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

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

If you are not familiar with Document Automation, delight run into the following support articles:

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

Contents

Showing the Developer Tab
Adding Form Controls
Control Properties
Formatting Class Controls
Adding Editing Restrictions/Protection to your Template
Advanced Certificate Automation Webinar

Showing the Programmer Tab

The tools that you will need to add together form controls to your template can be found in the Developer tab which is hidden past default.

To testify the Developer tab,  click "File".

File.png

Then click "Options".

Options.png

In the Give-and-take Options window,

  1. Click on "Customize Ribbon" in the left-mitt 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 "Developer" tab  1, in the "Controls" grouping  two are a number of available class command fields.

Developer_Tab.png

Some useful grade controls are:

To add a course command to your template, click in the document where yous desire the command to become, then click on the icon for the control that you want to add together.

Control_Added.png

To change the default placeholder text on the control ("Click here to enter text" in the higher up example) click "Design Style".
To change the Properties of the command, click "Properties".

Design_Mode.png

Control Properties

Each control has options that tin can be accessed by clicking "Properties" with the control yous want to modify selected.

For example, this is how you volition add together options to a Dropdown Option Command or specify the engagement format displayed when using the Engagement Picker Command.

Instance #1 — Rich Text Content Control Properties

RichText_Control_Properties.png

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

  • Adding a name to the "Championship" field, volition brandish that name when the control is selected.
  •  The "Bear witness as" dropdown box allows y'all to alter the basic appearance of the command's bounding box or tags.

  •  The "Locking" options are simply useful if your template controls already contain content that you do not desire to be inverse or delete. Exercise not check these options if you expect that the content may demand to be added or changed in the content control.

Example #2 — Philharmonic/Dropdown Selection Control Properties

Dropdown_Control_2.png

In addition to the properties detailed above, the Dropdown List Command Properties gives you the ability to add options for the user to select from when completing the grade.

To add together a new option to the dropdown control, click the "Add" push button. To edit an existing option, click on it and then click the "Modify" push button. To delete an option, click on information technology and so click "Remove".

Example #3 — Date Picker Control Properties

Date_Control_2.png

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

Click on a engagement format in the selection surface area to select information technology, and so click OK.

Formatting Course Controls

By default, the text that is input into a control will accept the same formatting as the line that it was added to.  To change the formatting of the text that is input into the control, highlight the command with "Design Mode" OFF and brand formatting adjustments as you would to any other text.

To modify the wording or formatting of the control'due south placeholder text:

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

When formatting control placeholder text, keep in mind that the default styling of that placeholder may non brand information technology easy to immediately identify equally a form control. Calculation a highlight or some distinctive styling to the placeholder will make it more visible in your document. When the end 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.

Adding Editing Restrictions/Protection to Your Template

Protecting your template can ensure that whatsoever user or Contact who may be completing your merged documents will merely be able to modify information that is in the course controls that you add together to your template.

To restrict editing on your template:

  1. Go to the Programmer tab.
  2. Click on "Restrict Editing"
  3. In the Restrict Editing sidebar on the right, cheque the box under step "2. Editing restrictions" and change the dropdown to "Filling in Forms".
  4. Click "Yep, Starting time Enforcing Protection" under step "3. Offset enforcement".

    Restrict_Editing.png

  5. In the Start Enforcing Protection pop-up, enter in an optional password if you want the document to be password protected, or click OK if you lot exercise non want to add password protection.

    start_enforcing.png

  6. Save the protected template every bit a new version to ensure that y'all don't overwrite your original document.

Once uploaded to Clio, the protected template volition create new protected Word documents while nevertheless pulling data from Clio.

More information is available on Microsoft.com

Advanced Document Automation Webinar

In under an 60 minutes, nosotros demonstrate advanced MS Word techniques for calculation conditional fields and form controls to your Give-and-take template. We also demonstrate how to add editing restrictions to your template. This advanced webinar is intended for users who are already comfy with creating Give-and-take templates for utilize in Document Automation.

Click Hither to view the recording.