Inserting merge variables

Variables are references placed into merge templates, which extract data from Legal Enterprise when a document is merged. The information is then inserted directly into your document. When selecting variables to insert into templates, you can insert a standard variable which simply displays its contents when the document is merged or you can customise variables using document commands. These allow you to request information from users, apply specific formatting or instruct variables to operate under certain conditions.

The list of variables is split into 2 sections - Command and Parameters. The Command pane lets you select a document command to use with a variable and the Parameters pane lets you select a variable and (if using a document command) set the appropriate parameters.

To insert a merge variable:

1. Place the cursor at the point in the template you want to insert the variable.

2. Click the Insert Merge Code button . A list of variables and commands are displayed for selection in the Merge Code Editor.

3. Under Parameters, select the variable you want to insert. When selecting a variable you can choose between Simple and Advanced modes. Simple mode provides filters to help you find the desired entry and the Advanced mode lists all variables in a tree view.

• If you just want to insert a variable, ensure Variable is selected in the Command pane and select the desired variable in the Parameters pane.

• (Simple tab only) To show all variables for the selected category, tick Show All. This setting remains until the editor window is closed. If you know the beginning of the variable you want to look up, choose either Name or Description to search on, enter the part you know in the “Is” box and click Apply. The variable list is searched using a left-to-right lookup – no wildcard (*) character need be entered for the search to work.

4. (Optional) Under Command, select the document command you want to use to customise the variable. The Parameters pane changes to display the options associated with the selected command.

• Example:

  The '&IF' command can be used to test for a condition, which if true, determines what text is entered. In the following example, "We will write to your Building Society for the Deeds" is entered if the value of the 'sp_mort' variable is 'Yes'.

  [&IF,sp_mort,=,Yes]We will write to your Building Society for the Deeds.[&ENDIF]

   Note  '&IF' commands must be closed with an '&ENDIF'.

5. (Optional) Set the command parameters.

   For further details about using document commands and setting their parameters, refer to:

   • Using variable requests

   • Using variable formats

   • Using variable tests

   • Using table commands

• To copy the variable you have selected or constructed, click Copy. This places the variable into the Windows clipboard so you can paste it into the template or even another application.

6. Click Insert to add the variable (or if in Outlook, click Copy and then paste it into your e-mail). The variable is inserted at the cursor position. The Merge Code Editor remains open so you can continue adding / constructing variables.

• You can also insert a variable by moving the mouse pointer over the Drag Code box and then clicking the left-hand mouse button and dragging the variable onto the template. The variable is inserted when the mouse button is released.

• To close the editor, click Close.

Notes

• When using document commands to construct variables, you can preview the variable by hovering the mouse pointer over the Drag Code box. A ToolTip is displayed showing the currently constructed merge code.

• When variables are inserted into templates, initially they appear in black text with a wavy red underline. Black is the default colour, however, you can change the colour of variables and also the colour at each level (e.g. if you have a number of nested &IF statements) using the Syntax and Level Colouring buttons. The red underline is displayed because Word doesn't recognise the variable in its dictionary, however, you can check the spelling by using the Spellcheck button.

• Word uses smart tags to identify certain types of data in documents. For each recognised type you can then perform certain actions with that data. Smart tags are indicated by a purple dotted line underneath text in your document. To find out what actions you can take with a smart tag, move the insertion point over the underlined text until the Smart Tag Actions button appears. You can then click the button to see a list of actions you can take. To stop Word recognising the selected variable click Stop Recognising. For further details about smart tags refer to the Microsoft Word Help.