Use Repeated Dialogs During Assembly

Dialogs can be repeatedly asked to gather several sets of answers for the same questions. A repeated dialog can appear as a series of dialogs or as a spreadsheet.

Once you have created a list of answers, you can use commands in the toolbar to move records within the list.

You can change the way repeated dialogs are represented in the interview outline. (See Display Repeated Dialogs Using a Special Icon.)

HotDocs updates the interview as you enter answers in a dialog. If you experience a significant delay when moving from one answer to the next, you can have HotDocs update the interview less frequently. (See Update Your Interview Outline and Document.)

To enter answers in a series of dialogs

1. At the repeated dialog, enter answers for the questions.
2. Click the Add Another button to add another repetition of the dialog to the series. The repetition number next to the dialog icon increases each time you enter a new set of answers. (You can also press Alt+A to add new repetitions to a list.)
3. To move to the next dialog after entering all the answers in the list, click Next in the navigation bar. (You can also click on the next dialog icon in the interview outline, or press Page Down or Alt+N.)

When entering a list of answers within another list of answers, you can press Alt+Left Arrow to return to the parent dialog. (You can also choose Parent Dialog from the Navigate menu.)

To enter answers in a repeated spreadsheet

1. At an answer-gathering dialog that includes a repeated dialog formatted as a spreadsheet, click in the first spreadsheet cell and enter your answer.
2. Press Tab to move to the next cell in the row (or use the mouse to click in the next cell) and enter your answer.
3. Repeat this process for each answer.

To work with repeated answers

1. Answer questions in the repeated dialog.
2. Select the record with which you want to work. (If you are editing records in a dialog series, select the dialog icon in the interview outline. If you are editing records in a spreadsheet, click on the row you want to edit.)
3. Use the options described in the following table to complete additional tasks:

To	Do This
Remove a specific dialog from the list of answers	Select the dialog you want to delete and either click the Delete Repetition button, or choose Delete Repetition from the Edit menu.
Insert a new dialog between existing dialogs	Either click the Insert Repetition button, or choose Insert Repetition from the Edit menu.
Move an existing dialog up in the list of answers	Select the dialog you want to move and click the Move Repetition Up button (located on the Edit toolbar).
Move an existing dialog down in the list of answers	Select the dialog you want to move and click the Move Repetition Down button (located on the Edit toolbar).
Sort the contents of a spreadsheet dialog in alphanumeric order	Click in the column on which you want to sort and click the Sort button (located on the Edit toolbar). The Sort Spreadsheet dialog box appears where you can specify your sorting preferences. If the template developer has specified any sorting options, answers will be merged in the document using those sort options. Otherwise the sort order you specify here will be used in the assembled document.
Edit the contents of the row in a regular dialog	Click in the row you want to edit and either click the Edit Row button, or right-click and choose Edit Row from the shortcut menu.