'Assemble' Your First Document

An Overriding 'Pathagorean' Principle

You should never 'assemble' any documents using an original document(s) as the 'base.' You should only work with copies of the original text. So long as you abide by this rule, you will not accidentally overwrite the original by forgetting to do a 'SaveAs'.

When used as suggested, Pathagoras automatically implements this rule for you. When you select a document using Pathagoras tools, you will always be working on a copy.

How do you know it is a copy? Look for the 'name' of the document in the upper left hand corner of the screen. It will be named "Document1", "Document5", etc.

Of course, there is one exception to the above rule. When you are intentionally editing the original with the goal of improving the source text itself (refining the text, adding variables, correcting spelling errors, etc.), you must open and work on the original document. But NEVER NEVER NEVER use the original of a document with the idea of editing it to become a final document for a specific client or customer.

If you find yourself working on the original for other than source editing purposes, you should rethink your process, and implement the tools provided by the program. If you do nothing else in your early days with the program you should at least "Create your First Library" and "Shelve your First Book"

To 'assemble’ your first document from the book you just created:

1.	Click the document assembly icon. The ‘Document Assembly (Libraries & Books)’ screen will again appear, but this time it will display the book(s) you shelved in earlier parts of this lesson.

2.	Select the option button next to the name of the book you assigned in the above exercise. (If you did not create a new book or library, and saved the document into your Word default document folder, click the Default Document folder, typically folder #7 in the DocAssemDemo Library.)

3.	Click the Next>> button. The Clause Selection Screen displays. All of the documents in the selected book will show in the left panel. You should even see the document you created in steps taken in earlier sections of this Manual.

4.	Click on the form document you created in the previous steps.

Diversion: press the <Preview> button. The first 1000 characters of the text of the form will appear in a preview screen. So, if you are not quite sure what a particular clause says or does, preview it. Close the Preview screen.

5.	Click the <<Add>> button to move your selection from the left column to the right. (You can also double click on the selection to accomplish the transfer.)

6.	If it is not already selected, select the "Assemble" radio button at the top right side of the screen. Then click the Next>> button.

A copy of the form you selected for assembly will quickly be inserted onto a new page. (You can tell it is a copy, and not the original document, because it is called "Document 2" or "Document 5" or something like that. The original document is safely tucked away in your folder. This prevents accidentally overwriting the original forms -- not that you have ever done that, but some other people have).

These steps place a copy of the form onto your editing screen.

You have now 'assembled' a document. As a practical matter, however, you have only placed a copy of only one document onto your editing screen. Nevertheless, you are well on your way to understanding what document assembly is all about. We hope that you are able to see (from just the little bit of work you have done thus far) the beginnings of a highly flexible, highly functional document assembly system.