Interview Event Dialog Element Editor

You use an Interview Event Dialog Element to add a button or hyperlink to a dialog to connect to an external data source in a HotDocs Advance interview. You can also pass data from the interview to a JavaScript function in your own application.

Overview

The interview event dialog element adds a button or hyperlink to an interview. Using a webhook in HotDocs Advance you can connect this button or hyperlink to an external data source; Advance then overlays the answer data from that source into the interview. Alternatively, you can use the dialog element to pass data from the interview into your own application. You can place the dialog element anywhere you want on the dialog like you would place any other component. You can create and edit an interview event dialog element in Component Studio.

Common Tasks

If you use the interview event dialog element to connect to an external data source via a HotDocs Advance webhook, the following pages in the HotDocs Advance documentation may be relevant:

Component Toolbar

Basic component actions appear in the component toolbar, above the other component options.

Button	What it Does
Rename	Displays the Rename Components dialog that enables you to rename your component.
Duplicate	Displays the Duplicate Components dialog that enables you to create a copy of this component in the component file.
Tools	Shows or hides the Tools pane on the right.
Delete	Displays the Delete Components dialog that enables you delete the component. You can also to view a list of templates or components who currently reference the selected component and you may have to fix after deletion.

Component Identity Properties

At the top of the editor you can see the name that HotDocs uses to identify this dialog element and the URL it uses.

Property	What it Does
Event Name	Enables you to view and edit the name of your component. This field is editable for a component that is not referenced by a template or other component; otherwise, a non-editable box containing the name of the component. If non-editable, use Rename in the component tool bar.
Variable Type	Select the type of variable to which you want to attach the interview event from the drop-down menu.
Linked Variable	Select the name of the variable to which you want to attach the interview event from the drop-down menu.

Display Tab

The Display tab provides you with options that enable you to change how a dialog element appears during an interview:

Element	What it Does
Type	Enables you to choose whether to add a Button or a Hyperlink to the dialog for your template users to click to open the new browser window.
Size	(Only available if you select the Type: Button) Enables you to set the Size of the button in by changing the values in the horizontal and vertical choosers HotDocs provides. One unit is about equal to the width of the character 5.
Text	Select the Text check box to type the text you want to display on the dialog in a button or as a hyperlink.
Image	Select the Image check box to use the Browse button to add the image you want to display on the dialog in a button or as a hyperlink. If you select Button above, the image is cropped to fit the button size.

Notes Tab

To provide you a quick way to know if this tab contains any content, you can see a + symbol on the tab if there is a note.

As you create components, you may want to include notes to remind yourself of decisions you made when creating the component. For example, maybe you need to remember information about restrictions you applied to a Number variable, or remind yourself of the purpose of the component in the template.

The notes tab enables you to type any notes you want about the component and its role in the template.

This information is not visible in the interview; it is for the author’s reference only.

Tools Pane

On the right side of the component editor you can view a tools pane containing various (Components, Models, Referenced, or Field Editor) tabs for this component.

You can use the Tools button on the Component toolbar to show or hide the tools pane.

Info Tab

When you select a component in the Components column of Component Studio, you can look at the Info tab on the far right of the component editor to see the type of the currently selected component, as well as a list of other components or templates (if there are any) that use the component you select.

Element	What it Does
Type	Displays the type of the component you selected in the Components column.
Used in	Displays a list of other components or templates (if there are any) that use the component you select. Double-clicking an item in the Used In section opens that item for editing, and places focus on the first reference to the component you selected in the Components column.

Field Editor Tab

When you select a text-based component property that can contain fields, such as a prompt for a variable or a cell in a Fixed Table, the Field Editor tab appears in the Tools panel. Any HotDocs fields you add to the text that appear in an interview. When a template user provides an answer for that placeholder field in the interview, the answer appears in the component's interview display text.

The Field Editor works in this context just as it does in a DOCX template or in HotDocs Composer.

If you use a placeholder field in a component's interview display text, you must ensure the template user provides an answer for that placeholder before the interview displays the component containing the placeholder field.