Actionstep provides Microsoft Word add-in that allows you to quickly insert Actionstep merge fields into your document templates. You can also apply basic formatting to these fields.

NOTE:  The information in this article covers the basic Office 365-based add-in used to add Actionstep merge fields to a document template. There is another tool available called Actionstep Builder that provides far more functionality for building complex template systems. To learn about Builder, see About Actionstep Builder or contact your Actionstep representative.

Additionally, in the past, Actionstep supported a Microsoft Office plug-in that allowed you to open and manage Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files for a matter directly from Office. This plug-in is no longer supported. Information is included here simply to help you distinguish between the add-in and the plug-in. See Understanding the Differences Between the Microsoft Add-in and Microsoft Plug-in to learn more.

Installing the Add-In

You can install the Office 365 add-in by accessing the Microsoft Add-Ins platform.

To do this:

1. Open a Word document.
2. On the Home ribbon, click the Add-ins icon. The Add-ins pop-up window appears.
3. In the Search Add-ins box, type Actionstep.
4. Click Add next to Actionstep for Word.
   An Actionstep tab and associated icon are added to your ribbon and a panel is opened on the right side of your Word window.
5. Click Log in and provide your Actionstep sign-in credentials to sign in.

TIP:  If you've also installed the Word plug-in, you may have two Actionstep menus in your Word ribbon. For this workflow, use the second Actionstep menu.

Adding Merge Fields to a Document

Once the template builder add-in is installed, you can begin creating your template.

To do this:

1. View the Actionstep panel. (To do this, click the Actionstep tab and then click the Actionstep icon on the ribbon.) Then sign in, if needed.
   
2. Click the Select matter type drop-down list and choose the matter type you want to associate this template with.
3. Click in the Select Matter field and enter the matter ID or name for the matter associated with the document.
   
4. Click Start building. The panel is updated to show a few different options.
5. To start adding merge fields to your template, click either the Add icon or the Insert Merge Fields button.
   
6. Click the first drop-down list in the panel and choose the type of data you want to insert. Your options include:
   • Data collections: Choose this option to merge custom data associated with the selected matter type. (See Creating a Data Collection for a Matter (Admin) to learn more.)
   • Matter details: Choose this option to merge data related to the matter itself, including the date the matter was created, matter ID or name, status, etc.
   • Matter parties: Choose this option to merge participant data, like participant name, mailing address, etc. (See Creating Participant Types to learn more.)
   • General: Choose this option to merge non-matter-specific data like the current date or your company logo.
7. Click the second drop-down list to choose the specific data type you want to merge. For example, if you select Matter parties as the first option, you can then choose the participant type (e.g., Client), followed by the specific participant type field (e.g., Client FirstName).

8. Once you identify the field you want to merge, click Insert to add the field to the cursor position in the document.

   NOTE:  Before inserting the field, you can click the edit icon to view additional options that control how the merge field text will be displayed. 
   For example, if you're inserting a date field, you can choose how the date will be formatted. You can also choose how the merge field should be treated if the field is left blank. 
   Which merge field options are available changes based on the type of merge field you're using.

Additional Tasks You Can Perform Using the Tool

The Office 365 add-in includes a few other useful tools to help you create your document templates:

A. Click the Doc icon / drop-down list and choose to either Publish template or Download template. Then complete the fields that appear. 

• If you publish the template, it will be added to the matter type's Document Templates list so it can be used for all matters of that type.
• If you download the template, you will be prompted to choose which matter type and associated template you want to download, and the file will be saved to your browser's default Downloads folder.

B. Click the Add icon to create a new Contact, File Note, Task, or Time Entry. Then complete any fields that appear to associate it with the matter.

C. Click the User icon to review your user name or Logout of the panel.

D. Click the Edit icon to review the matter type and matter associated with the template you are editing. You can use the options to change to a different matter/matter type as well.

E. Click the Upload icon to publish the template. Then complete any fields that appear. When you publish the template, it will be added to the matter type's Document Templates list.

Giving Non-Admin Users Permissions to Upload Templates Using the Add-In (Admin)

As an admin user, if you have non-admin users who are building your templates, you can give them permissions to upload templates they build to the matter type's Document Templates list. 

Note: This process involves setting properties in two separate areas of Actionstep (described below), and both are required for users to access publishing functionality within the Word add-in.

To do this:

1. In Actionstep, go to Admin > Users & permissions. The Users & Permissions page appears.
2. Click Menu permissions, located on the right side of the page. The Menu Permissions page appears.
3. Find and select ActionStep_Admin_Main_Menu in the list of permissions. The Menu Access: Actionstep_Main_Menu page appears.
4. In the System Role column, find the role you want to grant permission to and make sure the following checkboxes are selected for that role:
   • Setup
   • Merge Fields
5. Click Save to save your changes. 
6. Next, go to Admin > Users & Permissions > System Roles (located on the right side of the page).
7. Select the system role you want to grant access to. 
8. In the Application permissions section, toggle Workflow Admin to on. 
9. Click Save to save your changes.

Notes:
• Permission changes may take approximately 10-15 minutes to become effective.
• Users who are currently signed in to the Microsoft Word add-in must sign out and sign back in after the permission changes have been applied.

Updated October 01, 2026 18:49