Difference between revisions of "Custom Field Type: Special – MS Word Merge"

Revision as of 17:38, 31 March 2009

MS Word Merge Field - This new field type provides the ability to dynamically create an MS Word document from underlying SmartSimple data. The feature works as follows:

• Any MS Word document can be used, up to and including MS Word 2007 documents. You can use a normal Word document (doc or .docx), or you can use Word templates (.dot or .dotx).
• You must first create a document which includes the MS Word Form Fields to be populated by SmartSimple. Each Form Field must be provided with a name (called a Bookmark in MS Word). This name will be used to link the form field on the Word document to a Standard or Custom Field within SmartSimple.

To add Form Fields to a MS Word Document:
MS Word 2000-2003:

• From the View Menu select Toolbars and enable the Forms Toolbar
• Click in your Word document wherever you wish to insert a Form Field.
• On the Forms Toolbar click on the first button to insert a Form Field into your document:
• Right-click on the Form Field and select Properties. Then provide a name for the field in the Bookmark section.

MS Word 2007:

• Click on the Menu button and select Word Options
• In the Popular selection Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon
• Click in your Word document wherever you wish to insert a Form Field.
• On the Developer Menu select the Legacy Tools icon which is in the Controls section:
• Right-click on the Form Field and select Properties. Then provide a name for the field in the Bookmark section.

• Once complete, the template is uploaded to a Smart Folder.
• You then create the MS Word Merge custom field in SmartSimple that will be used to dynamically populate the document.

The values section can be completed in two ways:

• The value can be assigned by name to the Form field: Byfirstname=@me.firstname@; the Form Field value is set to the user's first name by referencing the @me.firstname@ variable.
• The value can be assigned by position to the Form field: @#468535#@; the third form field value will be set custom field ID @#468535#@. Note: Field references are semi-colon delimited.

You can also add data to one or more existing tables in the resultant MS Word document if you have multiple records that you need to include.

• In the example above the first table (identified by position and referenced as table_1) is set to the records associated with the entity.

You must specify the Smart Folder ID where the documents are located or the file ID.

• If you specify the Smart Folder ID all documents in the folder will be displayed in a dropdown upon initiating the Word merge and the user can choose the document that he/she wishes to create.
• If you specify the Document ID then that specific document will be created.
• Once configured, you click the button associated with the MS Word Merge and the document will be dynamically created and the SmartSimple data added.
• The document can then be saved locally. Note: the user will need to use the MS Word Save As feature as the document will be read-only.

Uploading an MS Word Merge document to a custom field

Documents created in this manner are "disconnected" from SmartSimple. If you wish to upload the document to SmartSimple you can use one of two techniques:

• Login and upload the document to the appropriate single or multiple file field.
• Use the SmartDoc plug-in to automatically attach the document to a specified single or multiple file field, without directly logging into the system.

SmartDoc plug-in document uploading:

• To use the SmartDoc plug-in to upload a Word document you need to specify the field that should be used to store the document.
• The field name is set in the MS Word merge field type - Custom Field setting.
• Once the document has been completed off-line, the user selects Upload Document in MS Word and the document will be uploaded and attached to the field.
• You will need to download and install the latest version of the SmartDoc plug-in.