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Mark Variable Text
When marking up a HotDocs Model, you can identify text that changes in the document, depending on the user. If you are careful to use the Markup described in this help file, you can convert a HotDocs Model to HotDocs template format, or you can assemble the document directly in HotDocs, while still maintaining a reviewable copy of the document.
As you mark up the HotDocs Model, you replace names, dates, amounts, and other client-specific or matter-specific text with variable fields.
There are six different field types:
| Field Property | Name Description |
| text (or te) | Used for text fields |
| number (or nu) | Used for number fields (monetary amounts, figures, etc.) |
| date (or da) | Used for date fields |
| true/false (or tf) | Used for true/false fields (text that is represented by yes/no or true/false answers, or text that is merged whether a condition is true or false) |
| multiple choice (or mc) | Used for predefined options, such as gender. (See Customize a Multiple Choice Variable for other information about multiple choice fields.) |
| computation (or co) | Used for computation fields (values that are calculated, etc.) |
Variable field types can be specified using either the full type name (like text, number, date, true/false, multiple choice, and computation) or the first two letters of the word that represents the type (like te, nu, da, tf, mc, and co, respectively). Field types are case-insensitive, but it is recommended you specify them using lowercase letters.
See Rules for Naming Variable Fields for an explanation of how to name your variables
At its most basic, a variable field should include a name and a field type; however, it can also include other properties, such as a format that defines how the answer should appear in the final document.
A field is enclosed in square brackets. The field name appears first, followed immediately by a semicolon and then the field type. Any other properties you need to assign to the field may appear after the type and must be separated by semi-colons. (You can also define these properties in a variable table. See Define Field Properties for details.)
For example, the following text:
The client, JANE DOE, hereby rescinds all previous claims.
would be marked like this:
The client, [ClientName;te;format=upper], hereby rescinds all previous claims.
In this example, ClientName is the variable field name and te (which stands for text) is the type. The format should be upper (which stands for uppercase).
You can assign additional properties to a field. For a list of these properties, see Define Field Properties.
See Simple Markup Example (Contract), Simple Markup Example (Agreement), and Complex Markup Example with Tables (Last Will and Testament) for examples of how to mark up a HotDocs Model.