Document Production and Assembly

ShareDo supports extensive document generation/assembly functionality. Document templates can be created automatically via workflows or launched from the case Prepare menu.

Introductory video on document production

View the playlist on YouTube: Platform Deep Dive - ShareDoShow.

Document Template Types

Standard document types that are supported include.

Single Documents
Document Packs – where multiple documents can be generated as part of a “pack”
Multi-party documents – where a single document or pack is generated multiple times for a list of people.
Emails
SMS
Notifications (SMS or Email)

This list is extensible within the application using the Document Assembly feature and Template types.

See Understanding document template types‍.

Document Admin Portal

All of these templates and the associated configuration are available within a single Doc Admin portal. This portal is designed to assist clients who have a very large number of document templates to manage them - with all list views being configurable.

Document Template Features

Common across all template types is the ability to configure the following:

Browse data tags and insert them in your templates.
Create derived tags – for more complex expressions.
Reusable Content Blocks, e.g., standard headers and footers.
Repeating Sections, e.g., tables, rows.
Conditional display logic, e.g., the ability to display/hide/switch content based on user-defined rules.
Document Questionnaires, e.g., the ability to define questionnaires specific to document assembly and merge that information into the document or use it to define rules.
Alternative Templates - the ability to dynamically swap the master template based on rules/attributes (e.g., language, jurisdiction).
Quick Actions – create “mini” workflows to record time, payments or document expectations.
Delivery Channels - the ability to configure delivery channels for documents (e.g., print, digital signature, email, etc).
Data Quality Rules – the ability to specify rules for mandatory or required data for a template, together with relevant actions that a user must perform to satisfy these rules.
Publishing flows – for templates that are managed within ShareDo (as opposed to your DMS), we also support the concept of publishing workflows.
Output Setting – the ability to specify browse and specify dynamic tags for document titles, filenames and storage locations.

Templates are authored either using the ShareDo Word Add-in, which facilitates the authoring of master document templates within Microsoft Word, or for emails / SMS directly within the application in a “drag and drop” canvas.

Word Add-in

The ShareDo Word Add-in provides a set of tools for Template and Document Authors to optimise the creation of Word documents using ShareDo Data and Content as well as System Admin. There is a single Word add-in for both of these personas, and the functionality that is offered via the add-in will vary depending upon the permissions that are granted.

Template Authors

Using the Word add-in, template authors can quickly interrogate ShareDo content, such as tags and Content Blocks, to build up their document templates. Once designed, these templates are then available for Document Authors to generate within their cases.

For more details concerning Document Author functionality, please see Authoring Templates using the Word Add-in‍.

Document Authors

Through the Word add-in, Document authors can quickly find and use pre-built content blocks within their documents. Common examples of this might be clauses that are commonly used. Depending upon the permissions granted, you can also create these directly from Word.

For more details concerning Document Author functionality, please see Authoring Documents using the Word add-in‍.

System Administrators

Access to the Word add-in, like other ShareDo features, is controlled via permissions. Before your users can use this functionality, you must grant them the relevant permissions.

See Word Add-in - System Administrators Guide‍.

The ShareDo Word add-in can either be installed from within Word itself or from Microsoft App Source. (https://appsource.microsoft.com/).

NOTE: Regardless of how you choose to install the add-in, you will require access to the Microsoft AppSource store. Since your IT Organisation may restrict access to this, you should contact them if this is the case.

Word Add-in – Document Authors

The ShareDo Word add-in provides the following tools for document authors.

Word Add-in – Template Authors

Template authors have access to the same functions as document authors, plus they benefit from additional tools that enable them to create and maintain document templates effectively.

To enable the template author functionality, the user will require the following ShareDo permission:

To begin authoring a new template, you should start by associating the Word document with the ShareDo template. Once your Word template is linked to a ShareDo template, the following tools will be available as a template author.

Authoring Email And SMS Templates

Within both email and SMS templates, there is a rich text editor for defining your templates.

This editor supports the same functionality as the Word add-in, enabling you to create Email templates that are as functionally rich as your Word templates.

These templates have full support for versioning together with publishing flows.

Finding reusable content	Within ShareDo, reusable content is described as “Content Blocks”. Content blocks can contain text, formatting or images. Within the Word add-in, you can search for the relevant content block, preview it and then add it to your document. The best practice for using content blocks in generated documents is to have as few blocks as possible. If you find that you have two blocks that always appear together, it is more efficient for the system (i.e. it makes the system faster) if those blocks are combined into one.
Creating reusable content	Within Word, you can select content and create a reusable content block from this. This content block will then be available to other users.
Document browser	When dynamic content has been used within your document - whether tags, sections or content blocks - these are visible within the Document Browser. The document browser allows you to quickly “jump” to the relevant content or else remove it from your document entirely.
Refreshing content in your document	Typically, a generated document will comprise many pieces of dynamic content, such as tags and content controls. From within the Word add-in, you can choose to refresh these with the latest versions stored in your ShareDo instance.
Finalising your document	When ShareDo generates a document for you, it will add a number of content controls into which dynamic content is placed. These controls are necessary for you to be able to refresh the document with newer content. You will often want to remove these controls from documents before issuing them; you do this with the Finalise action.

Data Tags	Within the add-in, you can browse data tags that will be replaced by dynamic content from ShareDo as part of the assembly process.
Sections	Sections group together content (typically a mixture of data tags and text) within your document and allow you to specify display rules to determine whether the content will be displayed.
Content blocks	Within the add-in, you can select from a central library of reusable blocks, typically comprising a mixture of data tags and text. Examples of these include standard Contract terms or the component parts of a letter template that are used to generate a letter – such as a corporate logo in the header or branch office address within the footer. Content blocks are held in a central library and can be made available to other template and document authors. The best practice for using content blocks in generated documents is to have as few blocks as possible. If you find that you have two blocks that always appear together, it is more efficient for the system (i.e. it makes the system faster) if those blocks are combined into one.
Display rules	Display rules are used to specify whether a particular piece of dynamic content is displayed (or hidden) as part of the assembly process. You will typically create a library of display rules that will be used within Word. These rules can be applied to tags, sections and content blocks to allow the document to be built up dynamically, during the document assembly process.