'Create Variables' Assistant
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'Create Variables' Assistant |
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'Create Variables' Assistant |
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Using the 'Create Variables' Assistant.
The 'Create Variables' assistant turns what otherwise might be an arduous process of Pathagorizing a document into a cake walk. It allows you to take an existing document, one which might be filled with 'personal data' (names, addresses, sizes, colors, etc.) and quickly convert each piece of personal data into a variable. It is one of those 'must know' features about the program.
To activate the 'Create Variables' Assistant, click the “'Create Variables' Ass't” entry in the Pathagoras drop down features list. This screen will appear.
Figure 1. The Initial 'Create Variable' Assistant Screen.
There are two distinct sections to the CVA. The top section is used to add variables to your text. The 'below the line' the tools can be used to properly and automatically format <<*Options*>> and <<*Optional*>> text blocks. We'll discuss the top section first.
I. There are two sides to the top section:
A. The left side would typically be used to convert text in a document that is currently 'personal' in nature. For example, let's assume that you wish to Pathagorize a will that was originally written for, and has lots of instances of "Janet Q. Doe", "James R. Doe" etc. You want to use this as a 'source document' but need to convert all personal data into bracketed variables (e.g., "[Client Name]", "[Spouse Name]", "[Children's Names]", etc.). Here is how:
| 1. | Highlight the first piece of personal information you encounter (name, address, color, date, etc.) |
| 2. | Display the 'Create Variables' Assistant. (It is the 2nd entry from the top in the Pathagoras drop down features list.) |
| 3. | Check the "Convert highlighted text to a variable" box beneath the [Bracket Text] button. |
| 4. | Click the [Bracket Text] button. |
| 5. | Pathagoras will ask you to provide a variable name to replace the personal information. Type something like "Name of Customer" or "Address of Client" or "Shipping Date" or whatever is appropriate.(Don't include the bracket. Pathagoras adds that for you automatically.) |
| 6. | Pathagoras will replace the highlighted text with the new bracketed variable. It will then ask if you want to replace all other instances of the 'personal text' with the bracketed variable. In most cases you should say 'Yes. |
| 7. | Continue replacing personal data with variables. The CVA will remain on screen. If it gets 'in the way' you can easily drag it to a corner of your screen.' |
If the document contains variable-type names, and you wish to place brackets around the names, press the bracket text only box.
If the personal information is a single word, you need only place your cursor within the word. Pathagoras will expand to include the whole word. Further, if, as you highlighting text, you picked up the space at the end of the last word, don't worry about backing it out. Pathagoras will automatically back it out for you.
"Sanitizing" your document. Let's assume that you are working from a document you earlier (i.e., pre-Pathagoras) created for a client or customer. This document is a 'perfect' model for future documents, but it is laden with personal information, and you know that highlighting and converting variables one-at-a-time will take a lot of time. Not to worry. You can quickly sanitize the document by pre-marking the text and using the "+[. . .]" ('Sanitizer') tool to locate, and then convert, each spot where you want to insert a variable. The pre-markup involves only these steps:
1. type the characters "+[" in front of the first instance of the text you want to convert, and a ']' at the end.
For example:
Original text: "This will confirm your order of one thousand red widgets. You can expect delivery of your order no later than March 25, 2019. Thank you for ordering your supply of widgets from us."
Marked up text: "This will confirm your order of +[one thousand] +[red] +[widgets]. You can expect delivery of your order no later than +[March 25, 2019]. Thank you for ordering your supply of widgets from us."
Note in the example above that the second instance of 'widgets' is not marked. Pathagoras will change all instances of the bracketed text.
2. Click the 'Sanitizer' from the Create Variables Assistant. When you click the Sanitizer button, Pathagoras will scan for and stop at each marked location and ask you for a variable name. It will also ask if you wish to convert all other instances of that same text to the named variable.
B. The right side of the top section is for those situations where you want to add variables contained in a mask. A mask is an existing collection of variables. If you have previously created a form, and have existing variables spelled the way you want them, you should use a mask to 'Pathagorize' future documents. They are very easy to create. (See Masks.) Assuming that you have a mask which contains the kinds of variables you want for the on-screen document:
| 1. | Select the desired Mask from the drop down list at the right. The 'Create Variables' Assistant will load the variables in the mask into a dropdown list. |
| 2. | Locate the dropdown list in the menu area of the Word screen. The list name will be the mask name followed by the word "mask." (Word 2007 users: the list will be behind the Pathagoras tab, along with other Pathagoras tool bars.) |
| 3. | Then, ‘point and click’ in the list to move a variable from the list into your document. |
II. The 'below the line' tools allow you to create '<<*Options/Optional*>> text blocks for your document. It too is a highlight and click operation. Click here to be taken to the 'Create <<*Options*>> Assistant page of this Manual.
See Also:
