Preview the Assembled Text Document

After assembling a text document, you can print the document, send it as an e-mail attachment, or save it as a word processor file. However, once you perform any of these actions, the document is no longer associated with HotDocs. That means any changes you make to the text of the document will not be updated in the answer file or template. Because of this, it is helpful to preview the assembled document in the assembly window and make sure the information in the document is accurate before you perform any of the aforementioned tasks.

While the information in the Document Preview tab is shown accurately, the document may not be formatted correctly, particularly in WordPerfect documents. To view the actual formatting, send the document to the word processor. (See Send the Assembled Text Document to the Word Processor.)

Some template providers may not allow you to edit answers or text at the Document Preview tab. If not, these commands will be disabled.

To preview an assembled text document

1. At the HotDocs library window, select a template and begin the assembly. (See Assemble a Text or Form Document.)
2. After providing the required answers, click the Document Preview tab. The assembly window changes to show a preview of the document. By default, answers that have not been entered are marked with asterisks (for example, ***Employee Name***). You can choose a different unanswered format, however. See Format Unanswered Variables in a Document for details.
3. (Word users) Optionally, to edit an answer or document text, click the Highlight Fields button, then double-click on an answer field or section of editable text. (See Edit Answers at the Document Preview Tab and Edit Document Text at the Document Preview Tab for details.)
4. Once you have verified that the document is correct, use any of the following commands to work with the assembled document:

To	Do This
Save the assembled text document to disk	Click the Save Document button. (See Save an Assembled Text or Form Document.)
Send the assembled text document to the word processor so you can see it in its final format	Click the Send Document button. (See Send the Assembled Text Document to the Word Processor.)
Print the assembled text document	Click the Print Document button. (See Print an Assembled Text Document or Print an Assembled Form Document.)
Close the assembly window	Choose Close (File menu)

If an assembled text document contains any cross references, including a table of contents or index, you may need to update the references once you send the document to the word processor. To do this, select all of the document text (press Ctrl+A) and then press the F9 key.