SHOW Instruction
The SHOW instruction displays, in the interview, a specific component you previously hid.
The SHOW instruction is only available when you are creating a dialog script in the Script tab of the Dialog Editor.
After you use the HIDE or HIDE ALL Instruction, you may need to have a certain variable reappear, for example, when a specific condition is met. The end-user can then answer the variable like any other.
| Instruction name | Model | After you drag and drop the model into the script tab: |
| SHOW | SHOW ⟦VAR⟧ | Replace ⟦VAR⟧ with the previously hidden variable that you now want to appear on the dialog. |
Example
A template author is creating an estate planning template that can be used for both wills and trusts. They want to let the end-user select the type of document they need to create and then have the dialog show only the relevant variable. On the dialog, the template author has the following variables:
- DocumentType – A Multiple Choice variable with two options, "Will" or "Trust"
- TestatorName – A Text variable that is only relevant for a will
- TrusteeName – A Text variable that is only relevant for a trust
In the Script tab of the dialog editor, the template author creates the following script:
HIDE ALL
SHOW DocumentType
IF DocumentType = "Will"
SHOW TestatorName
ELSE IF DocumentType = "Trust"
SHOW TrusteeName
END IF
When the dialog first appears, HotDocs uses the HIDE ALL instruction to remove all of the variables, then immediately shows DocumentType so only the Multiple Choice variable is visible on the dialog. If the template user selects "Will", the IF instruction's condition is met and TestatorName appears on the dialog. If the template user selects "Trust", the ELSE IF instruction's condition is met and TrusteeName appears on the dialog. The END IF instruction closes the list of conditional options.