Control How Answers Appear in the Assembled Document
You can control some of the ways a variable's answer is merged into an assembled document. For example, you can control the characters that are filled in when you need to "lengthen" an answer. You can also control the text that is merged if the user chooses not to provide an answer.
Specifically, with the Fill character and Field width fields, you can specify how many characters wide an answer should be, and which character will be used to fill spaces the answer doesn't use. If the answer is longer than the width of the field, the entire answer is merged into the document. If the answer is shorter than the field width, HotDocs inserts the necessary number of fill characters. (The default fill character is a space.) If no answer is given, the minimum number of spaces doesn't affect the merge field. However, you can specify text you want merged into the document when the variable is unanswered by entering it in the Unanswered text field. This text will override the Unanswered variable placeholder users can select at HotDocs Options. (See Tips on Using Unanswered Variable Placeholders.)
The Align answer option lets you align the merged answer, based on the fill characters that are given. For example, if you select Left, the answer appears first, followed by any fill characters. If you select Right, the answer appears after any fill characters.
Finally, at times you may need to format the answer using a symbolic font. (For example, perhaps you need to merge a bar code.) To do this, you can assign a Font at the Variable Field dialog box.
To control how the variable's answer is merged into the assembled document
- At the template, edit a variable by placing your cursor in the field and clicking the
Variable Field button. The Variable Field dialog box appears. - If it's selected, clear Use defaults. All the merge field properties become active.
- Click Show Advanced. The dialog box changes to show several advanced options.
- Select the options that apply, as explained in the following table:
| To | Do This |
| Specify the minimum number of character spaces you want the merge field to use | Type a number in the Field width field, or use the up or down arrows to select a number |
| Specify the alignment of the answer within the merge field. (For example, if you are creating a column of dollar amounts, you can right-align the numbers.) | Choose Right or Left from the Align answer drop-down list.
When aligning Number variables, HotDocs will align the answer in the answer field as well as in the merge field in the assembled document. |
| Fill extra spaces in an answer field with a specific character (instead of a space character, which is the default) | Type a character in the Fill character field. |
| Merge specific text when the variable is unanswered | Type the text in the Unanswered text field. (See Tips on Using Unanswered Variable Placeholders.) |
| Format answers using symbolic character fonts, such as bar code fonts | Click the Font drop-down button and choose a font from the list.
This is a field-specific property available only in text templates. Additionally, you can assign this property only at the Variable Field dialog box. Make sure your users have the same fonts installed on their computers. |
The Use default option at a Variable Field dialog box controls all of the properties of a variable field. (Field-specific properties include variable formats, Multiple Choice merge text, and formatting styles for answer fields. These options are visible when you click Show Advanced.) This means that you cannot assign a field-specific property to a field and then assign a default property to the variable component. If you choose one type of property, all other properties must be the same type.
Where you specify the Advanced options determines where the formatting occurs. If you change them at the Variable Field dialog box, the changes will apply to that instance of the variable only. If you change the options at the Advanced tab of the Variable Editor, the changes are used as defaults for every instance of the variable.