Help - Users - File Notes

Background	Documents fall into one of three categories: Templates: created by merging document templates with data entered in tasks, Uploads: documents created or modified outside the context of Aspen Workflow, and uploaded on an ad-hoc basis to the Aspen Workflow system for sharing with others, and Fields: documents created or modified outside the context of Aspen Workflow, and uploaded into a field within a task. Documents may be delivered in a variety of formats, including MS Word, Word Perfect, HTML, and Excel. Moreover, the data contained in documents can change depending on which matter, process and task the document is being generated from. Most documents can be generated on demand, and as a result to not need to be saved for later retrieval (as they can simply be generated again). Complex documents which are edited after generation are typically the only documents which ever need to be saved.
Generated Documents	Generated documents are created on demand by merging data from a matter with a document template. Documents are context-sensitive; they apply to an entire matter, to a specific process within a matter, or even to a specific task within a process. A document's context is referred to as its 'level'. Matter Level Documents A matter level document is a document which depends only on fields updated in the Matter Opened task. Examples might include a Client Cover Letter, office letterhead, and thank you emails for work referrals. These documents cannot "see" any information entered in processes or tasks within the processes (with the exception of matter-level fields). Process Level Documents A process level document is a document which depends on process-level fields, matter-level fields, once-per-process tasks and once-per-matter tasks. Tasks such as "Destroy the Death Star" and "Rescue Han from Jabba the Hut" can only occur once in a process, and can thus be accessed by process level documents. Tasks such as "Battle Storm Troopers" can occur many times within a process. If there are three such tasks, a process-level document cannot know WHICH of the three tasks to merge with. To generate a process level document, you must identify which process you are generating the document for. Task Level Documents A task level document is a document which depends in part on task-level fields and many-per-process tasks. In the "Battle Storm Troopers" example above, the document must know which of the three battles the document is being generated for. To generate a task level document, you must identify which task you are generating the document for. Document Format An Aspen Workflow document can be any file format merged with Workflow data. Most documents are built in Microsoft Word. However, HTML documents, PDF files, and other formats are possible. The format of a document is represented by an icon to the left of the document name. Note that some document formats are not compatible with some Actions (e.g. MS Word documents cannot be automatically emailed).
Field Documents	Fields are used by tasks to collect data. Your system administrator may choose to create text fields, date fields, fields generated from a lookup table, or File fields. File fields prompt a user to upload a file and have that file associated with a particular task. Any fields defined as file fields are listed both in the task that the field is associated with, and in the Documents screen.
Uploaded Documents	Documents that are created or updated outside of the Aspen Workflow system can be uploaded on demand into a Matter Document page by clicking on the New Document icon.
Action	The following actions are enabled by Aspen Workflow: View: opens the document for viewing on the user's desktop. Print: merges the document and redirects the output to a printer. Email: merges the document and attaches the result to an email. Fax: merges the document and faxes it to a specified fax number.

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