Creating Professional Letters

Crucial to creating professional looking letters is the ability to quickly combine Author information like e-mail addresses and direct dial phone numbers, with contact information into a properly formatted document.

A common practice is to copy previous letters and change certain parts of the document. Unfortunately, this practice invites many problems such as: document corruption, repeated typographical errors, and out of date letterhead information.

The WordTricks Letter Generator eliminates all of these problems.

The Letter Generator

WordTricks automates the letter creation process by collecting predefined author information, contact information, and other options you may choose into a properly formatted document.

After the letter is created, WordTricks can help with other common tasks for your letter such as: changing from Draft to Final and creating a second page header, and selection of three different signature lines for the author, including enclosure information.

To Create A Simple WordTricks Generated Letter

Start with a blank Word document (or at least one that does not already contain a WordTricks generated letter).

Click the Letter Generatorbutton or press SHIFT + ALT + L.

The Letter Generator dialog box appears:

Note: In a document that already contains a letter, WordTricks detects this and displays a dialog box with other options. See Options for Existing Letters..

Select the Author from the drop-down menu or type the Author's ID.

You may notice changes in the dialog because the WordTricks Letter Generator reconfigures itself based on the author's preferences.

Enter an Addressee, either by accessing the Contax dialog (see Note below) or by manually typing the information, RE: Line, and Salutation:

Note: The Addressee information can also be retrieved from the Contax manager. For more information on using the Contax Manager, see Contax Help.

Select other options like Via-Fedex, or experiment with changing the Letter Style and Location.

Click the OKbutton to complete the process.

Once the letterhead has generated, type the body of the letter and edit as you would any other document.

Each user has the option to include the signature information in the initial letter generation process or by using the Signature icon after the letter has been generated.

More About the Letter Generator

Draft Option

Notice the Draft Copy check box on the letter generator above. Letters can be generated in Draft or Final mode. But, it is also easy to change Draft/Final later.

Typically, generating a letter in Draft mode will contain a Draft Stamp (as a graphic box), the date will be a code (changes every day), and hidden text, such as your firm's letterhead, will be visible.

When generating a letter in Final mode (Draft Copy unchecked), it will not contain a Draft Stamp, the date will be text, and hidden text will not be visible, such as your letterhead if your firm uses preprinted letterhead.

For more information, see the Draft/Final feature.

Date Code/Text Options

By default the Date Code option is set to: Code to Text

As the letter is changed to/from Draft and Final modes, the date at the top of the letter and in the 2nd page header will automatically change to a date code for Draft mode and fixed text for Final mode.

When selecting the Text option the date will remain as text no matter the letter's Draft/Final status.

Likewise, when selecting the Code option the date will always remain a code (changes every day.)

Letter Styles and Locations

WordTricks merges the information from the Letter Generator Screen into a Word Template to produce the final letter. Depending on your installation, you may need to use several different letter Styles (or Templates).

In the example above, note that there are various letter styles in addition to the the Firm Default Letterhead for specific areas of practice.

The address information and other parts of the letterhead may also dynamically change depending on location. For example, many firms use one or two letterhead templates that change the Firm's Mailing Address and phone numbers depending on the location (or department) chosen.

Each Author in the WordTricks database is assigned a default location which is automatically selected; however, an alternate location can be chosen when the letter is generated.

Mark Addressee

This is a little used and often misunderstood feature of the Letter Generator.

WordTricks depends on the existence of the bookmark "WTX_Addressee" to determine that a document is an existing letter. This bookmark identifies the location of the inside addressee within the document.

The Problem

Occasionally a user will accidentally unknowingly remove the "WTX_Addressee" bookmark while cutting and pasting, etc.

Then clicking the Letter Generator button results in the main dialog being displayed, instead of the "Existing Letter" dialog.

The Solution

This can be corrected by placing the insertion point at the beginning of the inside addressee, clicking the Letter Generator button, and choosing "Mark Addressee."

The "WTX_Addressee" bookmark is restored and the "Existing Letter" features can be accessed.

Working with Existing Letters

For more information on working with your letter now that it is generated, see the section WordTricks Existing Letters.