Revised:  02/26/2014

How to Create a Simple Letter

Go to Tools>>Merge Setup>>Merge Template

• Enter a unique Code for the letter/form

• • Codes cannot be changed after they are saved

• Enter a unique Description (this is what users will select the letter or form by)

• • Descriptions may be changed

• Select a Letter Type of Standard Family Letter/Form

• Enter the number of Pages the letter will have

• • The number of pages can be edited later if needed

• Select a Category filter option if you would like to filter the list of forms and letters in the view during the printing process.

• Enter a checkmark in Add to Tasks to Complete if a task is to be added for the tenant when the letter is printed.

• Select a Tracking Code if a tracking item should be recorded when the letter/form is printed for a  tenant  

• Enter a checkmark in Auto Attach on Printing if a copy of the letter is to be added in the Attachments tab in the Tenant Master for the tenant when it is printed.

• Click the Pick Sample button and select a tenant (optional - this will not be a permanent part of the letter but may help show some information during the design)

• Click the Design button to open the Edit Layout

• Click Cancel on the Project Wizard

• Uncheck Base and Following Pages under Layers on the upper left of the view - except when the letter is a verification.  

• • In some instances Verification letters should be one page only and the information should be on the base layer for multiple forms to print out.  For example when there are two full time students in a household, the second letter will be blank unless it is setup on the base layer.

To include a letterhead shared component template (can skip if you do not have one setup or if you do want one on this letter)

• Go to Project>>Include and click the icon to open the dialog box

• • Browse to where the letterhead template is stored

  • Highlight the file and click open

  • Click OK (the letterhead should now be shown on the page)

To add the current Date (the letter/form will always print with the date the letter was printed)

• Click the text icon

• • go to the page, hold down the left mouse button and draw a box where you want the date to be

  • Double click the box to open Paragraph Properties

  • Click the icon

  • • Click the Date$() tab

    • Highlight a date style and click the Insert button

    • Click OK twice to close all dialog boxes - the current date will now be shown in the text box

  • The box can be moved anywhere on the page

To add Tenant Address

• Click the + in front of the Family folder under the List of variables on the right side of the view to open the list

• • Use the left mouse button to click Full_Name - keep the button down and "drag" Full_Name over onto the page and release the button - a box will appear

  • • NOTE:  the box will look empty unless a "sample" was picked -  but will have the head of household's full name when the letter is printed.

  • Further down the listing under Family find Unit_address or Mailing_address lines - repeat the "drag" and drop action to drag unit or mailing address lines over - drop them into the same box that Full_Name was dropped into

  • For City, State and Zip look for the Unit_City_State_Zip or Mailing_City_State_Zip (do not add Unit_City, Unit_State, etc separately) and repeat the drag and drop process into the same box

  • Double click the box to open it

  • • Look at the order of the listed lines

    • Use the up or down arrows   to move lines that may be out of order, if applicable

    • Click OK to close the box

  • The box can be moved anywhere on the page

  • • Note:  Other variables can be "dragged and dropped" in the same manor and placed or moved around the page.

To add the body of the letter

• Click the formatted text icon on the left side of the view

• Go to the page and while holding down the left mouse button - "draw" a box for the body of the letter (the box position and size can be adjusted anytime)

• On the left side of the view under Properties (underneath Layers)

• • Change Page Break = True [Yes] to False [No] (click on [Yes] and select False [No])

  • • A formatted text box should always have the Page Break property set to False or forms/letters with more than one formatted text box will not print properly

• Double click the Formatted Text box to open it

• Type the information into the body of the letter - there is no spell checker - can do some formatting of the text, i.e. bold, underline, etc.

• • Information can also be copied from a Word document

  • • Open the Word document

    • Highlight the text that is to be copied

    • • Use CTRL+C to copy the highlighted text

    • In the open Formatted Text box use CTRL+V to paste the text

• When information has been entered, click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the information and close the formatted text box

To add a merge variable into the body of the letter

• With the Formatted Text box open and the cursor where you want to have the variable appear

• Click the icon

Note:  Variables with a # sign need assistance to insert correctly - variables with an A usually do not

Number Variable:

1. • Click the FStr$() tab

   • Highlight and insert the first number in the list -{Number} will be highlighted do not change that

   • Click the Variables and Functions tab to open the list

   • Click the + beside the Variables folder to open the list

   • • Click the + sign beside the Rent_Calc folder (used for the example)

     • Double click a # field (i am going to use Tenant_Rent)

     • The highlighted {Number} will be replaced with the variable value (in our example it will show Fstr$(Rent_Calc.Tenant_rent,"#####&.##") in the window and 0.00 below the window.  Note:  if we had selected a "sample" using the Pick Sample button we should see the tenant or applicant's rent amount.

     • Click OK to close the Edit Function box and return to the formatted text box

   • Click Apply and OK to save the information and close the formatted text box when done

Word Variable:

1. • Click the + beside the Global folder

   • • Highlight User_Name and click Insert

     • Global.User_Name will be shown in the window

     • • The name of the user who is logged in will be displayed under the window

     • Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the formatted text box

   • Click Apply and then OK to save the information and close the formatted text box when done entering text

Finish the letter

• When the letter is completed, click   to close the Edit Layout, if information has not been saved, the user will be asked to save changes, click Yes unless you do not want to save the information.