Create a Form Template

The HotDocs PDF Driver is no longer available as of version 11.2.10. You can use the Microsoft Print to PDF driver or equivalent to save a document instead.

Using HotDocs Automator, you can create templates based on electronic forms. (Forms are documents that contain underlying text and graphics that cannot be changed. Examples include loan applications, tax forms, and pre-printed court forms.) An electronic form can be created in virtually any Windows program from which you can print, such as a word processor, design, or form creation program.

Before you can automate a form template file, you must first convert an electronic form document into HotDocs template format. You do this by first printing the document to PDF format (for example, using the Microsoft Print to PDF driver). You then save the PDF as a form template. If the document you want to automate is already in PDF format, you can simply save the PDF as a HotDocs PDF template.

You can also use Adobe Acrobat to create PDF documents.

Once you have created a form template file, you can automate it using HotDocs Automator.

Creating a PDF template requires two parts:

  • Print the document as a PDF file.
  • Save the PDF file as PDF-based form template.

To create a PDF template

  1. If you already have a PDF document, skip to Step 11.
  2. Open the document in a Windows program with printing capability.
  3. Select the Print command for that program.
  4. At the printing dialog box, select HotDocs PDF Driver as the printer.
  5. Assign any properties you need to the PDF (such as security settings, watermarks, and so forth.)
  6. Click the Print or OK button. The Save As dialog box appears.
  7. If necessary, browse and select the location for the file.
  8. In the File name field, type a name for the new file.
  9. At the Save as type drop-down list, select PDF as the file type.
  10. Click the Save button. The PDF file is created and stored in the location you chose. (You can close the original document.)

You will now create a PDF template from the document you just saved.

  1. Start HotDocs. The template library appears. (See Start HotDocs.)
  2. Click on a folder in the file list and click the New Template button. The New Template dialog box appears.
  3. Click the Type drop-down button and choose HotDocs PDF Template from the list.
  4. Enter a name for the file in the File name field and a title for the template in the Title field.

Do not type a template name that includes a pound sign (#). This can cause errors when uploading.

  1. In the Initial contents group, select Other file.
  2. Click the Browse button and browse to (and open) the PDF you created in the first part of these steps.
  3. Click OK at the New Template Initial Contents field.
  4. Click OK at the New Template dialog box. The new template is opened in HotDocs Automator.

When you create a new form template, HotDocs automatically creates a companion file called the component file that stores information about components you use in the template, such as variables and dialogs. The component file works behind the scenes, but both files—the form template and the component file—are necessary for the template to work. (The component file works exactly the same for a form template as a text template. See Introduction: Template and Component Files.)

For information on converting existing form template (.HFT) files to PDF-based templates, see Save Existing HFT Files as PDF-based Form Templates.

If you are comfortable working directly with file name extensions, you can also use Windows Explorer to change the file name extension of a PDF file from .PDF to .HPT. Be aware, however, that when you do this (as opposed to the steps outlined above), no component file will be created until you open the template and add components to it (either by creating variable fields or by opening Component Manager and adding components that way.)