Creating a Custom HotDocs Template

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Using HotDocs 2008 Professional, you can create a template to be accessed from the Reports module.

HotDocs must be available on your computer in order to edit document templates. You must have HotDocs Professional to test and compile the template for upload into Bridgeway Suite. Once you have created a template, additional steps must be taken to make the template compatible with the hosted HotDocs Server provided by Bridgeway.

$images\icn_exclaim.gif$ If the macro security setting in your word processing program is set to high, you will not be able to edit a HotDocs template. Change the setting to medium. Ask your System Administrator or IT department if you need instructions.

To create a custom HotDocs template:

1. Create a folder on your computer to temporarily hold the template files.

2. Open HotDocs Professional.

3. On the HotDocs 2008 Professional Edition window, click the $images\btn_new_library.gif$ New Library button. On the New Library dialog box, type a name in the File Name field (such as “Suite 8”), then press the <TAB> key twice to add the library extension to the filename and populate the Title field. Click OK.

4. On the HotDocs 2008 Professional Edition window, click the $images\btn_new_hotdocs.gif$ New Template button. On the New Template dialog box, leave the type as is, then type a name, title, and description for the template. Click OK.

5. The new template will open automatically in Microsoft Word. Content and variables must be added to the document. See Using HotDocs to Customize a Standard Template for more information.

6. When you have finished editing the template in Microsoft Word, click the $images\btn_save_template_hotdocs.gif$ Save button on the HotDocs toolbar. Do not save the document using the Microsoft Word save functionality.

7. Close the document; again using the $images\btn_close_hotdocs.gif$ Save and Close button on the HotDocs toolbar not the word processor toolbar.

To configure the template for the HotDocs Server:

1. On the HotDocs 2008 Professional Edition window, click the $images\btn_component_manager.gif$ Component Manager button.

2. On the Component Manager dialog box, click the $images\btn_component_manager_properties.gif$ Properties button.

3. On the Component File Properties dialog box, select HotDocs 2005 as the component file format, and click the OK button.

4. Close the Component Manager dialog box.

To test the template:

1. Right-click on the template in the left pane of the HotDocs 2008 Professional Edition window and select Test in Browser from the popup menu. Note that this option is only available in HotDocs Professional.

2. On the Answer File dialog box, click OK.

3. The Interview wizard will start. This wizard prompts the user for information for template variables that it was unable to fill from the database. At this time, do not enter any information; click Finish.

4. Click Don’t Save on the confirmation message.

5. The document will open again; there will be no HotDocs toolbar. Close the document without saving.

6. Locate the new files created from the steps above (<NewFileName>.CMP, <NewFileName>.HVC, <NewFileName>.js, and <NewFileName>.RTF). These files should reside in the directory specified in Step 1.

$images\icn_exclaim.gif$ If your Bridgeway HotDocs Web application is hosted on an operating system that is case sensitive, make sure that the case for the <NewFileName> matches for all four files. If not, correct the naming before uploading the files.

7. Open the .js file in a text editor and change the HDVers value on the first line to “6.3.0.600”. Save and close the file.

8. Add the HotDocs template to the application.