This article offers advanced Microsoft Give-and-take (2010-2013) techniques for creating a protected template with fillable fields (or "Content Controls" in Microsoft terminology) for data that cannot be completed by Clio's merge field tags. These techniques would be useful for creating protected trust receipts with Document Automation.

Related article: Tutorial - Using Document Automation to Create a Trust Receipt

If you are not familiar with Document Automation, please run across the following support manufactures:

Using Clio's Certificate Automation
How to Create a Certificate Template

Contents

Showing the Developer Tab
Calculation Grade Controls
Control Backdrop
Formatting Form Controls
Calculation Editing Restrictions/Protection to your Template
Avant-garde Document Automation Webinar

Showing the Developer Tab

The tools that you will need to add class controls to your template tin can be found in the Developer tab which is subconscious by default.

To prove the Developer tab,  click "File".

File.png

Then click "Options".

Options.png

In the Word Options window,

  1. Click on "Customize Ribbon" in the left-hand sidebar.
  2. In the Tabs area on the right, bank check the box beside "Programmer".
  3. Click OK.

Customize_Ribbon.png

Adding Form Controls

On the "Programmer" tab  1, in the "Controls" group  2 are a number of bachelor class control fields.

Developer_Tab.png

Some useful form controls are:

To add a form control to your template, click in the document where y'all want the control to go, so click on the icon for the control that you want to add.

Control_Added.png

To change the default placeholder text on the control ("Click hither to enter text" in the higher up case) click "Pattern Mode".
To change the Properties of the command, click "Backdrop".

Design_Mode.png

Control Properties

Each command has options that can be accessed by clicking "Properties" with the command you want to change selected.

For example, this is how y'all volition add options to a Dropdown Selection Control or specify the appointment format displayed when using the Appointment Picker Control.

Example #1 — Rich Text Content Control Properties

RichText_Control_Properties.png

The example to the left shows the basic Property options available to course content controls.

  • Calculation a proper name to the "Title" field, will display that name when the control is selected.
  •  The "Show as" dropdown box allows y'all to change the basic advent of the control's bounding box or tags.

  •  The "Locking" options are only useful if your template controls already incorporate content that you practise non want to be changed or delete. Do not cheque these options if you wait that the content may demand to be added or changed in the content control.

Case #two — Combo/Dropdown Selection Command Properties

Dropdown_Control_2.png

In addition to the backdrop detailed above, the Dropdown List Control Properties gives y'all the ability to add options for the user to select from when completing the grade.

To add a new selection to the dropdown control, click the "Add together" button. To edit an existing pick, click on it so click the "Modify" button. To delete an choice, click on it then click "Remove".

Example #3 — Engagement Picker Control Properties

Date_Control_2.png

The Appointment Picker Control Properties allow you to select the format of the date that is displayed when the user selects a day from the mini calendar.

Click on a appointment format in the selection area to select it, then click OK.

Formatting Form Controls

By default, the text that is input into a command will have the same formatting every bit the line that information technology was added to.  To change the formatting of the text that is input into the control, highlight the command with "Design Manner" OFF and make formatting adjustments equally you would to any other text.

To alter the diction or formatting of the command'southward placeholder text:

  1. Turn on "Design Manner".
  2. Highlight the placeholder text and make formatting adjustments as desired.
  3. Turn OFF "Design Style".

When formatting control placeholder text, go along in mind that the default styling of that placeholder may not make it easy to immediately identify every bit a form control. Adding a highlight or some distinctive styling to the placeholder will make it more than visible in your document. When the terminate user types or selects content in the control, the placeholder formatting volition disappear and the content will take the styling of that line in your document.

Calculation Editing Restrictions/Protection to Your Template

Protecting your template tin ensure that any user or Contact who may be completing your merged documents will but be able to modify information that is in the form controls that you add to your template.

To restrict editing on your template:

  1. Become to the Developer tab.
  2. Click on "Restrict Editing"
  3. In the Restrict Editing sidebar on the right, check the box under step "2. Editing restrictions" and change the dropdown to "Filling in Forms".
  4. Click "Yes, Offset Enforcing Protection" nether footstep "three. Offset enforcement".

    Restrict_Editing.png

  5. In the Commencement Enforcing Protection pop-up, enter in an optional password if you want the certificate to be password protected, or click OK if you do not want to add countersign protection.

    start_enforcing.png

  6. Relieve the protected template as a new version to ensure that you don't overwrite your original certificate.

Once uploaded to Clio, the protected template will create new protected Word documents while still pulling information from Clio.

More information is available on Microsoft.com

Advanced Document Automation Webinar

In under an hr, nosotros demonstrate avant-garde MS Word techniques for adding conditional fields and form controls to your Word template. We also demonstrate how to add together editing restrictions to your template. This advanced webinar is intended for users who are already comfortable with creating Word templates for use in Document Automation.

Click Hither to view the recording.