Creating Automatically from Mask

Create Intake Form from Mask -- Automatically

   Display the Instant Database screen and select a mask from the left side. (If you do not have a mask, create one following the steps in the main Pathagoras Help System. Click here for that screen.)

  Click the Setting & Tools button.

   Click the Create Excel 'Intake Sheet.' (Arrow in figure below points to the button.) Pathagoras will list the variable names down column 1 of a new Excel spreadsheet and name all of the cells with the best name possible (see rules below) in the second column. It will also color the second column in yellow to indicate that data should be typed there.

Note: Excel cell naming rules may prevent some of your variables from being accepted as valid names. For example, a variable with two or more words, or variables with non-letter or number characters. In such cases, Pathagoras will attempt to correct the name to an acceptable one (typically adding an underscore in place of word spaces or in place of illegal characters. Pathagoras will advise you of the modification to the original name in column 3. You will then need to decide whether to keep or discard the original variable name. Read more about this in the immediately following section.

When Pathagoras creates an intake sheet based on a mask, it attempts to correct for 'illegal' cell names. And before it is done, it may have created cell names that do not precisely match the original variables. Any changes Pathagoras made in order to complete the process are shown in the 3rd column, in red. The most common change is the insertion of an underscore between each word of a multi-word variable. Client Name would become Client_Name because spaces are 'illegal' in a cell name

   You need to make a choice here:

   (1) You can keep the new cell (and proposed variable) name. If you decide to keep it, you will have to change the variable in all of your Word documents so that compatibility is maintained. Pathagoras provides tools to do this, or you can just use standard Find and Replace tools to replace [Client Name] with [Client_Name].

   (2) You can reject the change. You should then delete that line from the data collection screen (and delete the name from the named cell) to prevent the automatic processing of the term. Just complete the value by hand the next time you call up the IDB screen.

   (3) A third, slightly more complex, and not necessarily recommended, option exists. You can keep the new variable  and the old variable. In the Instant Database screen, create an Equivalency relation between the new [Client_Name] and the old [Client Name]. Continuing with the example term, this would be done by placing "=[Client_Name]" in the space to the right of [Client Name] in the variable list. When you are completing the form to personalize the document, simply click the red button that will be present when Pathagoras detects the equivalency.

   The value of the 'equivalent field' is transferred and replaces the equivalency statement. (Note: you should save the equivalency function in a mask, and recall the mask before completing replacement values. That way you won't have to type it each time.)

   Here is are some screen shots.

The equivalency function as it appears in an almost completed record.

Press the red button to instantly transfer the value from the referenced cell to the current one. When replacements are made, both [Client_Name] and [Client Name] will be replaced with the desired value.