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Creating Document Templates

Document templates in Nexsure allow data from the Nexsure database to be integrated into a Microsoft® Word or Excel® file. Before a template can be appended as an attachment, it must be created in SETUP. Nexsure will add components to Word or Excel to aid in the template creation. Use of this feature requires Microsoft Office 2000, XP or 2003.

To Create a Document Template 

  1. On the Utility menu, click SETUP. (If the setup link is not available on the Utility menu, contact the Nexsure point person within the agency for assistance.)
  2. In the Setup Console, click Document Templates. The Template tab is displayed.

  1. In the Template tab, click [Add New]. The Document Template dialog box is displayed.

  1. In the Document Template dialog box, make entries and selections for the new template.

Complete the following:

Note: After the template has been created, the name and description may be modified. 

  1. To make the template specific to a line of business, click [Add New]. The Nexsure Office Integration > Document Template dialog box is displayed.

  1. In the Nexsure Office Integration > Document Template dialog box, make the following selections pertaining to the line(s) of business:

Tip: CTRL + Click will allow multiple lines of business to be selected. 

Note: Adding lines of business will allow fields that are pertinent to the line of business available for selection when creating the template. 

  1. Click OK, Word or Excel will open, it may take several seconds to open. 
  2. Nexsure will add the Office Integration Toolbar to the Word or Excel menus.

  1. Click Nexsure Fields to display the XML Tree.  The XML Tree contains the data fields as they appear in the policy form:

Tip: For easier manipulation between the Word document and XML Tree, resize them so they are side by side.

Note: The Validate Document button can be used to validate the structure of custom fields such as HideBegin and HideEnd. Use to help locate problems related to custom fields. 

  1. Position the cursor where the field will need to be in the template. 
  2. In the XML Tree click the  in front of each section to expand the available Nexsure fields.
  3. In the Word document window: 
  1. On the Insert menu, click Date and Time.
  2. Select the format.
  3. Check the Update automatically checkbox.  This will automatically update the date on documents created using this template.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Click at the end of the date field and enter down 1 or 2 spaces.
  1. In the XML Tree:
  1. From the Client Contact section, click and drag the First Name and drop it into the Word document.  The Nexsure Field Properties dialog box will display:

  1. Merge Field / Repeat Index: When generating a schedule the repeat index will allow a specific number of items to generate.  For example, if the number 10 is entered only the first 10 vehicles on a policy will be generated.  Setting the Repeat Index value to zero will allow ALL vehicles on the policy to generate to the document. 

Note: To ensure all data is returned when using only the Repeat Index of -0-, do not add another row touching the bottom row of the table with the scheduled items.

  1. Field Mask: Select a decimal format (if applicable) to display numeric values.  Leaving ‘Select Mask’ in the drop-down applies no formatting. 
  2. Match Field on Form: Select this option if the field populates a specific form type.  For example, to merge a field from a state-specific form, this option must be selected. If Match Field on Form is not selected, any state-specific fields will not be merged. 
  3. Match Field on LOB: Select this option if the field will only populate a specific line of business. 
  4. Hide Page: The Hide Page options are used to hide entire pages if the line of business is not present, such as in a proposal. They can also be used around tables to hide data that does not exist. More...

When using the Hide Page feature it is easiest to view the document in Normal mode (On Word's View menu, select Normal). This view will display all the page breaks so they may be included above or below the HideBegin / HideEnd fields.

HideBegin is the starting position where the page is to be hidden if the condition is met. Place the cursor where the HideBegin is to be placed.

It is important to select a field that will identify the section to be omitted from the document.

Tip: If the line of business does not exist, consider choosing the Policy ID field. This field is unique and therefore, if it does not exist the page will be suppressed as desired. Find the Policy ID field after selecting the line of business in the XML tree.

Drag the field toward the document to display the Nexsure Field Properties. Select Drop as Conditional Hide Page field. Notice that the “Find the Policy ID field after selecting the line of business in the XML tree check box is checked. Leaving this box checked automatically places the HideEnd field immediately after the HideBegin. This HideEnd field will need to be moved to the end of the page that will be omitted if the Policy ID in this case is not found.

In this scenario, if the field has no data the desired effect is to omit the page, so leave the Delete page if the value is field blank.

The HideBegin and HideEnd is dropped into the document. Notice that the HideBegin was placed above the Section Break (Next Page). Doing this will suppress any empty pages.

Note: If the HideEnd box was not checked in the Nexsure Field Properties window, place the cursor where the HideEnd should be placed and click the HideEnd button on the toolbar to add. 

Select the HideEnd field and cut (use the scissors on the toolbar) and paste (click the clipboard on the toolbar) the HideEnd field at the end of where the page should be hidden. 

Note: For every HideBegin there must be a corresponding HideEnd. If not, when the document is merged these HideEnd fields will print on the merged document. Use the printed merge fields to help troubleshoot where missing fields may be. 

If it is necessary to have more than one HideBegin before the HideEnd is added, they can be 'nested'. However, the HideBegin may not be embedded in (IF) conditional statements. If more than one condition should be met to determine if the page or section should populate, add as many HideBegin fields as needed. It works like a compare string, making sure the condition is met before populating the section. Make sure to add a HideEnd for each HideBegin after all conditions are added: 

<<HideBegin>>

Section information entered here

<<HideBegin>>

Section information entered here

<<HideBegin>>

Section information entered here

<<HideEnd>>

<<HideEnd>>

<<HideEnd>> 

Tip: If the items in the Nexsure Field Properties box are irrelevant to the field being inserted in the template click OK without entering any data to bypass the dialog box. 

Use HideBegin and HideEnd, not only to hide pages but to hide sections or coverages between the page hides. In most cases a <<HideBegin>> and <<HideEnd>> will be used instead of an IF statement. More...

  1. To translate a true/false answer to a more meaningful response, select the True, False or None options with the <<HideBegin>> equal to or not equal to. Nexsure automatically selects is equal to or (in this case) is not equal to by the selection of the data field type. True means the field is not blank or a Yes answer on the form. False means the field is blank or is a No answer on the form. None means the field is blank.
  2. Click OK to insert the <<HideBegin>> and <<HideEnd>> fields.
  3. Place the cursor between the <<HideBegin>> and <<HideEnd>> fields.
  1. Enter the text (Any Auto) and any formatting necessary such as a carriage return ¶ as shown. If the field result is True, then the text and formatting will return. If the field is not equal to True, the text will be omitted when the document is merged.
  1. Repeat steps through 5 to add more <<HideBegin>> and <<HideEnd>> fields as necessary.
  1. Click OK. 
  1. In the Word document window, click at the end of the First Name, press the space bar.
  2. In the XML Tree, click and drag Last Name and click OK. 
  3. In the Word document window, click at the end of the Last Name, hit the Enter key to tab down. 
  4. In the XML Tree, click and drag Mail Address 1 and click OK. 
  5. In the Word document window, click at the end of the Mailing Address, hit Enter key to tab down. 
  6. In the XML Tree, click and drag Mail City and click OK. 
  7. In the Word document window, click at the end of City, put in a comma, press the space bar.
  8. In the XML Tree, click and drag Mail State and click OK. 
  9. In the Word document window, click at the end of the State and press the space bar.
  10. In the XML Tree, click and drag Mail Zip Code field and click OK. 
  11. In the Word document window: 
  1. Click at the end of the Zip Code, press the enter key to tab down two or three spaces.
  2. Type “Dear”, press the space bar.
  1. In the XML Tree, click and drag the First Name field.
  2. Click OK. 
  3. In the Word document window: 
  1. Click at the end of the First Name, put in a comma, press the enter key to tab down two or three spaces.
  2. Type out the message, i.e., “Here is the vehicle schedule you requested.  Let me know if you have any questions.”
  3. Press the Enter key to tab down two or three spaces. 
  1. While still in the Word document window, to create a table: 
  1. On the Table menu, point to Insert and click Table. 

  1. Number of columns:  6 
  2. Number of rows:  2  (the number of rows will automatically increase to accommodate all items) 
  3. Click OK.
  4. Click in the top row of the first column and type Year, tab to next row and type Make, and continue across the top row until each column has a heading. 

Year

Make

Model

Vin

Compl

Collision

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip: The Word document may be customized by changing the font size, using formatting such as bold or italics, centering rows, etc., as seen in the screen shot above.   

Note: If an item is dragged over from the Nexsure Fields window and dropped into an inappropriate spot, highlight it and drag it to the correct spot or it can be deleted by hitting the Delete key. 

  1. Place the cursor in the 2nd row under Year.
  1. In theXML Tree: 
  1. Click on in front of ACORD 1271 CA (or applicable form).
  2. Click on in front of Vehicles.
  3. Click on in front of Record.
  4. Click and drag the Year field.
  5. Using the Nexsure Field Properties dialog box, select: 
  1. Click OK. 
  1. In the Word document window: 
  1. Click at the end of Year and tab to move the cursor over to the second row under the Make column. 
  2. Repeat steps 29 and 30 for Make, Model and Year. 
  3. Move the cursor to the second row under the Compl column. 
  1. In the XML Tree: 
  1. Click and drag the Comprehensive Deductible field. 
  2. Using the Nexsure Field Properties dialog box, select: 
  1. Click OK. 
  1. In the Word document window: 
  1. Click at the end of Comp Deductible and tab to move the cursor over to the second row under the Collision column. 
  2. Repeat steps 31 and 32 for Collision Deductible. 
  1. In the Word document window: 
  1. Click under the table.
  2. Enter down 1 or 2 lines.
  3. Type “Thank you,”.
  4. Enter down 1 or 2 lines.
  1. In the XML Tree, under the Client Assignment, click and drag the First Name field and click OK. 
  2. In the Word document window, click at the end of the First Name, press the space bar. 
  3. In the XML Tree: 
  1. Under the Client Assignment, click and drag Last Name field. 
  2. Click OK.
  1. In the Word document window, the Repeat Begin and Repeat End  buttons are used in conjunction with schedules to repeat data in a format other than a one row data layout. More...
  1. To insert the <<RepeatBegin>> field, place the cursor in front of the text or field inside the table and click the Repeat Begin button.

  1. To insert the <<RepeatEnd>>, place the cursor in the last column after the last text field or layout and then click the Repeat End button on the toolbar. Notice that the <<RepeatEnd>> field is inserted into the document.
  1. In the Word document, on the Nexsure toolbar, the Paste option is available for moving blocks of information in the template. More...

Use the following guidelines to move sections of the template using the Paste button:

  1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the section to move.
  2. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.
  3. Give the beginning bookmark a name and click Add.
  4. Place the cursor at the end of the section to move.
  5. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.
  6. Give the ending bookmark a name and click Add. Now a block of text has been defined by the beginning and ending bookmarks.
  7. Decide where the block of text should be moved to and place the cursor in the new position.
  8. Click Paste. The Bookmarks dialog box is displayed.

  1. In the Bookmarks dialog box, in the Starting bookmark area, select the name of the beginning bookmark. The beginning of the block of text to move.
  2. In the Ending Bookmark area, select the name of the ending bookmark. The end of the block of text to move.
  3. Click Paste. The selected text is moved to the new location in the template. All other text is moved to accommodate the repositioning.
  4. Another option in the Bookmarks dialog box is to click Select instead of Paste. Clicking Select will simply leave the block of text highlighted.
  1. The Paste button can also be used to insert other Word documents into the template. More...

To insert a Word document into the template, use the following guidelines:

  1. Click Paste. The Paste dialog box is displayed.

  1. The document to insert can be from a local drive or from Nexsure. Click the Folder icon to navigate to a document on the local drive or click the Nexsure Folder icon to select a document from Nexsure to insert.
  2. The following options are available for positioning the document to be inserted:
  1. Cancel will close the Paste dialog box without further modification to the template.

Note: The same feature is also available at the policy detail level however, the From Nexsure selections are limited to documents attached to the specific policy.

  1. When the document has been completed, click the File menu in Word and click Nexsure Save As. 

  1. In the Save Document As area, the following selections are available:
  1. In the Option area, select the Save and Return to Document check box to keep the template open after a save. Otherwise, the template will be saved to Nexsure and closed.

Important: Templates being created or updated must be saved every four hours or the changes may be lost.

  1. To save the template to a local drive, in the Save As Local File area, click the Folder icon to browse to a local folder to save the template outside of Nexsure.

Or

To save the template to Nexsure, click OK. The document template will be saved to Nexsure.  Once the template is in Nexsure, it can be added as a client or a policy attachment.

Tip: Save the template as a draft so that it may be modified later.  An agency logo may be added to the top of the page. 

Note: When deleting a Nexsure field in Excel, the label must be deleted as well as the comment associated with it.  Simply deleting the label of the cell will not delete the comment. The comment may be deleted by deleting the entire row, or right clicking the cell and selecting Delete Comment. The same care must be taken when moving the field to another cell in a spreadsheet. To move a Nexsure field, right-click the field and select Cut, then paste it to another cell. 

Related Topics

Attachments 

Using Document Templates