PATHAGORAS™ Users' Guide, Part 4
Comments would be greatly appreciated to improve the usefulness of the text below and of the program.
  Section F. Document Assembly:
 'The Personal Touch'
InstantDatabase, GotForms? and External Databases
To proceed to a specific subject on this page, please click on one of the below links:
Personalizing the document
(for the very simplest way to neuter a document, click here)
     Pathagoras provides several methods by which the final assembled product can be quickly and easily personalized. As used here,  'personalizing' a document means simply 'filling in the blanks.' The exact steps which will be followed depend upon how the 'blanks' appear in the document.

    Pathagoras actually allows several methods for personalizing documents. You can create plain text variables and use the InstantDatabase or GotForms? modules to replace the document variables with personal data. Or you may link your document to an actual (external) database. Links to a full discussion of each of these options will be provided following the quick tutorials.
Creating Variables: A 10-second tutorial
  1. Put brackets around the word you want to use as variable. E.g., "[ClientName]"
  2. That's it.
Creating Multiple Choice variables: A 10-second tutorial
  1. Put slashes between the choices. E.g., '[he/she/they]" or "[crimson red/bright white/navy blue]"
  2. That's it.
Creating Groups for Multiple Choice Variables
(so all members of the group can be changed at one time; E.g., he/she they; him/her/them)
  1. Precede the multiple choice selections with a group name surrounded by exclamation marks.  E.g.,  "[!Trustee!/he/she/they]" and "[!Trustee!/him/her/their]" and "[!Trustee!/his/her/their]"
  2. That's it.
Once you have created variables in your document, save it for later use.
Scanning for Variables: A 10-second tutorial
Variables aren't much good unless there is an easy way to display them. 
Here are two easy ways.  Before you 'scan', recall to the editing screen a document
that has been marked with 'brackets' as discussed above.
One at a time
  1. Press <Alt-S> to display the GotForms? overlay. ('S' stands for  'scan.')
  2. Click <Start>. GotForms? will locate, and stop at, each underline or bracketed variable and allow you to provide text to replace the variable. If a multiple choice variable is encountered, each choice is represented by a separate button.
All at a time
  1. Press <Alt-D> to display the InstantDatabase mask.
  2. Click the <Scan> button (found at lower right hand section of mask). Pathagoras will place all bracketed variables into the left hand column of the mask. Type in (or call in) the data needed to personalize the form. When done, press <Next>. All substitutions are made instantly.


    All methods available to personalize a document can be applied against the same document.  So you can create fields to link to data in your external database, but for those variables which are not represented in the database, complete them using Pathagoras' own InstantDatabase. For still other variables (which can be 'coded' with different begin and end markers), use GotForms? to provide the finishing touches. This mutidatabase, and simultaneous database, capacity makes Pathagoras different from all other programs on the market.

Instant Database is discussed at this link.
GotForms? is discussed at this link.

External Databases:
     Direct linking to ODBC compliant databases is discussed at this link.
  

      Indirect linking to proprietary type databases (TimeMatters, ACT, AmicusAttorney,etc.) is more fully discussed at this link and in Professor Pathagoras (found in the program itself).

Part B of this Section 4 will discuss the two main document assembly screens.

Part A of this Section 4 provides an introduction to document assembly.

Part B of this Section 4 discusses the two main document assembly system screens.
Part C of Section 4 will discuss the engine behind the surface: the Settings screen.
Part D will guide you through the steps needed to create your own document assembly system.
Part E discusses alternative document assembly methods.
Part G takes you step-by-step through the process of adding 'books' to your libraries.



View Part 1 of Users' Guide (Introduction)
View Part 2 of Users' Guide (PathSmart module)
Return to Part 3 of Users' Guide (SaveSmart module)
Continue with Part 5 of Users' Guide (Glossary module)
View Part 6 of Users' Guide (Database Link module)
View Part 7 of Users' Guide (Other Features)

Revised 01/24/05