You can use HotDocs Options dialog box to change HotDocs Author's overall behavior and appearance, rather than just the template or workspace you may have open at the time you make a change to an option.
You open the HotDocs Options dialog box from the Workspace Explorer taskbar by clicking Options.
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Among others, the HotDocs Options dialog box enables you to perform the following common tasks:
Settings specified in the HotDocs Options dialog are user-specific and are saved in the Current User key of the Windows System Registry. For information on working with the registry, see the Windows Help file.
In the General section, you can edit HotDocs options for more general Author behavior.
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Default language for new templates | Enables you to choose the language you want HotDocs to use by default for formatting date and number values. The initial value that displays corresponds to your system language. You can type a value other than those provided in the drop-down, though such languages require you to create your own formats using Text variables in place of Date and Number variables. There are related properties in the Template Properties Dialog Box for setting the interview and assembly languages. You can also use the LANGUAGE instruction to instruct HotDocs to format dates and numbers in another language than your default language. |
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Show HotDocs Workspace Services tray notifications | Enables you to choose whether the HotDocs Workspace Services system tray notification appears when Author starts up and shuts down. The default setting is for the notification to appear. When you change the setting, the option change takes place the next time you start HotDocs Author. |
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Suppressed Warnings | Enables you to unsuppress any warnings you may have previously suppressed using a check box.
If there are no previously suppressed warnings, this option group is empty. |
In the Workspaces section, you can edit HotDocs options that control how workspaces behave:
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Default location for workspaces | Enables you to set the file path for the default location where you want HotDocs to save any new workspaces you create. Click the Browse button to choose a location, or type the file path. You cannot create or save an Author workspace inside an existing workspace folder. |
In the Test Interview section, you can edit various interview-related HotDocs options.
In the Interview Options section, you can edit the behavior of the interview itself:
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Show asterisks for required variables | Displays an asterisk (along with red text) for any variable that you have made required for the template user to answer through use of the REQUIRE instruction. |
| Show unanswered warning when finishing | Enables you to determine whether or not a warning displays if there are any unanswered interview questions when you click finish during an interview. |
| Show answer summary | Enables you to determine whether or not the answer summary tab displays during an interview. |
In the Answer Summary Options section, you can edit the way the content of the answer summary tab displays:
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Columns | Enables you to choose to view the answer summary in one or two columns. If you select 2 columns, more options appear. |
| Indent prompts under dialog titles | Indents the prompt under the dialog name, making the dialog titles and prompts appear hierarchical. |
| Precede prompts with bullet | Places a bullet character in front of each prompt. |
| Indent answers under prompts | Indents the answer under the prompt, making the prompts and answers appear hierarchical. |
| Precede answers with bullet | Places a bullet character in front of each answer. |
| Borders | (Appears when you select 2 Columns) Puts borders around the dialog name, prompt, and answer in each answer row. |
| Percent of width taken by prompt | (Appears when you select 2 Columns) Displays the answer on the same line as the prompt. You can use the arrows to choose what percentage of that line is used to display the prompt. |
In the Answer Files section, you can edit options that control where answer files are saved on your computer:
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Default location for answer files | Enables you to set a default location where HotDocs saves your answer files. Click the Browse button to choose a location, or type the file path. |
In the My Formats section, you can edit the formats and input masks HotDocs provides you by default when you install Author (as well as any custom formats or input masks you created that you have added to My Formats):
| Format Type | What it Does |
| Text Formats | The formats in the Text Formats section are used to format placeholder fields that reference text variables, multiple choice variables that have the Select one item configuration, and computations in which you are working with text. |
| Number Formats | The formats in the Number Formats section are used to format placeholder fields that reference number variables and computations (in which you are working with numbers). |
| Date Formats | The formats in the Date Formats section are used to format placeholder fields that reference date variables. |
| True/False Formats | The formats in the True/False Formats section are used to format placeholder fields that reference true/false variables. |
| List Formats | The formats in the List Formats section are used to format placeholder fields that reference a multi select variable or a list of answers a repeated dialog gathers in an interview. |
| Input Masks | The input masks in the input masks section are used to control the type and order of characters a template user can enter into the interview for a specific text variable. |
You also have access to a number of functions when editing the formats in the My Formats section:
| Element | What it Does |
| Insert above | Inserts a new custom format (that you can create) above the format at the top of the format list. |
| Delete | Deletes the selected format from the format list. |
| Move up | Moves the selected format up one position in the format list. |
| Move down | Moves the selected format down one position in the format list. |
| Reset to defaults | Restores the format list to its original state as it was when Author was installed. This includes:
|
| Blank line | Enables you to create a new custom format and add it to the My Formats list. |
| Selected format example | Displays some sample text to help you see how the selected format will format your text. |
In the Script Editor section, you can edit HotDocs options that control the default font that appears in the script editor that appears on the Script tab of the Computation Editor and the Dialog Editor:
| Option Name | What it Does |
| Font Name | Enables you to choose the font you want to appear in the Script Editor. |
| Font Size | Enables you to set the default size of the text in the Script Editor. |