Change Database Component Properties

You can change certain properties of a database component. These properties control the way information is retrieved from a database, as well as how the user is able to select which answers will be used in the document.

Database component properties allow you to:

  • Let users select multiple records.
  • Let users sort and filter records.
  • Automatically select records for the user.
  • Control which variables are asked in the interview, even if the database answers them.
  • Specify user names and passwords for accessing information in the database.

To change database component properties

  1. Open a database component for editing. (See Edit a Database Component.) The Database Editor appears.
  2. Click the Options tab. The window changes to show several component options.
  3. Make changes as explained in the following table:
To Do This
Allow the user to choose two or more records during assembly Select Allow multiple selections. (Make sure the variables in the template are included in a REPEAT Database instruction so that all the answers can be merged correctly.) (See Generate a List of Records in an Assembled Document.)
Force HotDocs to merge a list of filtered answers from a database into the document without allowing the user to make the selection Select Automatically select all filtered records. (See Merge Filtered Records into the Document Automatically.)
Have HotDocs check the database for new or updated data each time you assemble the document Select Automatically refresh linked answers. (See Cause HotDocs to Update Selected Records Between Assemblies.)
Have HotDocs retrieve data from a database and then disconnect from it Select Use disconnected (client) record set. (See Choose a Database Cursor.)
Give users the ability to sort columns in the database table in ascending or descending order Select Allow sorting by end user. Users can then, during assembly, click column headings in the table and have the records sort in alphanumeric order. They can also control the order records will be merged into the assembled document.
Give users the ability to limit the number of records that appear in the table Select Allow filtering by end user. This level of filtering does not affect any filters you have used to retrieve the data from the database—it only affects the records the user is viewing at the assembly window.
Change the way HotDocs treats variables that may potentially be answered by the database Click the Treat linked variables as asked drop-down button and select one of the following options: Always (HotDocs considers linked variables as always asked—it will not ask them, even if the database does not contain an answer), Never (HotDocs considers linked variables as never asked—it will ask them, even if the database contains an answer), or Only if Answered from Database (HotDocs asks a linked variable if no answer for the variable exists in the database). (See Ask Variables Already Answered by the Database.)
Specify a user name and password so that information can be retrieved from the database Type the user name and password in the User name and Password fields, respectively. This information is encrypted and saved in the component file. (See Specify a User Name and Password for a Database.)

In order for HotDocs to remember which records your users have selected during assembly, you must assign a key field. For information on doing this, see Remember Selected Records.