Transcript RedHorse Systems Basic Document Merging - Home

RedHorse CRM
Creating Merge Document Templates
Lesson I
Basic Single Data Source Templates
RedHorse CRM – Basic Merge Document Design
In this Performance Support Lesson set, consisting of two lessons, we will
walk you through building two Merge Document Templates.
In Lesson I we build a simple Business Letter Merge Template.
Lesson II is based on a more complex template, a Quote, which uses the
Repeating Line function. Because the Quote Template Lesson builds
on the skills covered in the Business Letter Lesson, we recommend
that you go through both Lessons in sequence.
You will need Admin rights in RedHorse CRM in order to create new
Merge Doc Templates or edit existing templates.
The technology that is used to create templates and merge documents
requires MS Word 2003 or MS Word 2007, Professional or higher.
Microsoft’s lower versions do not support the XML technology.
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Getting Ready
The information contained the RedHorse Admin for the licensed company
may be used in Merge Document Templates. This information may be
updated as shown below.
Configuring Company Information:
1. Go To Admin | Settings | General
2. Review and Edit the “Licensed
Company Information”
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Getting Ready, continued
Each RedHorse User should have their own Contact Record in the RedHorse
CRM database. The information contained the user’s contact record may be
used in Merge Document Templates. A User’s linked contact record may be
updated as shown below.
Configuring User Information:
1. Go To Admin | Users
2. Double-Click a User
3. Set the User’s Linked
Contact Record
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Getting Ready, continued
The Document Management System in RedHorse allows you to create a folder
structure and file naming convention for merge documents. This should be set
prior to merging documents.
Configuring Document Management
Settings:
1. Go To Admin | Settings | General |
Document Management
If you select Category, RedHorse
CRM includes the “Filing Category”
value in path as part of the Folder
Structure.
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Creating a Template
Now we are ready to begin creating a new Template in the Admin Center in RedHorse.
Creating a Template:
1. Open Administration
2. Drop the Reports Menu
and Select Add Report
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Creating a Template,
continued:
3. In Report Type Select
Merge Document
4. Click Yes to base your
template on the standard
CRM Blank Template
Note: In this example, we are using the “standard CRM Blank Template” that RedHorse ships with as
the starting point for our new template. This is analogous to the “normal.dot” file in Word, in that it
controls default fonts, etc. You can also browse to a different existing file, including other
RedHorse CRM merge doc templates , to use as the starting point.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
5. Enter a name for your
new template file. Click OK.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
6. Select a Filing Category
Filing Category is an
editable drop down list. It is
used to create the file name
when the document is
merged and the folder in
which it is saved, when
“Category” is selected in the
Document Management
System.
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Creating a Template, continued:
7. Optional: Edit the Report Name.
By default, RedHorse will use the
actual filename, minus the
extension, for your Report Name.
You may change it to make it more
user-friendly.
Description also is optional.
8. Click Save to create the new
Merge Document Template file.
Note: Templates are saved in the \Templates\ folder that is below the primary folder where RedHorse
CRM is installed. Only templates saved in this location may be merged in RedHorse CRM.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
9. Click the Add Button to
add a data source.
10. Click in the Data Area
field, drop the list and Select
Contacts. The correct SQL
Stored Procedure will be
automatically selected.
For more complex merge
document templates or
reports you may need
multiple Data Sources.
Continue adding them as
needed.
Note: RedHorse CRM ships with a number of “standard” SQL Stored procedures that supply data to
document templates and reports. You can also write your own custom stored procedures for
special data merge requirements. This is an advanced skill beyond the scope of this document.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
11. Click the Update
Template Fields Button.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
12. Click the Edit Template
Button to launch Microsoft
Word and edit your
template.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
Since this is a standard
business letter template, we
will add a date field at the
top. (That is an MS Word
data field, not a RedHorse
CRM data field.)
13. Select the Insert TAB.
Click Date and Time from
the “Quick Insert” icons.
Select the Date and Time
format. Leave the “Update
automatically” checkbox
selected. Click OK.
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Creating a Template, continued:
14. Open an appropriate number of
blank lines immediately below the date.
15. Press Ctrl + Shift + X to toggle On
XML Codes and Elements.
16. Right-Click in the document and
select Apply XML Element to Display
available RedHorse CRM data macros
and data fields.
The elements in this list are determined
by the Data Sources selected earlier in
this process.
17. Select the ContactCompanyAddress
macro from the list.
Note: Ctrl + Shift + X is a Toggle
Control that turns access the
view of XML fields on or off.
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Creating a Template,
continued:
18. Click Apply to Selection
Only.
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Creating a Template, continued:
Notice the XML Field Codes that are
now in the Template. Note that we
have NOT inserted the field codes
twice. Rather, there is a Begin and
an End code, much like you would
find in HTML.
19. Open up a blank line, then on
the next line type Dear.
20. Leave a space after Dear and
Right-Click to insert the next XML
code.
21. Select FirstName. Type a
comma after End XML Code for
FirstName.
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Creating a Template, continued:
22. Open up a few more blank
lines below Dear and type your
“Closing Phrase”, e.g. Sincerely.
23. Open appropriate blank lines
and then Right-Click to display the
XML data sources. Select
CRM_UserName to insert the
name of the logged in RedHorse
CRM User.
Note: The XML Data Macros that
insert data related to the
RedHorse CRM User all start with
“CRM_”.
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Creating a Template, continued:
24. Click the Save Icon.
Note: If needed, you can add other RedHorse
CRM User data elements below the Full Name.
Optional Step: If you are not using pre-printed
company letterhead, you may wish to add a
company logo graphic, as well as company
name and address, etc. to the template Header
and Footer sections. Use the same steps listed
on the previous page to insert the appropriate
“CRM_” XML codes.
25. When done Save and Close the Template
in Word. Go back to RedHorse CRM to
complete the Template Configuration Steps.
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Creating a Template, continued:
26. Back in RedHorse CRM Select the
Availability TAB.
Note: This is where we determine
location in RedHorse CRM from which
we can merge our new template. This
is a Business Letter template that
includes Contact data. So it should
only be available in RedHorse Modules
where the Contact Data is available,
(where a Contact RecID can be
retrieved.)
27. Change this to Business Module.
This will make the selection
checkboxes for the individual modules
available.
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS QUESTION: Which Business Modules
will we want to select for our new Business Letter Template?
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Creating a Template,
continued:
28. Select the Contact
Business Module.
This is a Business Letter
template that includes
Contact data. So it should
only be available in
RedHorse Modules where
the Contact Data is
available, (where a Contact
RecID can be retrieved.)
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OOPS! This is what happens if we launch a Merge Doc Template from a module
where it cannot access the data that the codes in the template are programmed to
request. In this case, the Contact RecID is not available. This demonstration error
was generated by launching a Contact Merge Doc Template from an Account Record.
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Creating a Template,
concluded:
29. Select the Security TAB.
Select the RedHorse CRM
User Groups who can
access this template.
30. Click Save and Close in
this dialog box. Optionally,
you can close the Admin
dialog box or leave it open.
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Now we’re ready to test our new template.
Testing Our New Template:
31. Select a Contact Record.
It should have a complete
address so that the test is
valid.
32. Select the Reports TAB.
33. Highlight our new
Template.
34. Click the View Button
Note: The Print Button will merge the template with the current contact and send it directly to the
printer, without the option to edit it prior to printing. Of course, this is not useful for templates that
create documents that require user editing. This applies to the PDF and Email Buttons, as well.
(PDF module must be installed to use that button.)
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Creating a Template,
continued:
Here is the merged
document that our
template created.
Note the merged data in
both the letter body and in
the footer. Note also that
some of the merged data
is Contact Data and some
if RedHorse CRM User
Data.
From here, you can use
standard Microsoft Word
features to save, print, or
file this document.
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Controlling Fonts & Styling Elements in Merge Templates
Here is one more critical key to creating nice-looking documents from RedHorse Merge document
Templates:
You may notice that setting the fonts in an actual merged field in your template does not change the result
in the document merged from the template. Further, none of the usual strategies for controlling such style
elements seem to work.
Here’s what to do: Recall that way back near the beginning of this template creation process we accepted
the option to create the new template based on the existing standard CRM template:
CRM_Blank_Template.xml, (Page 6, Step 6 in this presentation)? To control the fonts, especially for
merged elements, first make a copy of that file and give it a meaningful name. For example,
“Blank_Business_Document_Template.xml”. Think of this as a “master template”.
Next edit the new file in Word, and set the default fonts, as well as other such style elements as desired.
Save and close the file. Be sure it is in the \RedHorse CRM\Templates\ folder.
Now when you want to create a new Merge Doc Template that uses those fonts and styles,
instead of basing your new template on “CRM_Blank_Template.xml” base it on your new
“master template”.
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Congratulations on building your first RedHorse CRM Merge
Document Template, a Business Letter Template!
This completes Lesson I. You should now have a working
knowledge of the basic skills required to create RedHorse CRM
Merge Documents Templates. This simple skill will enable you to
add tremendous business-specific value to any RedHorse CRM
installation.
The next several slides contain some valuable additional
information and resources to assist you in acquiring greater skill
in the creation of RedHorse CRM Merge Document Templates.
Review these next few slides and when ready proceed to Lesson II,
to learn how to design more advanced templates.
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One more important Merge Document building tip I want to be sure to
leave you with: Although the XML technology combined with the
SQL Stored Procedures that RedHorse CRM uses to propagate the
data to Microsoft Word is a very stable and robust system, Microsoft
Word templates can be problematic. They have numerous hidden
codes, macros and even formatting tags that can be difficult to
reveal and analyze. With that in mind, if you have a complex
template, or any template that represents significant development
time and effort, be sure to back it up BEFORE modifying it. Also, if
you do run into a template that continues to misbehave, even after
reasonable attempts to correct the problem or problems, consider
creating a new template from scratch. It can be very difficult to
repair broken templates once they are far enough off track.
Knowing when to pull the plug on a messed up template can save you
hours of frustration and wasted time.
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Additional Resources
XML Training On-Line:
http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp
http://www.xml.com/
MS Office 2007 Training On-Line:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx
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Appendix – Supplying SQL Data to Reports
This screen is from the RedHorse CRM Help. It provides the details for understanding the
RecID constraints mentioned in the section of this presentation on building a Contact
Business Letter Template, as well as details required to write your own SQL Stored
Procedures.
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The screen-shots included in this presentation were created on a
workstation, running Microsoft Windows XP Pro, with Office 2007
Professional installed, and running RedHorse CRM version 2.0.
Both the screens and the procedures may vary somewhat if different
versions of the software are installed, or if there are other
significant environmental differences. With the exception of
possible added features and enhancements, the RedHorse CRM
specific procedures can be expected to remain largely the same
in future versions.
Important: The XML technology that is used to create the templates
and to use them in the merge process requires MS Word 2003 or
MS Word 2007, Professional or higher. Microsoft’s lower
versions do not support the XML technology.
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Thank you for your time!
Please send your suggestions for improving these training materials
to:
Jeff Bell
c/o Willow Bend
[email protected]
Training materials created by Willow Bend for RedHorse Systems, Inc.
Copyright RedHorse systems, Inc. © 2009 – All Rights Reserved
Contact Jeff Bell if you are interested in custom training
and Performance Support materials.
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