Understand How Component Titles and Prompts are Used
In HotDocs, you can assign titles to different components, including variables, dialogs, clauses, and databases. Titles are used in place of component names, which, when used in the context of an interview, may not make much sense to the user. (For example, a component may be named Client Birth Date DA, but the name you want users to see in the interview is Client's Birth Date.)
How HotDocs uses these titles, especially for components that may also have a prompt, depends on where the component appears in the interview. Following is a description of the components, where they are used in the interview, and the order in which titles, prompts, and names are used when identifying the component.
For example, say you have a Text variable that is used in a dialog. The first property HotDocs will try to use as the question for the Text variable in the dialog is the prompt itself. If no prompt is specified, it will use the title. If no title is given, it will use the variable name.
| Type of Component | Where Used in Interview | Order in Which Properties are Used |
| Variable (used or not used in a custom dialog) | Answer field in the dialog pane | Prompt / Title / Variable name |
| Variable (used in a custom dialog) | Text in the column heading of a spreadsheet (including in an answer source column) | Prompt / Title / Variable name |
| Variable (not used in a custom dialog) | Dialog title in the interview outline or dialog title in the dialog pane title bar | Title / Prompt / Variable name |
| Variable (used or not used in a custom dialog) | Reference in a Question or Answer Summary | Prompt / Title / Variable name |
| Clause (referenced in a clause library) | Clause title in the clause library | Title / Clause name |
| Clause (referenced using an IF instruction in a template; is not used in a custom dialog) | Dialog title in interview outline or dialog title in the dialog pane title bar | Title / Prompt / Clause name |
| Clause (referenced using an IF instruction in a template; is not used in a custom dialog) | Answer field in the dialog pane | Prompt / Title / Clause name |
| Database component | Dialog title in interview outline or dialog title in dialog pane title bar | Title / Component name |
| Database component | Table in dialog pane | Prompt / Title / Component name |
| Dialog (nonrepeated) | Dialog title in interview outline or dialog title in dialog pane title bar | Dialog title / Dialog name |
| Dialog (repeated as series) | Dialog title in interview outline | Repeated series label / Dialog title / Dialog name |
| Dialog (repeated as series) | Dialog title in dialog pane title bar | Dialog title / Dialog name |
| Dialog (repeated as spreadsheet) | Dialog title in interview outline or dialog title in dialog pane title bar | Dialog title / Dialog name |
Remember that when variables are linked to or used in dialogs, the text that appears in the interview outline and in the dialog pane title bar comes from the dialog, not the variable.
You should always test assemble your template to make sure these combinations of titles, prompts, and variable names make sense for the interview. See Introduction: Test HotDocs Templates.