Updated Word Designer
Word Add-in Updates: New Workflow for Variables, If Statements, Lists, and Error Handling
1. Overview of what changed in the Word add-in
- The video introduces updates to the Word add-in that make document automation easier.
- The add-in has a new look and feel, including an AI-assisted area.
- This walkthrough focuses only on the improvements to the existing Word add-in.
- A separate video will cover the AI-assisted features.
2. Review the new navigation and filtering options
- The add-in now includes a clearer way to build Insert If statements.
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A Matched view helps identify which If statements are paired with else branches.
A new filter tab lets you show or hide:
- Variables
- Templates
- Formulas
- Global items
- These filters are available by default, but you can uncheck them if needed.
3. Create variables directly from the document
- Highlight text in the template and search for the related object or field.
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If the variable does not already exist, you can now create it on the fly instead of going to a separate variable-creation screen.
Example workflow:
- Highlight a field like engagement date.
- Search within the engagement object.
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Create the missing variable directly.
The add-in can create different variable types, such as:
- Text variables
- List variables
- After creating the variable, double-click it to open formatting options, then insert it into the document.
4. Use IntelliSense and search to insert existing variables
- If a variable already exists, you can start typing its name and use Tab to select it.
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You can also search for the variable and insert it from the results list.
The add-in supports two ways to find fields:
- IntelliSense-style matching as you type
- A search dropdown with matching results
- After selecting the variable, insert it into the document as usual.
5. Build If statements with the new Insert If workflow
- Select the text you want to conditionally show or hide.
- Choose Insert If.
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Pick the variable or formula to test, such as marital status.
Choose the comparison type, such as:
- Is
- Equals
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The add-in shows a syntax preview so you can see how the If statement will read.
You can also build more complex logic using:
- And groups
- Or groups
- When inserted, the If statement is placed into the document with the correct formatting.
6. Insert conditional content for joint representation examples
- The video demonstrates using an If statement to control text like:
- Married couple wording
- Spouse full name
- You can insert one conditional block, then add another related block below it.
- If you insert over existing text, the add-in can place the conditional content as a separate paragraph.
- This makes it easier to build document sections that change based on client status.
7. Create and insert list variables for repeated document items
- The add-in now supports list variables for items like Included Documents.
- Create the variable as a selection list with multiple items.
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You can add list values from a table or workspace source.
Example workflow:
- Open your workspace
- Create a new table
- Paste in the document values from Excel
- Save the table
- Refresh so the new data appears in the add-in
- Once the list exists, select the variable and insert it into the document.
8. Control list formatting when inserting items
- When inserting a list variable, you can choose formatting options such as:
- With punctuation
- Without punctuation
- Bullets
- In the example, the list is inserted without punctuation.
- This lets the add-in automatically populate the selected document items in the template.
9. Use conditional logic inside lists for proper grammar
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To make list output read naturally, you can add an If statement inside the list.
Example goal:
- Use commas or punctuation between items
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Use and before the last item
The logic compares:
- Length of the list
- Index of the current item
- If the current item is the last one, insert and.
- Otherwise, insert the separator used for earlier items.
- This helps the final output read correctly when multiple list items are selected.
10. Save changes and use the new error navigation
- If a field name is incorrect, saving will trigger an error message.
- A new improvement is the Go to field option in the error message.
- Clicking it takes you directly to the problematic field.
- This reduces the need to manually search through the document.
- Most error messages now support this shortcut, though a few still may not.
11. Create additional variable types like numbers and true/false fields
- The add-in also supports creating other variable types directly in the workflow.
- Example: create a flat fee amount as a number variable.
- You can format numeric values with commas if needed.
- Example: create deposit required as a true/false variable.
- These variables can then be inserted into the document and used in If statements or other logic.
12. Use matched highlighting to understand If statement structure
- The Matched feature helps you see where an If statement starts and ends.
- You can click to highlight the matching sections.
- This makes it easier to understand the structure of nested or paired logic.
- The feature also helps the add-in recognize If statements more intelligently, even when the structure is complex.
13. Wrap-up and next steps
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The presenter closes by emphasizing that the updated Word add-in is designed to improve document automation.
The new workflow makes it easier to:
- Create variables
- Build If statements
- Insert lists
- Handle errors
- Understand matched logic
- A follow-up video will explain how to use the AI-assisted features to automate documents further.