Merge Field Editor
The Merge Field Editor is a tool for creating and editing Merge Templates (merge field lists). Use these templates when creating or editing Form Letter and Schedule/Proposal/Summary main documents.
Accessing Merge Field Editor
On the 360 Toolbox menu, click User Settings and Tools > Merge Field Editor.
Menus
The following menus are available in a data entry form. Click each menu item to see detailed information. Note that the available menus vary depending on the form.
Creating a Merge Field Template
Creating a Merge Field Template from Scratch
Do the following to create a new merge field template from scratch:
- From any data entry form or center that has a 360 Toolbox menu click 360 Toolbox menu, click User Settings and Tools > Merge Field Editor. The Merge Field Editor data entry form appears.
- Click New in the upper right corner of the form. The new template fields appear.
- Enter a Template Name for the template and select the Type of template you are creating (e.g., Form Letter Merge Template or SPS Merge Template).
- The name of the person logged into the workstation defaults into the Author Name field, but can be changed. Enter a Summary that will help distinguish this template from others.
- Click the Selections section and choose the sections and fields you want to include in the merge field template.
- When you have finished making your selections to the Selected Fields area, click Add on the Merge Field Templates section menu bar.
- Click the Save or Save & Close icon on the toolbar or from the menu click File > Saveor Save & Close.
Creating a Merge Field Template by Copying a Template
Do the following to create a new merge field template by copying an existing template:
- From any data entry form or center that has a 360 Toolbox menu click 360 Toolbox menu, click User Settings and Tools > Merge Field Editor. The Merge Field Editor data entry form appears.
- In the Merge Field Templates grid, select the template you want to copy.
- From the menu click File > Copy. The copied template appears in the grid starting with Copy of ... followed by the name of the original template.
- Select this copy and click Edit in the upper right corner of the grid. The information pre-fills to the fields for you to edit.
- Rename the template to something more appropriate. The Type of template is based on the original and cannot be changed.
- The name of the person who created the original template appears in the Author Name field, but can be changed. Enter a Summary that will help distinguish this template from others.
- Click the Selections section. The selections from the original template appear in the Selected Fields area. Modify the selections as needed.
- When you have finished making your selections to the Selected Fields area, click Update on the Merge Field Templates section menu bar.
- Click the Save or Save & Close icon on the toolbar or from the menu click File > Save or Save & Close.
Merge Field Template Grid
The Merge Field Templates grid includes existing templates to view, edit, export, or copy as the basis for a new list. The templates appear in ascending order by Template Name. To re-sort the lists using the information in any column, click the column header. You can also click the filter arrow on each header and choose to limit the templates in the grid.
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Template Name |
The name given to the template when it was created. |
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Saved |
The date the template was last saved. The date can be the creation or edited date. |
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Type |
Indicates the use of the template. The document types are:
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Author Name |
The person who originally created the template. |
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Active |
If checked, the template appears in the Merge Template list in the Document Library data entry form. |
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Permanent |
An "X" in this column indicates the template is permanent and cannot be deleted.
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Merge Field Editor Selections
| Field Name | What is this? | ||||||
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Template Name |
Type a name for the Merge Field Template that will appear in the Merge Field Template list in the Document Library. |
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Type |
Choose where the Merge Field Template will be used. The types are:
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Author Name |
The name of the person logged into the workstation defaults to the Author Name field, but can be changed. |
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Merge Fields From |
This list box fills with all active Template Names (from the grid) where the Type is SPS Merge Template. This can be a permanent AMS360 provided template, or a user defined template.
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Summary |
Type additional information about the template that will be helpful in distinguishing it from other templates. |
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Active |
Checking this field causes the template to appear in the Merge Field Template list in the Document Library. |
Selections
| Selections | What is this? | ||||||||
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Available Data |
The data available in the AMS360 database that you can choose from to create your data template. The fields are based on the type (Form Letter or Schedule/Proposal/Summary) previously selected. |
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Selected Fields |
The fields you have chosen for your template appear in this area. |
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Use to move the selected section or merge field from the Available Fields pane to the Selected Fields pane. You can also click a selection in the Available Fields pane and hold the left mouse button down while dragging the item to the Selected Fields pane. |
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Use to move the selected section or merge field from the Selected Fields pane to the Available Fields pane, thus removing it from the Available Fields. You can also click a selection in the Selected Fields pane and press the Delete key on your keyboard to remove the item from the Available Fields pane. |
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Use to move the selected section or merge field up in the list in the Selected Fields pane.
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Use to move the selected section or merge field down the list in the Selected Fields pane.
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(Definition of icons visible in the panes) |
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Right Click Menu
Another tool available within the Selections section is the right-click menu. The available menu items vary depending on whether you are creating a Form Letter or a Schedule/Proposal/Summary merge field template. The following table lists each menu item, where it is available, and its function.
| Menu Selection | Function | ||
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Select |
Available only on the right-click menu in the Available Fields pane. Use to move the selected section or merge field from the Available Fields pane to the Selected Fields pane. |
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Remove |
Available only on the right-click menu in the Selected Fields pane. Use to delete the selected section or merge field from the Selected Fields pane. |
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Set Hint |
Available only when creating a Form Letter merge field template. You must select a specific field in the Selected Fields pane for the menu item to be available. Opens the Merge Field Hint data entry form where you can add a hint to the selected merge field. A hint can help the person creating the form letter identify the merge field correctly, so the appropriate data is merged into the document. Example For a private passenger auto policy the merge field title may be deductible. You can set a hint that reads, "Select Comprehensive Deductible." |
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Replicate |
Available only when creating a Form Letter merge field template. This right-click menu item is available when you select a merge field section from the Selected Fields pane with the Copy icon. Duplicates the selected group of information. If you have made any changes to the group, these changes are preserved in the copied version. If you plan to merge a form letter for a policy with items such as locations or vehicles, you must add multiple vehicle or item merge sections to the template. AMS encourages you to add sections equal to the maximum number of items you might merge. Example If a policy has two vehicles to merge into a form letter, then you must have at least two vehicle information sections in the merge field template. If you only have one section, the second vehicle will not merge. If you have three vehicle sections and only two vehicles to merge, the two vehicles merge to the document and the extra section is ignored. |
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Rename |
Available for both Form Letter and Schedule/Proposal/Summary templates. This right-click menu item is available when you select a merge field from the Selected Fields pane. Use to change the name of a data field to distinguish it from other fields. If used for Schedules and Proposals this will be the actual name that appears on your final document. Example The field name for the dependent's date of birth appears in the merge field template as DOB. You may want to rename this Dependent date of birth for clarity. |
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Refine |
Available only when creating a Form Letter merge field template. This right-click menu item is available when you select a field in the Selected Fields pane with the Refine/Filter icon. Opens the Refine Merge Field data entry form where you can select the element to include in the selected merge field. Selecting elements using this feature can streamline the process when merging a form letter by eliminating the Q & A portion of the merge. Example Coverage is a merge field available in a template. By using the refine process you can specify the specific coverage to include in the merged document. |
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View Template |
Available only on the right-click menu in the Selected Fields pane. Use to view the current template in XML code. This view may be requested by Vertafore Support if you have questions or problems with the merge field template. |
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Insert Text |
Available only on the right-click menu for Schedule/Proposal/Summary templates in the Selected Fields pane. Appears only when you select a node that has data fields. Use this option to enter additional text that you want to appear before or after the selected node (section information) in your merged document. Limited formatting is available for the text by right-clicking the menu in the text editor. ExampleSee an example of highlighted text before and after section information (node) in a schedule, proposal or summary.
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Expand Node |
Use to display the data fields for the selected node. |
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Expand All |
Use to display all the data fields in the pane. |
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Collapse Node |
Use to collapse (hide) the data fields for the selected node. |
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Collapse All |
Use to collapse (hide) all the data fields in the pane and display only the highest level of node within the pane. |
What's Next?
Do you want to create a new main document using this template? See Document Library for more information.