Containers for Word Outputs can enclose portions of the document, which allows you to control whether those portions are included in the final output document, or removed. The container itself is invisible. Containers can define any portion of the document, from a paragraph or word, to an entire section of multiple pages. Containers are best for sections within a document that are dynamic, and which you want the remainder of the document to flow around (leaving no empty space).
- To remove a container field and its content from the document, the Deleted property should be set to true.
- To leave the container in the document, leave the deleted property set to false.
Containers help you build your document from the perspective of "top-down design".
- Create the entire document, including all the things that could ever be shown.
- Then place containers around those things which may appear or disappear.
This design style can make proofreading and translating the document easier (there's only one document to review). However, another "bottom-up design" philosophy can also be used: remember that multiple small documents can be bundled into one larger .zip or .pdf file.
Properties
| Property | Datatype | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | text | The name of the output field. Used for referring to this output field in snap rules. |
| Deleted | boolean | Deletes the container from the file if set to true |
Examples
Requirement: On a Quote Output, you may have two groups of address fields: one collection of "Shipping Address" fields (address line 1, address line 2, city, state, postal code), and a second matching collection of "Billing Address" fields. To simplify your quote, you want to hide the "Billing Address" fields if they are identical to the shipping address.
Design: In the Word template, ensure the Billing Address fields are in an area that is easily selectable (for example, in their own table). Using the capture tool, select that area and define it as a container called "BillingAddressContainer". Then use a snap rule to set "BillingAddressContainer" deleted to true if each field which populates it equals the matching shipping address field.
Requirement: In the month of December, add a "Happy Holidays" banner to the bottom of the quote.
Design: In the Word template, ensure the text and art of the banner are in an area that is easily selectable (for example, in their own table). Using the capture tool, select that area and define it as a container called "HolidayBanner". Then use a snap rule to set "HolidayBanner" deleted to true if the current date is not in the month of December.
Read this walkthrough to learn how to create an optional section in a word document, mark it with a container, and then make it disappear conditionally using Snap rules.