HotDocs Template Development Terms and Ideas
When creating a marked up document there are some key terms and ideas you should understand, particularly if you are not a template developer.
| Markup Term | Definition |
| Answer Field | An answer field is the place in an assembled document where answers you enter in the interview are merged. In template development, these fields are called variable fields. The template developer can assign many different properties to a variable, including a name, a title, and so forth. |
| Conditional Text | Some text in an assembled document should only be included under certain conditions. For example, information about the health needs of a child will only be included in a document if the client has children. In template development, conditional text is marked using IF instructions, which define the circumstances under which a paragraph is included or excluded. |
| Alternative Text | Sometimes there are different versions of text that should be merged in a document, depending on certain conditions. For example, maybe a client is late on making a payment. You can include specific text, depending on just how late the payment is. Like conditional text, alternative text is marked using IF instructions in template development. |
| Repeated Text | Frequently you need to enter two or more answers for a specific question. For example, when creating a will, you frequently need to enter more than just one beneficiary. This list of beneficiaries is called repeated text. In template development, repeated text is marked using a REPEAT instruction, which instructs HotDocs to repeat the question as many times as necessary. |
| Insertion Field | Sometimes the text in the assembled document comes from a separate template. This is especially common when there is boilerplate text that needs to be used in multiple documents. In template development, insertion fields are marked with INSERT instructions, which identify the file name and location of the file that will be inserted. |
| Editable Text | This is text in the assembled document that you can edit; however, it is not marked when viewing the document in Markup View. |
| Developer Comment | During template development, developers may include comments with the different types of fields they insert in a template. Comments may explain why the field is there or the conditions under which it is being used |
| Multiple Choice Option Text | One type of variable developers can create is a Multiple Choice variable, which provides users with predefined options. The text that is merged in the document is called merge text. In Markup View, it is simply referred to as option text. |