Getting to Know
HotDocs & A2J Author®
September 6, 2011
Dina C. Nikitaides
Program Coordinator
Center for Access to Justice &
Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
1. Differences
2. Development Process
2. Introduction to A2J Author
3. Introduction to HotDocs
4. Practice Project
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
HotDocs®
A2J Author®
• Slightly complicated
authoring interface
• Simple authoring interface
• End-user interface is
form-like; efficient for
advocates
• Generates documents
• End-user interface is
graphical, friendly and
intuitive for pro se litigants
• Gathers information but
does not generate
documents
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
HotDocs®
• Slightly
complicated
authoring interface
• Text heavy
• Multiple authoring
windows
/components
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
A2J Author®
• Simple authoring
interface
• Graphic/Visual
• All work done in one
interface
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
HotDocs®
A2J Author®
• Slightly complicated
authoring interface
• Simple authoring interface
• End-user interface is
form-like; efficient for
advocates
• Generates documents
• End-user interface is
graphical, friendly and
intuitive for pro se litigants
• Gathers information but
does not generate
documents
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
HotDocs®
• End-user
interface is plain and
form-like
• Can ask many
questions in one
screen
• More efficient for
advocates
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
A2J Author®
• End-user interface
is graphical, friendly
and intuitive for pro se
litigants
• Poses one question
at a time
• Can offer additional
helpful information
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Differences
HotDocs®
A2J Author®
• Slightly complicated
authoring interface
• Simple authoring interface
• End-user interface is
form-like; efficient for
advocates
• Generates documents
• End-user interface is
graphical, friendly and
intuitive for pro se litigants
• Gathers information but
does not generate
documents
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
1. Differences
2. Development Process
2. Introduction to A2J Author
3. Introduction to HotDocs
4. Practice Project
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Development Process
1. Design HotDocs® template
2. Import HotDocs® Component File (where all the variables
are stored) into A2J Author®
Note: you cannot import variables from A2J Author® into HotDocs®
3. Design A2J Guided Interview with the same variables used
in the HotDocs® template
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Child name TE
Child DOB DA
Child address TE
Child county TE
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Development Process
4. Upload HotDocs® template to LHI - LHI assigns a special
ID# to the HotDocs® template
5. Upload A2J Guided Interview to LHI and associate it with
the ID# for the HotDocs® template
6. LHI generates a hyperlink which you can paste to your
website so that the interview can be accessed
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Create
Store
Law Help Interactive (LHI)
“National Server”
HotDocs®
Templates
+
A2J Guided
Interview
Serve
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Development Process
7. End users select the link and launch the interview
8. End user completes the interview and submits answers
9. The data collected in the A2J Guided Interview goes to LHI
via an .ANX file, is compiled with the corresponding
HotDocs template
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Child name TE
Child DOB DA
Child address TE
Child county TE
A2J Author Answer File (.anx)
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Development Process
10. LHI returns a completed document to the end user
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Law Help Interactive (LHI)
“National Server”
A2J Author Answer File (.anx)
John Doe
01/22/2006
.anx (answer file)
+
document template
= completed document
123 My Street
OurCounty
A2J Author® & HotDocs®
How They Work Together
Create
Store
Law Help Interactive (LHI)
“National Server”
HotDocs®
Templates
+
A2J Guided
Interview
Serve
Petition
for a
Protection
Order
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
2. Introduction to A2J Author
1. Let’s look around the software
2. Question Design – Where all of the work happens
3. Introduction to HotDocs
4. Practice Project
Introduction to A2J Author®
Feedback &
Report Bugs
File
Controls
Help
Close
Interview
Navigation
Tabs
Work
Window
Introduction to A2J Author®
Interview Tab
 General Information & Meta Data – Title, Description,
Jurisdiction, Author, Version, Language, History
 Graphics – Branding Logo, End Graphic
 Branding Logo: 120x120; .jpg, .png, .gif, or .swf
 End Graphic: 900x250; .png or .swf; use transparency
 Feedback Options – Allow end users to provide feedback
and specify an email address
 All feedback goes to our developers
 Language – Choosing “Espanol” only changes the
navigation labels, does not change questions
 Avatar – Choose “blank” or “tan”
Introduction to A2J Author®
Meta Data
Graphics
Feedback
Options
Language
Avatar
Display
Introduction to A2J Author®
Variables Tab
 Track coordinating HotDocs® template
 Lists variables by name
 Double click name to pull up “Variable Information”
window showing you which question(s) use that
variable. Double click the question name and go
directly to the editing window for that question.
 Shows if variable has been used
 Repeat – Indicates variable type and whether it has been
used in a repeat dialog
 Load variables from HotDocs® component file
 Cannot load A2J Author® variables into HotDocs®
Introduction to A2J Author®
List of Variables
HotDocs
Template
Variable
Used?
Load
Variables
Variable
in a
Repeat?
Add &
Delete
Variables
Introduction to A2J Author®
Steps Tab
 Acts as the main outline for interview developer
 Steps give feeling of progressing through the interview
 Add new steps with “Question steps” drop down
 Can have up to 12 steps
 Each step can have unlimited number of questions
 Click on sign to edit step name and preview path
Introduction to A2J Author®
Add &
Delete
Steps
Path
Preview
Edit Sign
Titles
Introduction to A2J Author®
Report Tab
 Full Report – Show all variables, questions, etc.
 Steps Filter – Print only information for particular step
 Scripts for Audio – Prints only text from the questions
 Great for recording audio clips
Introduction to A2J Author®
Full Report of all Text, Variables, etc.
Limit
Steps to
Include
Script of
all Text
Introduction to A2J Author®
Preview Tab
 See interview as the end user will see it
 Use for testing
 Preview Mode menu
 Variables – Opens Interview Variables window for
testing.
 Script – Shows logic for question.
 Edit This – Go to Question Design window for the
current question.
 Resume Edit – Go back to where you came from.
Introduction to A2J Author®
Open
Variables
Window
& Script
Window
Variables
Window
Edit This
Q or
Edit Q
Where
Selected
Preview
Script
Window
Introduction to A2J Author®
Upload Tab
 Upload interview to LHI, the national server.
 “Clear all media” – removes references to all attached
media files.
 Use when starting with someone else’s interview or an
old interview to create a new one
Introduction to A2J Author®
Upload to
LHI
Remove
Image &
Video
References
Files to
Upload
URL of
Server to
Upload to
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
2. Introduction to A2J Author
1. Let’s look around the software
2. Question Design – Where all of the work happens
3. Introduction to HotDocs
4. Practice Project
Question Design
Steps
Filter
Question
Design Help
Question
List
Copy &
Paste
Question
Flow Chart
Add &
Delete
Clone &
Insert
Intro & Exit
Questions
Flow Chart
Zoom
Print
Flow Chart
Question Design
Questions Tab
 Question List
 Double click on a question to open the Question
Design Window
 Question Flowchart
 Drag and drop question boxes to keep organized
 Double click on a box to open the Question Design
Window
Question Design
Definition
Pop-up
Link text
Question
Step & Name
Bold &
Italicize
text
Add Audio
Question
Design
Tabs
Question
Preview
Learn More
Information
View Code
Full Screen
Preview
Question Design
Question Design Window – Question Tab
 Identify step & name for question
 Draft question
 Add definition pop-ups
 Add “learn more” information windows
 Add graphics (.jpg, .png, .gif) and video (.flv) to
learn more windows, by selecting option in drop
down menu
 Add audio clips (.mp3) to everything
 Preview question as designed
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
2. Introduction to A2J Author
3. Introduction to HotDocs
1. Overview
2. File Formats
3. HotDocs Toolbar
4. Variables
5. Component Manager
4. Practice Project
What is HotDocs?
HotDocs is software
that allows you to
automate
documents.
Document
automation or
assembly, utilizes
pre-existing text or
data to create a new
document with input
from a series of
questions.
What is HotDocs?
Use HotDocs to identify the
places on a court form where
data will go once collected
from an end-user during an
A2J Guided Interview.
John Doe
John Doe
File Formats
HotDocs can automate documents that are in either Rich Txt
Format (.rtf) or Portable Document Format (.pdf).
We will work with .RTF files. Convert .PDF forms to .RTF
forms with a converter before working in HotDocs.
Recommended free online
converter:
PDF to Word Online
Converter:
http://www.pdfonline.com/
pdf-to-word-converter/
The HotDocs Toolbar
HotDocs is nicely
integrated with
Microsoft Word.
Most work with court
forms will be done in
Word using the
HotDocs toolbar.
The HotDocs Toolbar
HotDocs toolbar is automatically installed with HotDocs and
appears as a tab in Microsoft Word.
The toolbar contains all the tools needed to turn court forms
into automated documents.
The HotDocs Toolbar
Test and preview a completed document using the “Test
Assemble” Button.
The HotDocs Toolbar
Make sure to use the “Save” button on the HotDocs toolbar to
save your work.
Variables
Variable creation is found on the toolbar.
Variables
Highlight text to turn into a variable in an existing document or
create a variable within a text field.
Variables
For “fill in the blank”
fields, create variables
within transparent text
boxes so you can place
them in the proper place
on the form without
disrupting lines and
tables.
Make a text box
transparent by selecting
No Fill & No Outline
under Shape Fill and
Shape Outline in the
Format tab in Word.
Variables
Once you create a
variable, access it
again by double
clicking on it or rightclicking and selecting
“Edit Field”.
Select how variable is
displayed from the
“Default format” dropdown menu.
Variables
Use the community standard naming convention for
variables in HotDocs & A2J Author:
Capitalize the first letter of first word only + include 2
letter abbreviation for the variable type at the end.
Examples:

Number Variable: User age NU

Text Variable: User address TE

Date Variable: Court date DA
The Component Manager
Component manager shows all
variables, computations, and
dialogs used in a project.
The Component Manager
The component
manager is
accessed from
the HotDocs
toolbar.
You may find it
useful to keep the
component
manager open
while working in
Word.
Agenda
1. A2J Author & HotDocs – How They Work Together
2. Introduction to A2J Author
3. Introduction to HotDocs
4. Practice Project
1. HotDocs Creation
2. A2J Author Creation
Practice Exercise:
Birthday Invitation
Tips & Helpful Resources
Helpful Resources
 The A2J Authoring Guide uses images to step you
through learning everything about A2J Author®
 Trainings & Presentations page of www.a2jauthor.org
includes recorded training modules
 A2J Author® Starter Kit includes: A2J Authoring Guide,
Four Starter Interviews, Video Demonstrations, Training
Modules, Sample XML Lists: US States, etc., End Graphic
Sample
Find all of these downloads at www.a2jauthor.org
Questions? Feedback?
September 6, 2011
Dina C. Nikitaides
Program Coordinator
Center for Access to Justice & Technology,
Chicago-Kent College of Law
dnikitaides@kentlaw.edu
312-906-5331