Help - Documents - Creation

Background

Generating a Word document via a web-based platform is complex. The diagram to the right identifies visually the six steps required.

1. Request the Document

When you choose a document to generate, the browser will request a web page called documentGenerate-Client.asp from the server. This active server page expects you to identify the document identified of the document you wish to generate, as well as the matter, matter process (if applicable), and matter task (if applicable) that you want the document generated for. These parameters are determine for you as you navigate through the Workflow system.

Troubleshooting tips:

Administrators and Users see different merge results: administrators cannot test task-level documents from the Admin - Documents. Test from the user side.

2. Receive the Document Location and Merge Data

Rather than containing HTML code to view, this web page will contain instructions on where to retrieve the document template and what data fields to merge with the document. These instructions are in a programming language called Visual Basic Script (VBScript). VBScript is not supported by Netscape Navigator (without third-party plug-in software), so this merge technique will not work with Netscape.

Troubleshooting tips:

Nothing happens: you are running an old version of IE, or you are running Netscape Navigator. Install Internet Explorer 4.0 or later.

3. Create and Save the Merge File

Upon receiving the document location and merge data, Internet Explorer must save the merge data into a file that Word will later use for its mail merge. This means that IE must have permission to save a file to the client hard disk, and it must have Window's Scripting Host installed to save the file. Please refer to Help - Document - Trusted Sites for more information.

Troubleshooting tips:

Error - object not found: you have not set the server up as a trusted site, so IE will not allow creation and saving of the merge data source. Please refer to Help - Document - Trusted Sites for more information.

Error - object not found: you do not have Window Scripting Host installed. Download an install the Windows Scripting Host from www.microsoft.com.

4. Open Word and Retrieve the Document Template

Once the merge file has been created on the client PC, IE will then open MS Word and send a command to Word to open the document template. This means that the client PC must have Microsoft Word (97 or later) installed, and the server must be set up as a trusted site. (Normally, IE will not let any random web site send commands to open other software, like MS Word. This is why a trusted site connection is required.)

Troubleshooting tips:

Error - object not found: you have not set the server up as a trusted site, so IE will not allow creation and saving of the merge data source. Please refer to Help - Document - Trusted Sites for more information.

Error - object not found: you do not have Microsoft Word installed on the Client PC.

5. Retrieve the Document Template

When IE opens Word, it sends a command to Word to open the document template. The location that IE specifies comes from Admin - Documents in the PathURL field. There are three ways to identify the document location: HTTP, FTP, or UNC.

HTTP means Word will as a web server for the document.
Pros: works over the web.
Cons: does not allow Word save changes back to the web server.
Example: http://demo.aspengrove.net/document/example.doc

FTP means Word will ask and FTP server for the document.
Pros: works over the web, allows saving back to the server.
Cons: Word 97 does not remember FTP usernames and passwords, so this information needs to be typed in repeatedly.
Example: ftp://demo.aspengrove.net/document/example.doc

UNC means Word will ask the file system for the document.
Pros: fastest for intranets, allows saving of the document.
Cons: does not work over the web, dependent on physical paths.

Any PathURL can be tested by opening Word, choosing File - Open, and entering the PathURL in the Open dialog box. If that works, then step 5 will work. If not, step 5 will fail.

6. Perform the Mail Merge

Once Word retrieves the document template, IE will issue a command to Word to connect to the newly created merge data source (c:\tempdatasource.doc) and perform the mail merge. The resulting file will be a new file in Word, ready for editing, printing, emailing, faxing or saving by the Client PC.

Troubleshooting tips:

Cannot open data source: either there is no room on the Client PC for the merge data source, or another program (perhaps another copy of Word) has a lock on the merge data source and will not allow the current Word document to open it.

Blank Merge Fields: the user did not fill in data for the required fields for the matter in question.

Blank Merge Fields: the document repeatability was changed after the document was created. This means that the document expects to be generated from inside a task, but was instead generated at the process or matter level.

Error - Missing Merge Fields: the administrator who created the document included merge fields that are not part of the merge data source. See Help - Document - Creation for help with document field mapping.

Error - Missing Merge Fields: the administrator who created vbDocument.inc functions introduced an error into their function, resulting in an incomplete merge data source. See Help - Document - Functions for help with creating and troubleshooting document functions.