Interview Wizard

All of the above setups and logic equations can result in what is called an Interview (or 'Menu') Driven System. The goal of an Interview Driven System is to present to the end user all of the questions needed so that the document assembly program can make predetermined decisions based on the answers, and the resulting document is a close to perfect initial draft of the desired document as possible.

While this process resembles the 'Interview' features found in other programs, it really is not. Interview forms used in competitive programs require quite intricate and oftentimes complex setups:

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First of all, on top of the time you spend with document and template design, you must create a separate interview form for your project. You must connect the individual controls within the form to the 'results' you desire. The 'results' are typically a document or clause or file, but the results can also be branches or loops. Those branches or loops will lead to other forms, branches or loops.

In most programs, the 'results' connections is accomplished via exercises that result in complex commands that are inserted as fields either behind the base document or most likely in a separate file. Then you have to lock in the form as save it out to a special location under a special name with a special suffix.

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The Interviews in other programs are quite impressive when demonstrated by the salespeople offering their product. That is because they are prepared long before the demonstration is conducted. It should be apparent that the same will not occur in your office on your form without a substantial amount of effort. (Okay, this last paragraph is pure sales pitch, but it is accurate nevertheless.)

Pathagoras does not require that kind of programming. Pathagoras Interviews are created directly from a Pathagorized document. The interviews are "dynamic" and created "fresh" each time you process the source document. That mean that if you change the <<*Option/Optional*>> text block in a source document and then assemble a new document, the change in the source will reflect the next time the Interview Wizard is run. This makes testing the document exceptionally easy, and fully understandable.

Of course, when you are inserting and editing <<*Options*>> and <<*Optional*>> blocks, and creating your If/Then and and Case equations, you are 'programming' in a fashion . But it is quite different from what you have ever done before. Pathagoras 'programming' is 'facial' to the document, not independent from it. By facial, we mean that just by looking at the document's face, you can see what is happening. When something doesn't happen as expected, the face of the document 'tells' you why.

If you encounter errors in the processing, or just want to make changes to rewrite a question or correct a logic issue, simply work on the source document and then save it. The next time you process the document, it will show a new Interview reflecting your changes. (If the document has <<*Options*>> and <<*Optional*>> blocks that are (or may be) improperly formed, run the "Structure Checker." Pathagoras will typically detect and fix any formation or structure errors, or at a minimum will point out the section of the document that contains the likely source of the error.)

Click the button in the menu bar to read more about the Interview Wizard.