Creating Builder Variables

In this article:

• Overview 
• Creating Variables in the Online Workspace 
• Creating Variables Using the Word Designer 
• Inserting Variables in a Template
• Other Ways to Insert a Variable 

Overview 

Variables are the basic component of any Builder system. They are used to merge custom data in the documents you are creating for your clients and matters.  

When you create a template, it is associated with a specific Builder catalog, which acts as a container for all matter type-related variables. This means that if your catalogs are based on Actionstep matter types, the template automatically includes a group of Actionstep components (object models, object variables, and variables) for you to use in your template. You can identify these components by their Actionstep-specific prefixes, like as:,  pt_ , or dc_. (See Understanding How Actionstep Data is Used in Builder to learn more.) 

There may be times when you need to use variables that aren't currently available in Actionstep or Builder. In these cases, you should first determine if the data the variable is asking for should be stored or made available in Actionstep. If so, you should first create a custom data field for the participant type or matter type in Actionstep. You can then sync Actionstep and Builder and the new variable will be available for use in automating your template. (See Syncing Changes in Actionstep with Builder (Admin) for help.)

If you need to create variables that you don't want stored in Actionstep, you can create them in one of two areas of Builder: the Online Workspace or the Word Designer. Which area you choose depends on your situation: 

• If you are building a complete system of variables with varying levels of complexity, consider using the Online Workspace, since it provides both a holistic as well as detailed view into the different components. Once you create the variables in the Online Workspace, you can easily move to the Word Designer and insert them in your template. 
• If you are creating simple variables and wanting to immediately add them to the template, consider using the Word Designer.   

Of course, you can use a combination of both options. As long as you save and refresh the two work areas, you will have access to changes you’re making in both environments. 

Creating Variables in the Online Workspace 

You can use the the Online Workspace to create variables. Once your variables are created, you can then move to the Word template and insert them. (See Inserting Variables in a Template, below.)

Remember, if you want to save the data that will be entered for these variables, do not create them here. Instead, create them in Actionstep and then sync Actionstep with Builder. This workflow only applies to variables you don't intend to reference in Actionstep. 

To create Builder variables:

1. Launch the online workspace. (See Accessing the Builder Online Workspace for help.) 
2. In the global navigation bar, click Designer.   
3. In the Elements list on the left side of the page, select the catalog model (or matter type) you want to associate the variable with.   
4. In the main part of the page, click the Variables tab. This shows all the variables and models already associated with the catalog model.  
5. Click Add a new variable (located at the bottom of the variables list). The New Variable window appears.  
6. Choose which variable intake style you want to use. Your options are Single or List.
   TIP: Use List for those fields where you want to collect more than one answer. Note that if you’re using an object variable that references multiple individual variables, set the object variable to be a list rather than the individual variables.
7. Choose the variable type from the text drop-down list. (See Getting to Know Builder Variable Types for more information on what’s available in this list.)  
8. Enter a Variable name. 
9. Click OK to save your changes and create the variable, which is then displayed in the main area of the page. 
10. Optionally, make any customizations to the variable.
11. Click the Save icon to save your overall work.  

Creating Variables Using the Word Designer 

To do this:

1. Edit your Actionstep Builder document template. (See Editing a Builder Template File for help.)  
2. If the Builder Word Designer pane isn’t visible, launch it. (See Launching the Builder Word Designer for help.)
3. In the Variables section of the Builder ribbon, click New variable. The New Variable window appears.  
4. In the New Variable in Model drop-down list, select the catalog model (or matter type) you want to associate the variable with.
5. Choose which variable intake style you want to use. Your options are Single or List.
   TIP: Use List for those fields where you want to collect more than one answer. Note that if you’re using an object variable that references multiple individual variables, set the object variable to be a list rather than the individual variables.
6. Choose the variable type from the drop-down list. (See Getting to Know Builder Variable Types for more information on what’s available in this list.)  
7. Enter a Variable Name.
8. Optionally, enter a Question Prompt. What you enter here will be used in the interview to prompt the user for their answer.
9. Click OK to create the variable.  
10. Click Save to save all the changes to the template file. (Once you do this, you can also sync these changes with the Online Workspace. See Syncing Work Between Word Designer and Online Designer for more information.)

Inserting Variables in a Template 

Once a variable is created, you can insert it in the template text.

These instructions apply to both Actionstep-generated variables as well as as any other variables you explicitly create.

To do this: 

1. Find the variable in the Word Designer. 
2. If you are inserting a standalone variable:
   1. Either highlight the text you want to replace or place your cursor where you want the variable inserted. 
   2. Double-click the variable in the variable list, or click the ellipses icon next to the variable and choose the option for inserting the variable you want. (See Other Ways to Insert a Variable, below, for a complete description of these options.)
3. If you inserting a variable that's part of an object variable (including an Actionstep-generated variable):
   1. Expand the object variable to view it.  (See Getting to Know the Word Designer for Builder for help using the Word Designer.)
   2. Select the variable you want to insert and drag it to the location in the document where you want to use it. When you do this, the variable is inserted and the object variable name is included in the variable field, like this:
      This tells Builder to pull the information from the pt_Applicant object variable (which is a list). 
   3. If you're inserting an Actionstep-specific variable, specify which record from the list you want to merge in the document by placing your cursor before the period separating the object variable name from the variable name.
   4. Enter the index number (between brackets) for the record you want to use. Indexing in Builder starts at 0, which means if you want the first party in the list, enter a [0], like this:
      
       

Other Ways to Insert a Variable 

Builder provides other ways to insert a variable. However, if you use these methods to insert variables from an Actionstep object model, you may need to manually add the object model name and index marker, as described above.  

To insert a single variable: 

• Click the variable’s ellipses icon and choose from the following options:
  • Insert content to document: Choose this option to add the variable to the document. (You can also double-click a variable in the pane, and it will be inserted where your cursor is in the document.)  
  • Insert content with formatting: Choose this option to assign formatting to the variable and insert it in the template.  
  • Insert content with if statements to Document: Choose this option to insert the variable based on certain conditions being true or false.  
  • Edit variable: Choose this option to access additional settings and properties for the variable. (See Getting to Know Builder Variable Types for more information further customizing variables.)  
  • Delete variable: Choose this option to delete the variable. 

To insert a list of variables: 

• Click the variable’s ellipses icon and choose from the following options: 
  • Insert list to Document: Choose this option to add this variable (and the accompanying list instruction fields) to the template. 
    TIP: Depending on which list formatting option you select, you may need to do additional work to format the list in the template, including rearranging the variables and text listed between the opening and closing list statements.
  • Insert content with if statements to Document: Choose this option to insert the variable based on certain conditions being true or false.  
  • Edit variable: Choose this option to access additional settings and properties for the variable. (See Getting to Know Builder Variable Types for more information further customizing variables.)  
  • Delete variable: Choose this option to delete the variable.