Fast Field Insertion Tool
The Fast Field Insertion tool is a small popup window that enables you to quickly add a placeholder field for an existing variable to your template.
If you have a group of pre-existing variables you create as you plan your Author template project, you can use the Fast Field Insertion Tool to add placeholder fields that reference these components much more quickly than you can using the HotDocs Field Editor method.
You launch the Fast Field Insertion tool by pressing the keyboard shortcut (default is Ctrl+.) within any of HotDocs Author's editable areas:
- Microsoft Word
- HotDocs Composer
- Prompt fields in the various component editors
- Etc.
Common Tasks
The Fast Field Insertion tool enables you to:
Tool Elements
The Fast Field Insertion tool consists of a list of previously created variables topped by a search box, as follows:
| Element | What it Does |
| Search box | As you type, HotDocs searches for the variables and computations found in the template's component file containing the characters you type. |
| List of variables | Enables you to see a list of the variables and computations found in the template's component file containing the characters you type into the search box. HotDocs also highlights the characters you typed in the search results. To select an item in the list:
Once you select the variable you want to insert, press ENTER to insert it. When you have filtered your search down to one result, you can press Enter to insert it, no need to highlight. |
Other Behaviors
The following behaviors are also worth noting:
- If you have not yet created any variables for the current template, when you press the keyboard shortcut, only the search box appears
- If your cursor is located within a HotDocs field, when you press the keyboard shortcut, nothing happens—you cannot add a placeholder field within another
- You can close the tool by pressing the Escape key