Note: All examples below can be cut and pasted into a Word document.
To text the routine while in Word, press <Alt-P>.
With the <<*Repeat*. . . >> command, you can tell Pathagoras to duplicate a specified block of text 'X' times. E.g., <<*Repeat*[Child Name], [Child DOB]>>. When encountered during document processing (or by pressing <Alt-P>), Pathagoras will ask for the number of times you want the text repeated. Then, Pathagoras will duplicate the text block that designated number of times. Simultaneously, Pathagoras will increment each variable found within Repeat the block. E.g., [Child1 Name], [Child2 DOB], [Child2 Name], [Child2 DOB], etc. It is an easy, quick way to provide for an unknown number of children, shareholders, beneficiaries, etc. in the source document. Read more about Repeats here.
Some users wrote to us that their preference was to pre-list all the possible choice in the document. Some users said that they found the Repeat command too cryptic. Others simply and wanted to see the layout of the actual text and variables in the source document.
When we realized that the 'pre-list' approach was so much in demand, we set out to automate it for those customers. And they loved it! And we have perfected it.
We call it 'cumulative options'. That's because it 'accumulates' the answers at and 'beneath' a selected answer. (Perhaps you listed variables [Child 1]/[Child2]/[Child3]/ . . . through [Child 10] in an Options block. If you select the '4 children' option, you get a list like: "[Child 1], [Child 2], [Child 3], and [Child 4]".)
Here's how to do it:
Compose the text, setting out the various options in order (examples below). Provide the maximum number of the text and variables that
you anticipate needing. Separate each choice by a slash. Surround the
choices with the opening <<*Options(cumulative)*
command and a closing set of double angle brackets >>. (The colors above and in the examples below are for illustration purposes. They are not required by the program.) Save the document before testing.
Examples:
<<*Options(cumulative)*[Child1 Name], born [Child1 DOB]/[Child2 Name], born [Child2 DOB]/[Child3 Name], born [Child3 DOB]/[Child4 Name], born [Child4 DOB]/[Child5 Name], born [Child5 DOB]/[Child6 Name], born [Child6 DOB]>>
If you want Pathagoras to add punctuation and the final 'and'
(or 'or')
in the appropriate spot, augment the modifier with ',and' (or ',or'). Example:
<<*Options(cumulative,and)*[Child1 Name], born [Child1 DOB]/[Child2 Name], born [Child2 DOB]/[Child3 Name], born [Child3 DOB]/[Child4 Name], born [Child4 DOB]/[Child5 Name], born [Child5 DOB]/[Child6 Name], born [Child6 DOB]>>
Perhaps you want to 'stack' your list. Here is an example:
<<*Options(cumulative)*
[Child1 Name], born [Child1 DOB]/ [Child2 Name], born [Child2 DOB]/ [Child3 Name], born [Child3 DOB]/ [Child4 Name], born [Child4 DOB]/ [Child5 Name], born [Child5 DOB]/ [Child6 Name], born [Child6 DOB]
>>
You can also choose a table layout. When using tables, each row is viewed as a choice. Therefore, don't uses slashes to separate the choices. However, you must provide prompt text ahead of the table to guide the end user, and slashes are required there. See below example:
<<*Options(cumulative)*Heading/1 Shareholder/2 Shareholders/3 Shareholders/4 Shareholders/5 Shareholders/6 Shareholders/7 Shareholders*
| Shareholder Name |
City and State |
Number of Shares |
| [Shareholder1 Name] |
[Shareholder1 City, ST] |
[Shareholder1 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder2 Name] |
[Shareholder2 City, ST] |
[Shareholder2 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder3 Name] |
[Shareholder3 City, ST] |
[Shareholder3 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder4 Name] |
[Shareholder4 City, ST] |
[Shareholder4 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder5 Name] |
[Shareholder5 City, ST] |
[Shareholder5 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder6 Name] |
[Shareholder6 City, ST] |
[Shareholder6 No. Shares] |
| [Shareholder7 Name] |
[Shareholder7 City, ST] |
[Shareholder7 No. Shares] |
>>
You can use 'prompts' with the cumulative argument. Just place those prompts in the normal fashion (immediately after the 'Options' command and closed with a final '*'). E.g.:
<<*Options(cumulative,and)*One
child/Two children/Three
children/Four Children/Five Children/Six
children*[Child1 Name],
born [Child1 DOB]/[Child2 Name], born [Child2 DOB]/[Child3 Name], born [Child3 DOB]/[Child4 Name], born [Child4 DOB]/[Child5 Name], born [Child5 DOB]/[Child6 Name], born [Child6 DOB]>>
How it all works:
Very simply. When the document is processed, Pathagoras presents the choices (or the prompts you provided) onto a selection screen. Choose the 'highest' desired choice. The
selected item, plus all the ones 'beneath' it, remain in the document. All options greater than the selection are deleted.
Read more about the Cumulative Options feature in our Manual at this link.
I hope you find this feature helpful. If there are other features you would like to see discussed in these newsletters, let me know.
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