Introduction: Use Answer Management

By default, each answer file you create or use is managed through the Answer File Manager. The Answer File Manager is similar to the HotDocs template library in that it allows you to organize your answer files according to project specifications. It also lets you sort and search for answer files. (See Introduction: Use HotDocs Libraries.)

At times you may prefer to not use the Answer File Manager. For example, you can manage answer files using a document manager instead of Answer File Manager. Or, if you have multiple users accessing the same set of answer files, you can use Windows Explorer, since only one person can have write access to Answer File Manager. (All other users have read-only access, which keeps them from saving or adding answer files to the answer library.)

HotDocs 6 through HotDocs 2008 supported binary answer libraries (or answer libraries with the .HAL file name extension). Starting with the release of HotDocs 2009, however, HotDocs now supports both binary answer libraries and XML-based answer libraries (which use the .HDL file name extension). By default, HotDocs will continue to use binary answer libraries as long as the file properties of items in the library use characters that are compatible with your system's default language. If you define answer file properties that contain foreign characters, HotDocs will create an XML-based answer library (so that it can properly display these characters in the Properties tab of the library window.)