Component Studio
HotDocs Advance Integration > Component Studio
This is the interface for creating, editing, testing, or deleting the components in your HotDocs Advance templates. Components are the building blocks of a template. A template relies on components to determine how to ask for the data you want to gather in the interview.
You can open and close Component Studio as needed, or you can display it and switch between your template and Component Studio as you work. Keeping both windows open makes it easier to view and edit all the components in your template at once.
This topic covers:
Opening Component Studio
You can open Component Studio either from Workspace Explorer or from the HotDocs Author tab of the Word ribbon.
Component Studio Taskbar
At the top of the window a taskbar displays containing the following buttons:
Save – Saves any changes you make to a component.
Undo/Redo – Enables you to easily undo and redo the changes you make in Component Studio.
New – Enables you to create new components. When you select a component from the drop-down list a dialog appears where you can enter the basic details of the new component. The editor for that component type then opens.
Find – Enables you search for text strings in components.
Find options – Enables you to specify whether you want to constrain you search by one or both of the following:
Match case – Limits the search to items that matches the capitalization of the string you type.
Match whole word – Checks the string you type against whole words in the components in the current component file.
Look in – Enables you to specify whether you want to constrain you search by one or more of the following:
All searchable text – Searches for the text in all of the options (you use this to select and deselect all)
Names – Searches for the text in all component names and the names of columns in Fixed Tables, Table variables, and Single Select or Multi Select variables using a default option source
Display text (titles, prompts, etc.) – Searches for the text in component titles, prompts, and other fields containing text that HotDocs displays in the interview
Additional information – Searches for the plain text in Additional Information panes in all components
Scripts, expressions, and tables – Searches for the text in text literals and text strings in fixed table components, as well as the Suggestion text property on Text variables, and the Option Labels property on a Single Select or Multi Select variable
Format and input mask text – Searches placeholder field content for format text and text in input masks
Option sources and answer suggestions – searches the text in option sources (for a Single Select or Multi Select variable) and answer suggestions (for Text variables)
Notes – Searches for the text in each component editor's Notes tab.
Returns results in the Find Results pane at the bottom.
Properties – Opens the Component File Properties dialog box to enable you to edit component file level properties.
Help – Launches the help documentation for HotDocs Advance.
Component File Properties Dialog Box
To access component file preferences, click the Properties button at the top of the component studio.
Maximum WHILE iterations – To prevent HotDocs from infinitely processing a WHILE expression, which causes HotDocs to stop responding, type a number in this field. This number represents the number of times dialogs or variables in the template or script can be looped before HotDocs stops it from doing so.
Maximum processing stack depth – To prevent HotDocs from infinitely processing (or recursing) a computation, which causes HotDocs to stop responding, type a number in this field. This number represents how many instructions you want HotDocs to allow in the processing stack. When HotDocs reaches this limit, the recursion will stop.
Main Components List
 | Tip: Right-click on a component in this list to view a quick actions menu that enables you to: Edit, Rename, Cut, Copy, Paste, or Delete a component. |
Search box – Enables you to quickly locate components within the component file. As you type, search results display immediately. You can clear the search box by clicking X.
Filter (All components) drop-down list – The following options filter your search results (you can only search within this component file):
All components – displays all components (excluding supplemental components)
Text – Displays only the Text variables.
Number – Displays only the Number variables.
Date – Displays only the Date variables.
True/False – Displays only the True/False variables.
Single Select – Displays only the Single Select variables.
Multi Select – Displays only the Multi Select variables
Table – Displays only the Table variables
Dialogs – Displays only related variables grouped together to form a dialog. For example, instead of asking [Employee Street Address] [Employee City], [Employee Zip Code] you can group these related variables on a single dialog [Employee Address] to improve an interview's usability and flow.
Computations – Displays only the computations
Fixed Tables – Displays only the Fixed Tables.
All supplemental components – Displays all supplemental components.
Sort (drop-down arrow) – Enables you to sort the component file's components.
Name – Sorts components by their names from A to Z.
Type – Places variables first, then computations, then Dialog Elements and finally dialogs; items of each type are sorted within their type depending on settings Natural and Reverse.
Natural – Sorts components from A to Z
Reverse – Sorts components from Z to A
Select multiple – Enables you to select more than one component in the main components list. The multiple component editor opens in the right pane, which enables you to:
Review the components you select. Remove a component from the Selected Component list by hovering over the name and clicking the x button.
Edit the properties of multiple components simultaneously using a property grid. The property grid has the following key features:
Properties are grouped into a logical manner (similar to how they are in their respective component editors, e.g. Display, Behavior, etc.) which you can interact with using a hierarchical tree control.
Only displays and enables you to edit the properties that the each selected component shares in common (e.g. if you select a text component and a date component, you will see and be able to edit the Prompt property, but not the answer suggestion related properties—as those are specific to text components)
Enables you to expand and collapse property groups using expanders and edit properties by either typing new values into text boxes, making selections using drop-down lists, or checking boxes
Edit the data in Single Select variables, Multi Select variables, and Fixed Table components, including individual cells, rows, or columns
Displays a description of the property in a description pane at the bottom
Create – Enables you to create a component depending on the type you select in the drop-down list.
Component list – Displays the contents of the component file according to search parameters, sorting, and any filters or multiple selection you apply. Select a component from the list to view it in the right pane, or double-click a component to pin it open for editing.
Find Results and Error Panes
Docked at the bottom of the Component Studio are the Find Results and Errors panes.
- Find Results – Returns results from the Find in Components dialog in the pane at the bottom. The list of components enables you to click a component name or icon to open a component, and (if appropriate) opens the pane containing the text string you searched for.
- Errors Pane – If there are errors within any components, the title of the errors pane displays the number of errors (as in Errors (8)). In addition, a small red icon appears in front of the title to alert you to the presence of errors in your component file. Clicking the error text takes you to the location of the error.
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