Change the Layout of Variables in a Dialog

You can change the appearance of dialogs, by, for example, including placing variables side by side in the dialog and changing the width of variables already placed side by side. Changes can only be made in dialogs that have the Regular and Repeated Series styles applied. You cannot change the layout of Spreadsheet dialogs.

To place variables side by side on a dialog

1. Open a dialog for editing. (See Edit a Custom Dialog.) HotDocs displays the Dialog Editor.
2. Click the Layout tab. The window changes to show icons representing each component in the dialog.
3. Click a component icon and drag it to another location in the window.

When you do this, HotDocs displays either a vertical or a horizontal bar that indicates where the variable will be placed when you release the mouse button. A vertical bar shows that the variable will be placed to the right or left of variables already on that line. A horizontal bar shows that the variable will be placed above or below that line. You can place up to three variables on the same line.

4. Optionally, click Test. HotDocs displays the variables in a test assembly window. (You can leave this window open and return to the Dialog Editor to make additional changes, which are immediately updated in the window.)

If you place only two components on the same line, you can make one of the components wider than the other by right-clicking the component and selecting Wide from the shortcut menu. To further adjust the width of answer fields, at the Variable Editor, click the Advanced tab and make your changes.

To edit a component or remove it from the dialog, right-click the component and select Edit or Remove from the shortcut menu.

When two or more components appear on the same line, the prompts appear above the answer field. You cannot specify a different prompt alignment.