GotForms?

Summary:

     GotForms? is the easiest possible way to create and to complete standard word processing forms.

     How can we make such a claim? Because, except for mind reading, it is impossible for anything to be easier. Here are GotForms? features:

          There is no coding.           There are no field markers.
          There is no bookmarking.   There is nothing but plain text and your forms.

Yet when you see it in operation, you will be blown away by how elegantly it operates.

________________________

Two basic questions typically surface when one is designing a form:

1. "When I am creating a form, how do I mark the spots where a client's or customer's personal information goes?" and
2. "When I personalize a form or an assembled document, how do I get the program to stop where I want that personal information to be inserted?"

GotForms? provides the easiest possible answers to those questions.  

A little 'commentary' on the above.

     The document you select in Step 1 of the above instructions can be an existing letter or form, or one that you just composed. The document can also be a fully developed document assembly glossary created with Pathagoras .

     The 'begin' and 'end' marks added in Step 2 can be [brackets], {braces}, (parenthesis), or <&a combination of characters&>. Actually ,   * @anything@* will do. The only requirement is that the 'begin' marks be distinct from the 'end' marks, and that the character not otherwise appear naturally in the document. (Parentheses, while legitimate begin and end characters, are not a good choice since they are so often used in standard writing.)

     Consistent with other PATHAGORAS modules, GotForms ? is a 'no codes allowed' zone. In other programs, the variables are noted by field markers, bookmarks or other hidden coding. With GotForms?, variables are indicated with simple, plain text brackets or other begin and end marks. If you have one or more form documents you need GotForms ? 

PATHAGORAS and GotForms?

  PATHAGORAS is all about making your day and your work easier. GotForms? is no different. This GotForms? module (like other Pathagoras tools) is simple and straightforward. All activity is in 'plain text.' there are no fields to create, no formulas to write.

I.   Creating and neutering your first form:  

     Recall a favorite document onto your editing screen. Look to see what variable information it contains.   Names, addresses, quantities, colors, etc. Signature blocks. All of these can be variables.

     Put brackets around each variable term (Simple ordinary brackets will do. No codes, nothing fancy).

     Optional, but recommended: Add descriptive words in place of the personal terms used in your last letter. This will help future users understand what is to go in each spot. So, instead of leaving the customers name in place, but surrounded by brackets, delete the name and replace with "Customer Name". (The actual variable will be "[Customer Name]."

     Plus, if you want to provide the user with a selection of options (e.g., "I prefer [bananas/apples/pears/grapes] with my lunch.") simply present the variables within the bracket, separated by slashes. The choices ('bananas' 'apples' 'pears' and 'grapes') will appear as blue 'button' text on the Scanning overlay form. See the GotForms? screen shots and the Gotforms? video.

More details:

• Create a variable within any document using simple brackets, braces or any other kind of enclosing characters.
• Or create a variable within any document using a simple underline.   Underlines work simultaneously with all other enclosing characters.
• Create a list of plain text options by separating the choices with a slash ('/')
• You can include PATHAGORAS glossary terms in your list of options. Tell GotForms ? that it is a glossary term simply by enclosing it with double 'lesser than' and 'greater than' signs. You can even provide a list of optional glossary (note the slash) terms like this:
  
  "Follow the below instructions in order to cook the your steak [<<cook120rare>>/<<cook120medium>>/<<cook120welldone>>]"
  
  
  The option buttons that will appear when above choices are process with reflect '<cook120rare>', '<cook120medium>' and '<cook120welldone>'.
  
  

• This is a bit more advanced, but you can even provide the user with an explanation as to what the glossary terms mean. Just precede the glossary term option with the explanation enclosed within exclamation marks ("!").   Like this:
  
  "Follow the below instructions on cooking your chicken:
  [!fried!<<cook210>>/!baked!<<cook220>>/!grilled!<<cook230>>]"
  
  
  The option buttons will still reflect the glossary terms within the double-braces (e.g., '<cook210>', '<cook220>' and '<cook230>' choices, but when the user hovers the cursor over the buttons, each will display the appropriate text as shown between the "!' s ".)

II.   Completing a document with GotForms ?

     So how do you complete a document with GotForms? Easy. Simply display the form onto your editing screen. Press the <GotForms?> button located in the PATHAGORAS drop down menu (or simply press <Alt-S> for scan). GotForms? will find each variable, one at a time, stopping at each to give you the opportunity to substitute personal values.

     Once you have finished with the now personalized form, save it to where you normally save completed client or customer documents. (When you save the completed forms, make sure that you press " SaveAs " so that you don't copy over the original. Or even better, use PATHAGORAS ' Save Smart features to save the new document to a SmartPath without any navigation whatsoever. )

More details:

• Replacement options include: <Replace Once>, <Replace All>, <Skip> and <Undo>. (With <Replace> and <Replace All>, all emphasis elements of the replaced terms --bold, italics, caps, etc. -- are retained).  
• Quickly choose from a selection of option buttons which automatically display when options have been listed in the form. E.g., if the text reads "[Atty Jones/ Atty Smith/ Atty Green]," when GotForms? encounters this grouping, it will display three buttons bearing the names of the 3 attorneys. Up to five buttons may be displayed. Press the button you want and the text is inserted.
• Show the 'context' of the variable in a special window (particularly helpful when your are replacing variables noted by underlines.
• Use GotForms? to process optional ('take it or leave it') text. When it encounters bracketed text, Pathagoras will that text between brackets into the 'grey' box at the top of the overlay screen. You can select the text (for word for work inclusiong, as opposed to for replacement) by double-clicking in the grey box. That will drop the text (minus the brackets, and if used, minus the word *Optional*) into the 'white' text box (where you otherwise would have typed replacement text). If you want the text, click the <Replace> button. Iif you don't want it, click the delete button. (And, yes, you can even modify the text before clicking the <Replace> button.)
• Using the special <Less> and <More> buttons on the GotForms? scanning screen, toggle between 'full screen' and 'minimal screen' views. (With the minimal screen view, you move from variable to variable simply by pressing the tab button. Text substitutions are performed directly on the document. The only drawback is that you will not have the features such as Replace All and the multiple choice buttons that are available in the full screen view.

Note: The 'scanning' component of GotForms? is always active and always ready. When <Alt-S> is pressed, GotForms? is instantly called.

III.   A built-in alternative to GotForms?

     If you like GotForms? but would prefer to view and complete all of your variables at once, consider Pathagoras ' InstantDatabase Scan feature. It uses the same engine, but places what it finds onto the left hand column of the InstantDatabase worksheet. InstantDatabase Scan can identify, present, search for and replace up to 60 separate variables in a single sweep. If you have more than 60 variables, Scan for the first 60 and make the substitutions. Then Scan for the remainder in a second session. (Exception: Because you need 'context' to determine what is needed to complete an underline, you must use GotForms? to fill in blank lines) Click here to read more about InstantDatabase.

     GotForms? and InstantDatabase (IDB) are very much complementary tools. They do just about the same things (providing an easy means to substitute personal data for variables located in a document). They can even share the same variables. Here are the major differences:

• GotForms? works on one variable at a time.
• IDB works on all variables simultaneously.
• With GotForms? the variable [Name] would be acceptable since you can read the text surrounding the variable and complete it accordingly. The variable [Name] probably wouldn't work so well with IDB unless only one name appeared in the the entire document.
• With IDB, you can save the association between a variable and the personal data. This cannot be done with GotForms? If you think that you will be reusing the data on the same form or another form with identical variables, complete the form with IDB, and save the data. If it is a know 'one time only' forms completion, GotForms? may be the quicker technique.

     Hint: It is possible to mark up your text so that a GotForms? scan will pick up one set of variables and InstantDatabase Scan another set. The more you become familiar with the strengths of the two systems, the more power you will see they bring to your word processing environment.

     Not only can you create original forms for your system with GotForms?, but you can use GotForms? with any existing document from any source that has brackets or underlines to identify variable information.  Many third-party vendors (Lexis/Nexis(tm) , West (TM) Law Services, etc.,) distribute forms with variables marked with brackets, braces, parenthesis or underlines. Other forms on the Internet and elsewhere (CLE, professional development courses, specialty forms) are often distributed with simple brackets, braces or underlines indicating where variable information is to go. These forms are now your forms. And the answer to the questions GotForms? is almost always 'Yes.'

     Note: some forms use (parentheses) to mark the variables. Others use {braces}. GotForms? doesn't care! The face of the GotForms? overlay screen provides space for you to indicate the character(s) used by the supplier of the forms to mark the variables.

The above is a simple Bill of Sale obtained from X-drive's(tm) 'Free Forms' ( www.xdrive.com )
  GotForms? makes it simple to complete this (as well as any other ) form you may find on the Internet,
on your computer, in your CLE materials -- anywhere.

Available exclusively with Pathagoras.

If you think GotForms? is is easy, learn how easy it is to create a complete, fully functional, ready to use glossary from one of your existing documents:

Instant Glossary

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