Date fields are akin to editable fields, but are specifically used for the insertion of dates. Although it is of course possible to type out any date within an editable field, date fields provide three important advantages. Firstly, they come with date pickers that let the user simply select a date from a calendar. Secondly, dates entered this way will be automatically converted into a fully written out date, in the language and format selected for the template (e.g. “1 January 2000” for British English or “1. Januar 2000” for German). Thirdly, it ensures that automated date calculations will work (for more information, click here).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Creating a date field
B. Optional and advanced settings
C. Editing a date field
A. CREATING A DATE FIELD
Date use the tag format [date.Name]. The tag will be replaced by the user’s input.
1. Select the text that must be replaced by the user’s input (or position the cursor where it must be inserted).
2. Click Insert a date picker field. A pop-up will appear.
3. Enter a name for the tag. You may use spaces. A short, descriptive one (e.g. Effective date or Repayment 1) is recommended; avoid putting in actual questions.
4. Click Insert. Another pop-up will appear.
5. Formulate the question. This will be shown to the user in the questionnaire (Q&A).
6. Enter an If unanswered placeholder. This placeholder will appear in the Q&A’s WYSIWYG view (‘underwater screen’) and generated document if no other answer has been provided.
Note: using square brackets for the placeholder (e.g. “[PLACEHOLDER]”) is usually practical, as you can easily search for those in the generated document. To add a ‘blob’, use [[*]] with double brackets.
7. Click Save & close.
8. Click Save the changes made (or press Ctrl+S).
B. OPTIONAL AND ADVANCED SETTINGS
When creating or editing (see section C below) a date field, you may also want to consider the following settings.
1. Enter an explanation to provide user guidance for answering the question. In the Q&A, a small warning icon will be displayed to the right of the question. The icon will have the explanation as its tooltip.
2. Enable Force a Q&A answer if this question must be answered before the user may generate a document.
Note: this will not visually change the Q&A. Consider adding an explanation or attention notice – see below – to alert the user to this field’s mandatory nature.
3. For Default value, you may enter “[currentdate]” (without quotes) to automatically insert the date of the contract entry’s (Q&A’s) creation. The user will be able to select a different date in the Q&A if needed.
Note: the date field itself will appear empty in the Q&A, but you can verify that this works from the Q&A’s WYSIWYG view.
4. Change the authorisation level if the question should be hidden from certain users. This may be indicated for sensitive or complex matters that not every user is or should be able to determine. For more information about authorisation levels, click here.
Note: be aware that if a question is hidden this way, it will still be taken into account when generating a document. It is therefore highly recommended to at least fill in the If unanswered field (so that a senior member will be able to easily find and correct this variable in the generated document). Using “[currentdate]” as the default value will also suffice if that date will ordinarily be acceptable.
5. Add an attention notice (bold, magenta text displayed beneath the question during the Q&A) for especially important explanatory information:
a. Open the Attention notices subtab.
b. Enter the attention notice.
Note: if Force a Q&A answer has been enabled, it is often a good idea to add an attention notice pointing out that this field is mandatory. This will help prevent confusion at the end of the Q&A and make the field easier to find again if it is initially skipped for any reason.
6. Click Save & close.
C. EDITING A DATE FIELD
Once created, all aspects of a date field except for its tag name can be edited.
1. Select the template component containing the date field.
2. Click Modify the questionnaire elements (question formation, default answer or explanation). A pop-up will appear.
3. Select the applicable question (if the template component contains more than one).
4. Make the necessary changes.
5. Click Save & close (or Save if you want to edit another question in the same template component).
