Once the Template configuration details are completed the next stage is the addition of the data entry steps for the template.
The screen consists of two panels that mimic the format of the document preparation screens with the main Template Editor panel to the left and the Steps Added listing to the right.
The four main controls provide the following functions:
• Insert Before: Inserts a new step before the current step.
• Save & Next: Saves the current step
• Delete Step: Allows a single step to be deleted
• Complete: Finishes with the current step and moves to the final stage of a template.
Steps can be added at any time and will appear in the sequence that is nominated by using the Insert Before or Save & Next controls within the sequence of existing steps.
The main panel presents the following controls:
Step Number
This is a display only value that just confirms which is the currently edited step within the template.
Step Title
The Step Title is a single line field that will be presented as the step heading in the resulting documents. The title can be edited or overridden in the resulting output document.
The presentation format of the title is controlled by the Heading Style option.
Step Description
The purpose of the step description is to assist the document author using this template with an explanation of what is expected in terms of data or action.
In this example the recommendation is that the rest of the document is completed and understood before the Executive Summary is prepared.
In a resulting document this appears as un-editable text to prompt the author with this instruction.
Note that the Step Title is an editable field so it can be modified for the resulting output document.
Page Orientation
This sets the default page orientation as either Portrait or Landscape. However, it is not until preparing the data with the document that the page width will be known. Select either Portrait or Landscape orientation.
As a result this can be overridden during document preparation but is useful to select landscape if the content of the step is expected to be wider than a portrait page.
Page Break
Controlling the pages of a document will vary depending on the content. This control allows for default settings, which can also be overridden during document preparation.
Select a page break Before, After, or both ‘Before & After’ the document step.
Adding a Page Break After a step and adding a Page Break Before the next step will insert two breaks and therefore a blank page is inserted into the resulting document.
Page Breaks will also occur automatically in documents depending on the volume of data in a particular step. For example a long Issues list may split across multiple pages. Also the Rich Text Editor provides for inserting Page Breaks directly into text based information.
Heading Style
The heading style selection allows for three heading formats, a paragraph, and an option for no heading to be displayed. The output format of each of these options will be set in the style sheet according to the style guide information. The defined heading is not editable by your document authors, and the purpose is to ensure consistency in document presentation standards.
Select:
• Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 for special text formatting according to the style guide.
• Paragraph to use the same font and style as the normal text except that the ‘heading’ will appear on its’ own line with a separate line before and after the heading text.
• None to have no heading appear for the step.
Hide Output
Hiding the output of a step relates to the output document not to the editing process. The step is still active and presented during the document editing sequence.
The purpose is to allow for a default setting that can be overridden during document preparation.
As an example ‘Related Attachments’ steps may be used within a template where there is requirements to add a related file (or files) to the document.
Selecting the hide output option will remove the entire step from your output document, This may be useful where you don’t wish to attach a document. If however you do attach a file you can untick the hide output option, and your files will appear within your output document.
Input Object Types
The array of input object types is broad and they are designed to cater for a flexible and versatile process integrating any project or portfolio information that is accessible within the UniPhi system.
The Appendix of this manual covers each of the Input Object types and describes in detail and expands on the source of the data and control of the presentation to a document author using the template.
The following page provides a simple example of a template input object for the purpose of explaining how a template is created.
Clicking on the selector option for the Input Object Type presents a list of available options.
The Rich Text Editor is commonly used as it has the ability to link, or import specific database details into the boilerplate text as well as images and tables.
When that is loaded it will display an empty text box which can then be populated with required text that will appear in the resulting document where it can be edited or changed as required for the document output.
Once completed this step can be saved with the Save & Next icon or Complete to save and move to the finish step.
When using copy and paste from Microsoft Word or other systems, it is best to use the “paste from” icons for normal paste, paste text only, or paste from Word. The paste from Word will strip all the Word specific formatting from the pasted information so that it does not conflict with the styles in the output document.
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