Contract templates are created and maintained with the Weagree Wizard’s Template Creation Tool (TCT). The TCT also acts as a hub for organising your contract know-how, which includes discrete libraries for clauses, definitions, schedules and annexes, and various other specialised types of data you may want to use across multiple templates. Before getting started on template insertion or modification, it is important to understand the general layout of the TCT and the basics of how to operate it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Opening the TCT
B. General layout
C. Basic use
A. OPENING THE TCT
There are several ways to open the TCT, all of them via the Contract creation section of the Administrator page.
Note: the terms used and processes described below will be explained in detail in subsequent articles.
1. In the (Contract) templates section, either:
a. click the document icon to create a new, blank template (you will be taken to the TCT after filling out the popup that appears);
b. click Creation tool to first open the TCT and then select an existing template to edit; or
c. click the pencil-and-paper icon next to a template’s name to open that template in the TCT.
2. On the Clause library subitem, by:
a. selecting a global building block or global contract clause; and
b. clicking Edit.
3. On the Project templates subitem, either:
a. click the document icon to create a new, blank project template (you will be taken to the TCT after filling out the popup that appears);
b. click Creation to first open the TCT and then select an existing project template to edit; or
c. click the pencil-and-paper icon next to a project template’s name to open that template in the TCT.
B. GENERAL LAYOUT
The TCT is divided into four sections:
1. A toolbar for organising all libraries and configuring the outline (structure) of the template.
2. A toolbar for adding and modifying content to any part of the template outline: formatting text, applying preconfigured styles to paragraphs and inserting variables that will produce the full questionnaire for the end user.
Note: the switch on the right shows (when ON) or hides (when OFF) various buttons for advanced functionalities.
3. The template outline, which roughly mirrors the clauses and other paragraphs of the original model contract.
4. The contents of the selected template outline component.
C. BASIC USE
Although highly versatile and capable of supporting extremely complex questionnaires with many interdependent variables, at its core, the TCT is simple and straightforward to operate:
1. Buttons will either open popups for managing or selecting library items, or produce direct changes to the template outline or its selected component. Which buttons are available will depend on what part of the template outline is selected.
2. The template outline is a linear representation of the template’s hierarchical structure, in effect its table of contents. Each primary component, a ‘building block’, constitutes a page in the questionnaire (if the building block contains any questions) and usually corresponds to an article, section or clause heading. Building blocks may contain further hierarchies of clauses and subparagraphs. Each template component can be selected by clicking on it. Changes to the template outline are immediately saved.
3. Right-clicking on a template component produces a context menu that mirrors the top-left toolbar.
4. With the exception of the template’s root (the name of the template, at the top of the outline), each template component may contain text and variables (questions, cross-references, party names, etc.). Content can be pasted directly into the editable area on the right, typed in manually, or inserted for you by way of the top-right toolbar. The editor supports the common Windows/Microsoft Word shortcuts for basic text formatting and saving any changes to a component’s contents.
The basic process of creating or editing a template can therefore be summarised like this:
a. Create a template component.
b. If necessary, create a new library component such as a definition.
c. Insert static text and variables into the template component.
The following articles will explain, step by step, how to use each feature of the TCT and how you might want to combine different features to create better templates and questionnaires.
