Overview

A Content Block is a reusable piece of content that you store centrally in Clio Operate and insert into documents during assembly. Use blocks for any content you reuse across multiple templates: letter headers, footers, signature blocks, address blocks, standard clauses, terms of business, and appendix-style attachments such as mandates.

This article covers Content Blocks for the Word add-in. Most customers use Word Content Blocks for documents and HTML Content Blocks for emails. The guidance below focuses on Word Content Blocks unless stated otherwise.

The two types of Content Block

Document Admin lets you create two types of Content Block:

• Content Block - Document. A block built from a Word file. Use this type for letter components and any content that needs Word formatting. Commonly referred to as a Word Content Block.
• Content Block - HTML. A block built and edited as HTML inside Clio Operate. Use this type for email content and shorter snippets.

Before you start

Three permissions control access to Content Blocks. Your administrator assigns them in Admin > User Management.

Insert a Content Block into your document

This task is for Document Authors who generate documents from Clio Operate and want to add reusable content.

1. Open the generated document in Word.
2. In the Clio Operate Word add-in, select Content Blocks.
3. Filter or search to find the block you want.
4. Select the block. The preview pane displays its contents.
5. Place your cursor where the block should appear.
6. Select Insert.

The block appears in your document highlighted in pink so you can identify it later. A green tick beside the block in the list confirms it is in use.

To see every dynamic element in your document, including Content Blocks, open the Document Browser from the add-in menu.

Insert and Insert Tag

The Word add-in offers two ways to add a Content Block to a document, depending on the record's settings and your permissions:

• Insert drops the block content directly into the document. Available when the record's Enable for Document Authors setting is on.
• Insert Tag inserts a tag that resolves to the block during assembly. Any tags, sections, or display rules inside the block evaluate as they would in any tagged template. Available when the record's Enable for Template Authors setting is on and the user has the Admin - Document Assembly permission.

Document Authors typically use Insert. Template Authors building reusable templates typically use Insert Tag.

Create a Word Content Block from the Word add-in

This path captures selected text and small images quickly. The Content Blocks - Create permission is required.

1. In Word, select the content you want to make reusable.
2. In the Word add-in, navigate to Content Blocks.
3. Select Create.
4. Complete the form:
   • Title. A short, descriptive name.
   • Description. A longer description for other authors.
   • Enable for Template Authors and Enable for Document Authors. Toggle on the audiences that should see the block.
   • Tags. Type tag names to make the block easier to find. New tags are created on the fly.
5. Select Save.

The new block is added to the Content Blocks library in Document Admin and becomes available to other users with the relevant permission.

Create a Word Content Block from Document Admin

Use this path when you are building blocks from a parent template, for example breaking a top-and-tail letter into header, signature, and footer components. This path gives you full control over the record fields. Before you start, prepare the Word source file (see Avoiding style and header clashes below).

1. Navigate to Document Admin > Document Templates > Content Blocks (Template Authors).
2. Select New > Content Block - Document.
3. Complete the Details blade:
   • Template Type defaults to Content Block - Document.
   • System Name. A unique identifier. Lowercase, no spaces.
   • Name. The display name shown to authors.
   • Description. A longer description.
   • Categories. Select existing categories or type to create new ones. Categories make blocks easier to filter.
   • Active. Leave on. Inactive blocks do not appear in the Word add-in.
4. Open the Pack Contents blade.
5. Select the Repository and add the source Word file in Source. Uploading a file copies it into the DMS (iManage, SharePoint, or NetDocuments). The local copy on your desktop is then irrelevant; the DMS copy is the master.
6. Open the Display blade and configure who can see the block:
   • Enable for Template Authors. When on, the block is available in the Word add-in for users with Admin - Document Assembly and the Insert Tag option displays.
   • Enable for Document Authors. When on, the block is available in the Word add-in for users with Content Blocks - Read and the Insert option displays.
7. Select Save and Close.

The block is now available in the Word add-in.

Avoiding style and header clashes

Word Content Blocks bring some of their own formatting into the parent document during assembly. Mismatches between the styles or header types in the block and the parent are the most common cause of insertion problems, including missing headers, unresolved tags, and occasional errors at generation time.

To avoid clashes, build the block from the parent document rather than from a blank file:

1. Open the parent template that uses the block.
2. Save the file under a new name (File > Save as).
3. Delete everything except the content you want in the block.
4. Save the file.
5. Use this file as the Source when you create the Content Block record in Document Admin.

This keeps the block's styles, headings, header types, and layout aligned with the parent.

Example: if the parent template uses First Page Header but the block uses the default Header, the block does not insert as expected. Starting from a copy of the parent prevents this.

Adding tags inside a Word Content Block

A Word Content Block has no data context of its own. To use tags, sections, or display rules inside the block, link the block file to a parent template so the block inherits the parent's data context.

1. In Document Admin, open the Content Block record and select the source file from Pack Contents.
2. Open the file in Word from the DMS.
3. In the Word add-in, select Link template.
4. Choose the parent template that uses the block.
5. Add tags, sections, and display rules as you would in any tagged document.
6. Save the file.

The block can now resolve its tags during assembly because it inherits the parent's data context.

Nesting Content Blocks

Content Blocks can contain other Content Blocks. They can also contain sections with display rules and tags.

A primary document can insert a Content Block, which itself inserts another Content Block, which contains sections that display tags. Nesting keeps complex documents maintainable: the conditional logic and reusable content sits in the smallest unit that owns it.

When you nest blocks, follow the same context rule. Any block that contains tags needs to be linked to a parent template that provides the data context for those tags.

Refreshing Content Blocks in a generated document

When the source of a Content Block changes, you can update the inserted copy in a generated document.

In the Word add-in, Refresh All replaces every inserted Content Block in the document with the latest source.

Per-block version detection is available for HTML Content Blocks only. The add-in does not display version indicators for Word Content Blocks; Refresh All pulls the latest Word source on demand.

The Content Block record at a glance

Content Blocks do not use the following fields, which appear on other template types: output filename, variations, delivery channels, attachments, enclosures, question sets, display options. These are controlled by the parent template the block is inserted into.

Limitations

Content Blocks cannot be applied to FormEvo legal forms. FormEvo forms accept tags only.

Related articles

• Authoring documents using the Word add-in
• Authoring templates using the Word add-in
• Clio Operate Word Add-in Overview
• Word Add-in - System Administrators Guide
• Understanding document template types