Agility is the ability to react quickly to changes in best practices, regulations, and organization requirements by making changes to the Templates which drive document production. Whenever you or your HotDocs template developer makes a change to a Template, you would upload the new version of the Template to the Document Agility system.

Document Agility allows you to upload updated an Template as a new Template Version of an existing Template. This way, you do not have to configure the access, viewing or generating rights of the new Template. Your updated Template will continue to have the same configuration as the original template and will simple be considered as a new Version of the original Template. Document Agility will track all of the version history for Templates on the system, so you can easily see when various versions were uploaded and by whom.

To upload a new Template Version, follow these steps:

• Obtain the HotDocs Package File version for your updated Template - Either save your updated template and package it as an .hdpkg file in HotDocs or obtain the Package File for the updated Template from your HotDocs Template creator.
• Access the Template Version module for the Template you wish to update - From the Content Administration Main screen, in the Templates list, click the New Version button in the row corresponding to the Template you wish to update.
• Choose the HotDocs Template Package File to upload - Click the Choose File button and browse to the correct HotDocs Template Package File on your computer that contains your updated Template (possibly along with an Interview) you wish to upload. The Version to be Created area will list the version number you will be creating.
• Select whether your Template Contains and Interview - If your Template Package File also contains an Interview, click the Contains Default Interview check box. This indicated to the system that the Template contains an Interview that can be connected to one or more User Groups. This setting must be the same as it was for the original Template file.
• Upload the Template - Click the Upload button at the bottom of the screen to start the upload process. Once the Template is uploaded, you will return to the Content Administration Main screen.
  
  

  WARNING: When uploading a new Template Version, if you previous Template contains an Interview, your updated template must contain one as well, and you must indicate this by clicking the Contains Default Interview check box.

   TIP - In order to be able to determine which template changes were made in your various versions, it is best practice to name the actual file name of each updated template you upload to Document Agility with a descriptive unique name, such that you or your HotDocs template developer can identify it in your HotDocs Developer template list.

Viewing Template Version History

To view the version history for a Template, from the Content Administration Main screen, in the Templates list, click the View Version History link in the row corresponding to the Template whose history you wish to view. This will take you to the Template Versions screen.

In the Template Version History list on this screen you can view information about the current Template Version and any previous versions, including:

• Name - Name of the Template Version, including the version number and the date it was uploaded.
  
  
• Version Number - The numerical version number.
  
  
• Template File - The Template file name. This is useful for determining precisely which changes were made in which versions.
  
  
• Uploaded By - The Content Provider User who uploaded the new Template Version.

• Date Uploaded - The date on which the new Template Version was uploaded.

Upload New Version Button - This button allows you to upload a new Template Version for the selected Template.

   TIP - In order to be able to determine which template changes were made in your various versions, it is best practice to name the actual file name of each updated template you upload to Document Agility with a descriptive unique name, such that you or your HotDocs template developer can identify it in your HotDocs Developer template list.