Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers document assembly software with new organizational tools (see article below), an Outlook add-on for sending secure email messages and attachments, automated time-tracking software, and a new mind-mapping app. Don't miss the next issue.
ALL YOUR DOCUMENT TEMPLATES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Document automation is like electricity. Once you try it, you perceive it as a necessity. There's no going back. And like electricity, you keep finding more and more uses for it. At some point, you realize that you use document assembly software to create virtually every document, which means you need a superior organizational system for the components of these documents.
Pathagoras 2014 … in One Sentence
Launched this week, Pathagoras 2014 is document automation software that works within Microsoft Word.
The Killer Feature
Pathagoras has always provided organizational tools for fast access to source documents and other text. For example, Libraries contain document templates, clauses, and other building blocks. DropDown Lists enable you to insert frequently-used text snippets into documents, ranging from signature blocks to multi-page contracts.
The new version of Pathagoras has two new organizational features — Collections and Environments.
Collections adds to the functionality of DropDown Lists. You can now create four sets of DropDown Lists, each set displaying the content of up to 10 folders of source text. This makes document creation more manageable. For example, you might organize your Collection by practice area, type of document, user, etc. You can switch from one Collection to another while working on the same document.
With Environments, you can connect Libraries and Collections. Thus, if you switch from your Estate Planning Library to your Litigation Library, your corresponding Litigation Collection will become active and visible for faster access.
"Never before has a document automation program offered such immediate and elegant access to text," Pathagoras President and Developer Roy Lasris told us. "Our new Collections and Document Assembly Environments tools will put every document, every clause, and every form over an extremely broad range of disciplines within two clicks of the operator's mouse. We're proud to offer these new features."
Other Notable Features
With Pathagoras, you can create the building blocks for your future documents by "disassembling" a finished document. This is what you place into a Library. Pathagoras offers a variety of disassembly tools.
The new version continues its tradition of not requiring knowledge of a programming language. Instead, you use a plain text syntax within a Microsoft Word document. For example, brackets within a document template indicate variable information (e.g., [Client Name]) as well as optional clauses.
Pathagoras creates its interviews and data collection forms on-the-fly from the on-screen text. It stores collected data in Pathagoras' Instant Database, enabling you to reuse it in future documents. If Pathagoras discovers a new variable in a document, it automatically and instantly adds it to the client's record.
What Else Should You Know?
Pathagoras 2014 costs $379 for first license and then $250 for each additional license (volume discounts exist). Alternatively, you can pay a $25 per month subscription fee (discounts for longer term commitments exist). Either way, Pathagoras includes email and telephone support, on-demand instructional videos, and a user guide both on the web and in PDF format. Learn more about Pathagoras 2014.
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