Automation fields are snippets of information in a Precedent that are populated with details directly from a matter. This reduces errors from manually entering data, whilst saving time generating documents.
In order to add an automation field, you must create a Precedent first.
- In your new Precedent in Word, navigate to the Precedent Creation/Modification panel on the right-hand side.
- Select the Show Fields button.
- Click on the area in the document where you wish to add an Automation Field.
- From the right-hand panel, navigate to and select the Field you wish to enter.
- Double-click to insert the Automation Field in the document.
- The Automation Field will be inserted into the document and look similar to the example below:
- From the right-hand panel, select the Show Values button.
The field should now show data for that field extracted from the matter.
Change formatting of automation field data
- Click on the middle of the Automation Field you wish to change the format of.
- The right-hand panel will change into the Format Field window. Select the field type and the format you want the data to be displayed as.
- Select Apply Format to reflect the changes in the document.
Most fields automatically select the correct Field Type as either Text, Date, or Number. However, you can manually change the field type in the drop-down box if needed.
There are a small number of fields that operate differently as they are Word fields and not Smokeball ones, for example, the date options shown below:
Video guide
Prefer to watch a video? Our Basic Precedent Automation video will help you get started with automation fields: