We are pleased to announce the formal release of Pathagoras 2024. This version contains many new tools, improved features, and helpful screen modifications. Many of the new features have actually been part of the program for quite a few months now, and well tested by those who asked for the features. We publicly release this version only after we had thoroughly tested those new features.
The complete list of new features can be found at his link. Here are a few of the 'big' ones:
<Alt-G> call by ‘substantive name’. Many Pathagoras users insert text at the beginning of their document names in order to sort the various documents in Windows and Word directory displays. But that typically makes an <Alt-G> call for that document a more difficult process, if not impossible, We have added a really useful routine that allows you to ignore those prefix characters. That way, you can call in the text just by the document's substantive name. So a document named:
10-13-23 preamble
can be recalled by typing just
preamble<Alt-G>.
This is one of those 'gotta try it ASAP' tools.
DropDown List of 'lists'. The classic use of a DropDown List is to call in the contents of an entire document. Some users have asked to be able to click just in the word, or a short phrase, displayed in the DropDown List. Done! The list is created from a simple Word document containing the list of items. It performs just like other lists except the precise text is inserted when the item is clicked.
Examples of when this 'List of lists' might be used: to call in hard to spell text; to click in mandatory text; to click in statutory or case citations.
We can finally declare victory over the <<*Repeats*. . . >> command. (When used in complex documents, it sometimes misbehaved. We finally tamed the beast. Thanks for your help, and your complex documents, Bruce.)
While most customers prefer the ‘template’ approach to document automation (a template is an overbuilt document, and template assembly involves removing the unwanted text in response to questions), some customers prefer the ‘accretion’ method (starting from a blank screen and pouring in sections of text until complete document has been built). To create a library of those text section, you will probably want to disassemble a document into its components. From there, you would add variety to the individual components to create a document assembly system.
Document disassembly has always been a Pathagoras tool. In this lastest release, we have made it more intuitive and easier to use. The above link takes you to a separate 'mini-manual' devoted to this process.
We have added a 'random value generator' to the IDB screen. On request, Pathagoras will fill in ‘lorem’ type text adjacent to each variable on the Instant Database screen.
The full list can be viewed here.
