Tag Archives: Tools

Add boilerplate text to notes without typing

Eliminate redundant typing by creating templates of boilerplate text for job and case notes

Lesson #160
Tools – Notes Templates function

Instead of typing the same notes for each case/job — or copying and pasting the info from a Word doc — create templates of boilerplate text to fill the notes fields in cases and jobs. 

With the Notes Templates function, you can create templates of text for different types of notes. Create as many templates as you want for specific notes fields in cases and jobs, such as scheduling notes for different types of jobs or even for specific firms or contacts. Style the text in your templates with different font treatments (e.g., font weight, size, and typeface) and colors.

Then select the appropriate template when scheduling a job/setting up a case/etc. If needed, you can edit the note to fit the case/job you applied the template to, but that will still be less typing than starting each note from scratch.

Notes templates are saved on the RB server, and are available to all of your RB registered users. You can edit your saved templates to update them as needed.

Contextual notes templates

Notes templates are organized into Notes Groups so that when selecting a template in a Notes field, only the relevant ones appear. For example, templates saved in the Cases-Remarks Notes Group will be available to select in the Remarks field in a case listing.

Notes templates are organized into the following Notes Groups:

  • Case-Remarks
  • Job-Confirmation Notes
  • Job-Production/Billing Notes
  • Job-Resource Notification Notes
  • Job-Scheduling Notes

Notes Groups are preset by RB9, you cannot edit or add new groups. You can search for notes in a single Notes Group, several groups, or all groups at once. Export your search results as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Save time entering notes by setting up templates of boilerplate text you can apply to notes fields in cases and jobs.

RB concepts in this lesson

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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Set preferences for logging emails & using QuickBooks Integrator

Set parameters for your Email Log and enter required information for importing RB9 data directly into QuickBooks. Check that RB9 and QuickBooks can communicate

Lesson #137
Setup – System Preferences function

Tools System Preferences

Choose which types of RB9 emails to log into the system and for how long. Set up your QuickBooks Integrator so you can import RB9 data directly into QuickBooks.

Email Log

Emails sent from RB9 are automatically logged in the system by default. Because all attachment files are stored as well when RB9 saves emails in the Email Log, this adds to your repository size and could result in additional repository storage charges.

Reduce the load on your repository by designating which types of RB9 emails you want to keep track of and how long you want to store them.

NOTE: Email Log is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

QuickBooks

Enter the information needed for integrating RB9 data into your QuickBooks program.

If you are using the QuickBooks Desktop edition, enter:

  • User ID and password
  • IP or URL of workstation/server where your QuickBooks is installed
  • Open port in your firewall for forwarding traffic to your QuickBooks computer

Once you have your settings input, you can check that the port is open so you can use QuickBooks with RB9. You have another set-up step that involves downloading a free remote connector application from QuickBooks and setting it up to enable secure remote access to your QuickBooks. 

If you subscribe to QuickBooks online, you set up an Intuit developer account then enter your credentials here.

After entering your QuickBooks information for either edition, you check that RB9 can communicate with your QuickBooks. Complete setup instructions for both editions — including downloading and installing the remote connector, setting up a developer account, and checking your connection — are in the RB9 user guide.

NOTE: QuickBooks Integrator is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Set parameters for your Email Log and enter required information for importing RB9 data directly into QuickBooks. Check that RB9 and QuickBooks can communicate.

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Import RB9 data directly into QuickBooks

Import RB9 entities, invoices, paychecks, and payment transactions into this popular accounting software

Lesson #104
Tools – QuickBooks Integrator function

If you use the popular accounting package QuickBooks you can import your RB9 data directly into QuickBooks using QuickBooks Integrator eliminating the need to re-key financial data.

With RB9’s QuickBooks Integrator, you can:

  • Import contacts and resources into QuickBooks as customers and vendors.
  • Import invoices that were generated in RB9 into QuickBooks so that you can run consolidated financial statements.
  • Import payments and other transactions, including overpayments, into QuickBooks so that your bank deposits record and account balances will be accurate.
  • Import resource paychecks into QuickBooks so that you can reconcile your bank account easily.

QuickBooks Integrator works with either QuickBooks online or desktop edition.

Set-up is 1-2-3

QuickBooks Integrator requires some set-up before it can import RB9 data into QuickBooks for you. Before you can use QuickBooks Integrator, set up:

  1. Your RB9 business units’ accounts to match your QuickBooks setup.
  2. System-wide defaults for QuickBooks Integrator.
  3. Secure remote access to your QuickBooks (desktop version only) or test your connection (cloud version only).

Instructions for all 3 tasks are included in the RB9 user guide, and RB Support can assist you if you need any help.

After you have finished these 3 requirements, all you have to do is open QuickBooks then RB9’s QuickBooks Integrator in that order and keep QuickBooks open while you are working in QuickBooks Integrator.

Importing entities

Instead of entering contacts/customers and resources/vendors into both RB9 and QuickBooks, enter them in RB9 then use QuickBooks Integrator to copy them into QuickBooks.

After entering contacts or resources in RB9, all you have to do to add them to your QuickBooks is open QuickBooks Integrator, select Customers to import RB9 contacts or Vendors to import RB9 resources, and leave the default date of today or enter a different date range. From the resulting list select all or some of the entities and import them into QuickBooks with a single click.

If you need help finding entities in the list to import, you can sort the list by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but if you change search criteria or exit the function RB9 will revert back to the default order). Export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

Importing invoices

There are several reasons to import your RB9 invoices into QuickBooks:

  • If you operate multiple businesses and use QuickBooks to generate invoices for a business other than court reporting (e.g., a staffing business), you can import RB9 invoices into QuickBooks to run consolidated income statements.
  • If you keep track of deposits with QuickBooks, you can eliminate duplicate entries of invoices and payments by importing that information directly from RB9.
  • You can reprint RB9 invoices in QuickBooks format if needed.

QuickBooks Integrator defaults to all invoices posted today. You can find invoices for a different post date and/or invoices posted by one or more of your business units. As with importing entities, you can sort the list if needed and/or export the list before selecting all or some of the invoices and importing them into QuickBooks.

And as it imports invoices RB9 automatically generates any missing data in QuickBooks (such as customers, chart of accounts, or items) so you don’t have to worry about importing all of the supporting data for invoices one at a time. If any errors occur during import, that information will appear in the Error column in QuickBooks Integrator.

Importing payments

Instead of recording deposits manually in QuickBooks, you can import payment transactions directly from RB9 including payment processing fees. You just have to import invoices before importing payments since payments are applied to invoices in QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Integrator defaults to all payments posted today. Or you can find payments posted on a different post date. As with the other import categories, you can sort the list if needed and/or export the list before selecting all or some of the payments and importing them into QuickBooks. If any errors occur during import, that information will appear in the Error column in QuickBooks Integrator.

Importing credits & journal entries

In addition to payments you can import other types of receivables transactions such as credits, duplicate payments, refunds, voids, and write-offs (but not debit memos or miscellaneous payments) directly from RB9. Like payments, you must import invoices before you can import these types of transactions since they are applied to invoices in QuickBooks.

As with payments QuickBooks Integrator defaults to all other allowable receivables transactions posted today. Or you can find allowable receivables transactions posted on a different post date. As with the other import categories, you can sort the list if needed and/or export the list before selecting all or some of the posted allowable receivables transactions and importing them to QuickBooks. If any errors occur during import, that information will appear in the Error column in QuickBooks Integrator.

Importing resource payroll checks

While you can print resource payroll checks directly from RB9, instead have QuickBooks print them using your RB9 data. This way, in addition to printing the checks, QuickBooks also deducts the amounts from your checking account since reconciling your bank account can only be done in QuickBooks, not RB9.

When preparing to import paychecks QuickBooks Integrator defaults to today as the pay date. You can select a different pay date. The list of resources eligible to be paid in the specified payroll also includes their check amounts. As with the other import categories, you can sort the list if needed and/or export the list before selecting all or some of the resources and importing their paychecks to QuickBooks. You can also enter the common text that will appear in the Memo field on each check before sending the list to QuickBooks.

As with invoices, RB9 automatically generates any missing data in QuickBooks (such as vendors) as checks are imported. You do not have to worry about importing all of the supporting data for checks one at a time. If any errors occur during import, that information will appear in the Error column in QuickBooks Integrator.

(While this method is faster, you can still export payroll checks via a QuickBooks IIF file from Print Checks to import into QuickBooks.)

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Import RB9 entities, invoices, paychecks, and payment transactions into QuickBooks.

RB concepts in this lesson

Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately.

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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DIY reports: Create your own RB9 reports

Perform custom searches of your RB9 data­base, and create your own reports from the results

Lesson #103
Tools – Query Maker function

RB9 includes a lot of reports, but maybe you need one that isn’t included. Or maybe you are looking for some information in RB9 but none of the functions have the search criteria you need to find what you are looking for. Depending on what you want, you might be able to create your own custom search/report using RB9’s Query Maker.

Query Maker is a tool for searching the RB9 database and creating your own reports using data fields from a single table (e.g. Cases, Firms, or Payroll) in your RB database. It also offers a few multi-table report options, such as Firm+Contact and Invoices+Jobs+Cases, which allow you to select fields from more than one table to generate a report.

Simplified database queries – no programming required

Query Maker lists of all the tables in RB9 and automates the construction of queries so you can easily create and run your own searches and generate reports using any table (or one of the multi-table options).

For example, if you want to see all contacts entered into your RB9 database today, select the Contacts table, select “Entered’ in the drop-down list of data fields, select “Is equal to”  as the operator, and leave the default of today’s date in Condition. RB9 constructs the proper SQL statements to return the results from the Contacts table. You can export the report to save it, and you can save the query itself to use again later by changing the date.

Create targeted queries for your business only or to share

If you need more targeted results than a single-condition query provides, you can set up multiple conditions in one query to find the exact results you want. Start with one data field from a table and set its condition. Then select another data field from the same table with its own condition, and set whether you want your results to include records that match both conditions or either condition. You can continue selecting fields and setting their conditions and how they are included, and use parentheses with multiple queries to prioritize queries when AND and OR operators are used. For example, to find law firms in TX or LA, you can query: (State is equal to TX OR State is equal to LA) AND FirmType is equal to Law Firm.

The combo table options, Firm+Contact and Invoices+Jobs+Cases, give you access to data fields in each included table so you can run queries across multiple tables at once. For example, with Firm+Contact you could create a report listing all the contacts with the firm address instead of their home addresses. A report using Invoices+Jobs+Cases could list invoices with detailed job and case information included.

When you execute your custom query, Query Maker lists all results that match your query. The default results grid includes columns for all the data fields in the current table. You can choose which fields to exclude from your results to generate a report that displays only the information you are interested in. You can change the width of each column but you cannot change the order of the columns. You can sort your results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you change queries or exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order).

Export your reports as Excel or generic CSV (comma separated values) files to save, print, share, or use in other applications. In addition to exporting reports and saving your queries to re-use later, you can also share queries you create with other RB9 users, and use pre-existing queries so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Save time by modifying existing queries

Instead of starting from scratch each time to create queries, save your query to re-use later. You can update a saved query if needed before generating a report. If you want to use the updated query again you can save it replacing the existing query or save it as a new query.

You can update query names, turn sharing on (so others in your company can use your query) or off (to make your query private), or delete queries. Queries that other RB9 users in your company saved with sharing on are also available to you to use as is or update and save as a new query.

Use popular queries to make custom reports

Another option instead of writing your own queries from scratch in Query Maker, is to use queries from the Query Gallery. Query Gallery contains queries written by other users, and also queries written by RB9 staff to generate reports that are the most commonly requested but are not in RB9 yet. You can download these pre-existing queries to edit or use as is. When you download a query, it is saved to your in-house list of queries.

You can publish your own queries by uploading them to the Query Gallery library in Query Maker which all RB9 users have access to. When other users download your query to use, the number in the Download column of the Query Gallery updates.

Need something more than what you can do here?

If you want to create more complex reports or use your RB data in another application, add the Data Reader plug-in to RB9. It allows you to use your RB9 data in more complex ways, including custom reports and in other applications.

If you would rather not develop reports yourself, contact OMTI about developing a custom report for your business.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Perform custom searches of your RB9 data­base, and create your own reports from the results. Save your queries to re-use and share.

RB concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys.

Firm: Business you provide services to, usually law firms.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Query Gallery: Library of the database queries published by RB9 developers and users for anyone to download and use in Query Maker for generating reports from RB9 data instead of writing queries from scratch.

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View emails sent from within RB9

While RB9 does not include a full email program, it does log most automatic emails sent through the system so you have a paper trail

Lesson #102
Tools – Email Log function

RB9 automatically maintains a log of most emails sent through the system. You can view lists of emails sent and look up details about each email sent in this function. The email logs are your paper trail of correspondence sent from RB9 and cannot be edited.

Emails that are automatically logged:

You can search for emails in each of these different categories by recipient email address, sent date or date range, job number, and/or invoice number.

RB9 lists all of the log entries that match the search criteria, along with their type, sent date, sender, recipient, subject line, remarks, and any cc’s in a grid. You can sort your results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB9 will revert back to the default order). Export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

You can view any email’s details by clicking its hyperlinked Log No.

NOTE: Not all emails are logged by the system

Since RB9 does not log all types of emails sent from the system, you can Cc or Bcc your email address on any email to save a copy of it. If you want to keep copies of all emails that you send from within RB9, set your user preference to “Always Bcc me,” so RB9 will send a copy of every email to your email inbox.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: RB9 keeps a log of automatic emails sent from the program so you can monitor and review correspondence you sent to contacts and resources.

RB concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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Keep your own copy of RB9 files

Back up your RB9 database to your desktop

Lesson #101
Tools – Download Backup File function

Download backup files of your RB9 database from up to 7 days in the past.

There is no need for your own backups for recovery purposes because RB9 and RB Lite are on Microsoft Azure’s cloud platform which includes a better-than-backup process that requires no effort on your part to maintain. However, if you need or want backups to comply with your company security policies, you can use this function to download a copy of your RB9 database backup to store on your premises.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Back up your RB9 database to your desktop.

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Keep a record of repository downloads

Monitor repository usage by in-house staff as well as by clients and resources as required by general security rules for business applications

Lesson #100
Tools – Repository Download Log function

In addition to complying with general security rules for business applications, tracking repository access is useful to see which clients and resources are using your RB Connect, and which files they are downloading. You can also give contacts the ability to track their own download activity in RB Connect.

You can set up RB9 to record repository activity by your staff, contacts, and/or resources. (For example, if you do not have RB Connect, you can set it to track staff use only.) After setting up RB9 to record repository activity, it will track all file download activities performed by individuals in your selected categories.

Then in the Repository Download Log, you can search for download activity by all persons within one of those categories, or by a single person; for a single date or date range; for a specific file or files with similar names; and/or for one, several, or all file types.

RB9 lists all download activity that matches your criteria by who accessed a file; when they accessed it; which repository the file is in; the file name, type, and description; and when the file was uploaded to the system. If someone downloads a file multiple times, each download is listed. You can sort the log by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB9 will revert back to the default order). Export the log as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

From the log, you can view/update details about any person or file by clicking the person or file’s hyperlink.

Clients can check their download activity too

If you set Repository Logging to include contact downloading activity, your contacts can also see their download activity in RB Connect’s Repository. Similar to RB9’s Repository Download Log, a Reviewed column will be included in their Repository results grid, and any file they download will record the date and time in that column, so your clients can see at a glance if they have downloaded a file or not.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: If RB9 is set up to track download activity, this report lists all activity by contacts, resources, or staff for a specific time period.

RB concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys, paralegals, and secretaries.

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >

Repository: RB has 9 repositories where you store files for safekeeping and quick retrieval. When you store files in a case, they are in RB’s Case Repository; when you store files in a job, they are in RB’s Job Repository; etc. If you have RB Connect, you can give clients and/or resources access to specific repository files.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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Locate notes made anywhere in RB9

Search notes globally in RB9

Lesson #99
Tools – Notes Finder function

With 10 different sets of Notes Logs, it can be difficult to remember exactly where a particular note was entered in RB9. Use Notes Finder to search for log notes entered manually by users and automatically by the system.

With this tool, you can search for notes made in:

  • Case listings
  • Contact listings
  • Firm listings
  • Firms’ collections histories
  • Invoice listings
  • Job listings
  • Location listings
  • Resource listings
  • Tracking listings
  • Witness listings

Search each Notes Log category for notes by:

  • Date or date range
  • All (system generated and entered by staff) or a single person who entered the note(s)
  • Word or phrase
  • Notes type, such as marketing, or action type for collections, such as call made. You can search all types, a single type, or several types at once.

You can include all notes in your search, or exclude cancelled notes from your search.

View search results

RB9 displays the notes that meet your search criteria with the most recent notes listed first. You can see at a glance:

  • Each note’s contents.
  • Where the note is stored.
  • Who entered it and when, or if added by the system automatically, who triggered the entry.
  • Type of note.
  • How it was communicated, or what action was taken.
  • If you include cancelled notes, when they were cancelled and by whom.

You can sort the notes listed by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB9 will revert back to the default order). Export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

Drill down in any note to see more information associated with the note, such as the contact listing associated with a contact note. From there you can edit/update the listing, upload/download repository files, and add more notes to its Notes Log.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Use the Notes Finder tool to find notes quickly anywhere in RB9.

RB concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys.

Firm: Business you provide services to, usually law firms.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Location: Place where jobs occur.

Notes Logs: Un-editable internal-use only notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred, such as a case, job, invoice, or entity. More >

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

Tracking: System for keeping track of where production items are in your production cycle and physically in your office.

Listed under Function, Lesson, Tools | Tagged , , ,

Create & manage label templates

Set up custom label templates for company-wide use

Lesson #98
Tools – Label Templates function

In the Production module’s Envelopes and Labels function, you can print addresses on a variety of labels for parties, contacts, firms, locations, and resources using information from RB9’s database.

Before printing labels out of RB9, set up label templates that will automatically include the recipient mailing address, plus your company logo and other information, if desired. Then store them in the Label Templates function for everyone on your staff to use. With DYMO label software and RB9’s Label Templates function, you can modify label templates, create new ones, and manage all of your company’s label templates.

Customize default labels & create your own

RB9 comes with a default set that you can use as is or customize to better match your company. You can also create an unlimited amount of new label templates to meet all of your company’s labeling needs. RB9 works with DYMO label printers only.

Use DYMO software to set up labels. Whether editing existing templates or creating label templates from scratch, you can add/delete:

  • Text
  • Address field (which RB9 uses for mail merge)
  • Graphics like your company logo

Label template management made easy

After creating/editing label templates, upload them to RB9’s Label Templates function, which stores all of your company’s label templates together in the database. This way, everyone has access to the same label templates when printing labels from RB9, and you won’t lose your label templates when transferring to new computer because they are stored in the cloud not locally.

The Label Templates window lists all label templates in your RB9 database. By default, labels are sorted by type, then name, but you can sort your results in the grid by one or both columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order). Export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

You can download any existing template to modify. Afterwards, upload the modified template with a new name to add as a new template in RB9 or with the same name to replace the existing template in RB9.

You can also add as many new templates as you want by uploading .dymo files from your computer. If you no longer need a template or want to replace it with a modified version, you can delete it from the Label Templates list.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Modify default label templates and create new ones for your office to use when printing addresses on labels for parties, contacts, firms, locations, or resources using information from RB9’s database.

RB9 concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with.

Firm: Business you provide services to, usually law firms.

Location: Place where jobs occur.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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Customize & create your own forms

RB gives you the ability to email and print forms and letters to clients, resources, and others. The forms and letters that are produced are all customizable to fit your business

Lesson #97
Tools – Form Templates function

Some RB emails are form letters or include attachments that automatically contain RB information. You can customize the content of these forms — even add new forms — in Form Templates.

Form Templates is a word processor with mail merge, so you don’t need Microsoft Word to manage forms, letters, and other documents that use RB data. It’s a simpler word processor than Word, but includes data merge fields and is designed to work with RB functions.

Complete set of forms included

RB comes with a starter set of form templates to cover a variety of needs, such as job confirmations, letters to witnesses, and collections letters. You can use the included templates as is, edit them to match your business better, import forms from other applications, create templates from scratch, and copy templates to create additional templates.

You can create form templates in RB for:

  • Job confirmations & cancellations
  • Assignment confirmations (AKA resource worksheets) & cancellations
  • Letters to contacts, witnesses, & others related to a job
  • Payment receipts
  • RB-PDF Transcript cover pages & errata sheets
  • Collections letters

Use RB’s Form Templates to create your own company-branded letters, notices, transcript cover pages, and errata sheets. You can include your own content, formatting, company logo, and merge data fields.

Customize & create your own

When editing templates or creating new ones, you can:

  • Enter your own content, including images and simple graphics.
  • Insert headers, footers, and tables.
  • Add RB data fields.
  • Format everything to match your needs and corporate culture.

Any edits you make to an existing form are saved system-wide in the form. And when you create a new form, it is saved on the RB server and is available to other RB registered users in your company.

RB’s Form Templates is easy to navigate and use, but powerful and full of options. All existing forms in your system are grouped by the functions they are used in, so you can find forms easily. You can also create your own subgroups to further organize your forms when the main groups are not enough. You can sort form lists by one or more columns in ascending or descending order to help you locate the form you want to edit/copy/delete (but when you exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order).

The many tools in Form Templates are grouped into major categories on tabs, with each tab displaying all of its tools organized in subgroups so you minimize searching for a particular tool. And some tool groups have a popup option so you can change multiple related options at once.

Full styling toolkit

This full-featured word processor with mail merge contains many controls and options in all aspects of form creation:

Text

Tools for styling your forms include most common text controls present in word processor applications, such as font types, sizes, colors, weights, and styling. You can style bulleted or numbered lists, and set text alignment, indents, tabs, borders, and backgrounds on paragraphs. You can choose different pagination options for multi-page forms, such as widow and orphan control, and set up re-usable character and paragraph styles.

Inserts

You can insert headers, footers, page numbers, images, graphics, blank pages, page breaks, tables, special symbols, hyperlinks, and text frames into forms. At a minimum, you can customize all of your forms by inserting your company logo. You can further customize the appearance of your logo or other graphics by setting text wrap options, positioning (including on the z axis), and size.

Tables

If you have a table in your form, you can customize it by adding or deleting rows/columns, and setting the properties of frame lines in the table, such as line colors, line widths, and cell background colors, or not having frame lines at all. You can also add custom formulas to your forms, such as sum totals.

Layout

Customize the layout of your template’s pages by setting margins, orientation, paper size, columns, content breaks, background color and borders, and paragraph spacing.

View

Form Templates has typical word processor View controls, so you can zoom in/out, or select a set view percentage. You can toggle rulers, status bar, table gridlines, control characters, and other guides on and off.

Lots of merge field options

Along with tools for styling your forms and adding boilerplate content, Form Templates includes several types of merge data fields:

  • Contextual data fields – Only relevant RB data fields appear as options when inserting a merge data field in the form you are editing/creating, instead of listing every available RB data field for you to scroll through. When you insert a merge data field, RB only displays fields related to the category of form you are updating, logically grouped into sets, so you can quickly find a specific merge field.
  • List data fields – You create tables of related merge fields that you select. You can re-arrange the order that the fields appear as columns in the table, or have the information display in paragraph format. For example, you can easily add a list of parties scheduled to appear to a Job Worksheet, that includes each party’s firm name, the party’s email address, party type, and services requested.
  • Special fields – You customize their formatting, such as a Date field where you can select the order and appearance of day/month/year, and even include time stamps.

Merge fields are important because, when inserted into a form, real data from the job/client/resource/location you’re sending the form for will automatically merge into the place of the field, so you don’t have to manually re-key any of the information.

If you want a copy of a form template outside RB, you can print or export the form in a variety of formats, such as PDF, Word, HTML, or text.

TL;DR: Some RB functions include email-able/printable forms that automatically include RB information. These forms can be used as is or modified if needed in the Form Templates function. You can also import forms from other applications, and create your own forms.

RB concepts in this lesson

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Location: Place where jobs occur, such as court rooms, hospitals, schools, doctors’ offices, or private residences.

RB-PDF Transcript: PDF version of a transcript with built-in transcript-specific features like hyperlinked exhibits, word lists/indexes, errata sheets, and enhanced headers/footers containing case and depo information.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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