PATHAGORAS™ Users' Guide, Part 5
Glossaries
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  Section F.
The 'General' Glossary and the 'Super' Glossary
Summary:
      Pathagoras Glossaries allow tremendous power to the document assembly process by allowing you to collect all of your clauses of like kind (will clauses, contract clauses, etc.) into a single document, and to build complex documents using the language that you select. But a certain type of glossary (a 'general' glossary adds another level of power and ease to your system

   A 'general' glossary is a typical, ordinary glossary. However, unlike the glossaries discussed in previous sections, a general glossary houses frequently used terms such as letterhead or signature blocks, short hand codes (e.g., "twimc" could equal "To whom It May Concern:") and any other items that you find yourself frequently typing. For attorneys, a general glossary is a good place to store addresses to the clerks of the court, or of attorneys with whom you frequently correspond. A general glossary (like any other glossary) can contain text or pictures or Word fields. The contents of a particular term can be plain text or highly formated.  There are no limits.

       The function is similar to the AutoText and AutoCorrect features that Word allows, but go those systems one better in the following regards:
  • Portability.  It is much easier to move a single glossary containing 150 clauses than moving 150 documents, each containing one clause.
  • View-ability. You can open a single document and globally scan (and share text among and between) 150 clauses within the general glossary than move back and forth between Autocorrect entries. 
  • Editi-ability. Same as above. Block moving, copying etc., is much more easily done within a glossary (a Word document) than within the small 'AutoText' and 'AutoCorrect'. screens
  • Print-ability. If the user wishes to print the clauses to place in a notebook, etc., it is much easier to print a single document than hundreds. Further, a single document can be formatted and paginated to the user's desires. Separate documents will necessarily print on separate pages, an may require separate Page Setup manipulations.
  • 'It's your call'-ability.  Turn off "AutoCorrect". Call a term when and where you want it with <Alt-G>. The AutoCorrect function is nice in many situations, but many people find its automatic operation a real pain. For example, we had an AutoCorrect term called 'style' which contained the standard Plaintiff  vs. Defendant layout found at the top of most legal pleadings. Every time we typed 'style' (such as in the sentence," . . .the style of his writing . . ."), Word stuck in the AutoCorrect text associated with 'style'. There are other instances where Word replaces things when you least expect it.  With a general glossary, you call have your cake (your shorthand terms) and eat it too. It's not automatic, but how hard is it to press <Alt-G>? Note: You will not lose any AutoCorrect terms you saved -- if Alt-G cannot find your request in any of the glossaries in your library, it will look in your AutoCorrect library.
  • See this link for more comparisons of Pathagoras' Glossaries to Words AutoCorrect function.
Make the 'General Glossary' your Position #1 Glossary. The general glossary (no matter what name you assign to it)  will probably become your 'primary' glossary. this is so regardless of any document assembly objective you may have in your overall systems design. You will want quick and easy access all the time to signature blocks, frequently used addresses, or other 'must have at my fingertips' clauses and terms.  The general glossary should therefore be in every library and it should also reside in the number one position.  The reason for the nmber one position is simply a matter of how Pathagoras was programmed--when an <Alt-G> call is made, Pathagoras will look first for the term in the glossary sitting in the first position in the active library. 

    Part 5a discusses Glossaries in general.
    Part 5b of this discusses creation of glossaries and adding terms 'one at a time.'
    Part 5c discusses Simple List glossaries.
    Part 5d provides detailed guidance regarding the Glossary Functions screen.
    Part 5e provide instruction and guidance on Pathagoras powerful 'Bulk Add' feature.

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View Introduction (Part 1).
View Part 2 of Users' Guide (PathSmart module)
View Part 3 of Users' Guide (SaveSmart module).
Return to Part 4 of Users' Guide (Document Assembly module).
View Part 6 of Users' Guide (Database Linking module)
Continue with Part 7 of Users' Guide (Other Features).