Post by cliffc on Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:57 pm
Is there a way to automate the entry of variables such as names into my standard WP contract forms? I would like to generate a standard form which could not be changed except by the author, and then give others the ability to fill in the names, etc., completing the form. Thanks for the help, Cliff

cliffc

There are a lot of ways this can be done.

The most direct way would be a keyboard merge. There’s a discussion in the WP help files, in most versions. That lets you put placeholders in for the different fields–the same as for a mailmerge, and then have WordPerfect prompt the typist for the values for each field. The new document doesn’t affect the source merge file. Each entry can be used in multiple places. Calculation of fields is also possible, but more work to set up.

This is also a LOT faster for the typist than having to pull up an old document and search/replace names and other data.

Another approach: setup a template. This is more work to create, and the result can be similar. Works well if the inserted values are of consistent lengths.

Overall, I’d go with the keyboard merge. If you’re near Baltimore, we’re having a discussion on that topic at the June 13 meeting.

Postby cliffc on Thu Jun 09, 2005 7:41 am
Thanks for the tip. I’ll check out the WP info suggested. Is there a way to protect the contents of the file from being changed?

cliffc

Reply from ‘Guest’
Probably the best way to protect the content of the file from being changed is to make the file Read Only. Most people do not know that they can override this. In an Explorer environment, right click on the file name and select Read Only.

In previous versions of WordPerfect it was possible to make the file password protected. I do not know if this is still possible.

True, but read-only files don’t always stay read-only during a backup. But a template is nearly impossible to mess up by accident; there are multiple clicks needed just to get into edit mode. Of the two, setting the file read-only is the quick and dirty method. Templates are elegant and flexible, but involve a few minutes work to set up. Both are OK, depending on the size of the job, but if the file has to be maintained by different authors over long periods, templates are going to be more reliable.

Anonymous wrote:In previous versions of WordPerfect it was possible to make the file password protected. I do not know if this is still possible.

Still possible. It’s enough security to prevent accidental overwrites, but not encryption for actual confidentiality purposes, and once the file is open, it’s easy to accidentally overwrite it.