When preparing a document for automation using Intelledox, there are a number of things to take into consideration in order to make the most of the Intelledox system, and provide your users with the best possible end document experience. This article details several best practises to help you achieve this.
Plan your document structure
Good planning can save a lot of time further down the track. Think about the purpose of the template, and whether you intend to create other similar looking documents. It may be worthwhile developing a layout template.
Use named styles not ‘ad-hoc’ formatting
Word provides a powerful style feature for helping keep formatting within a document and across many documents consistent. These styles can be used by Intelledox to increase maintainability of document look and feel, especially when using a layout for many document outputs.
Bookmark placeholders for dynamic content
Once your final output is determined, you can start removing any content that needs to be made dynamic. Insert bookmarks where content is to be dynamically inserted, and add bookmarks around existing content that should be removed by Intelledox rules.
Use tables and avoid ‘floating’ objects
Use tables to create complex document layouts, rather than using ‘floating’ image or textbox objects. Images that are in-line with the text offer more predictable results when content is dynamically removed in your document than those that float above text.
Position bookmarks accurately
Use the show/hide paragraph marks feature in Word, along with a comfortable zoom level to ensure you can clearly see where your bookmarks lie in relation to spaces, paragraph marks and punctuation.
Use the content library
Any document elements common to more than one document, such as logos or standard clauses, should be captured in the Intelledox Content Library. This increases the maintainability of your document.
Know where information is coming from
Know exactly where dynamically placed information is going to be drawn from when the document is generated by Intelledox. Consider where data comes from, whether you capture that information in an existing database, or whether the end user should be asked a question to fill in that information.