Convert templates to Contract Express markup
The
Convert Template
tool can be used to update templates created for other document automation solutions to use Contract Express markup language. For information on the types of third-party syntax this converter recognises please contact contractexpress-support@thomsonreuters.com.The tool will convert the markup found in the template to Contract Express fields and spans, and will add the relevant variables to the Dictionary.
Launching the template converter
When using this tool, you will be prompted to select a template to convert. Please ensure the file is closed before running the tool; the conversion process will fail if it is already open.
To launch the tool, click on
Convert Template
in the Contract Express ribbon.This tool can be used on most file types that can be opened with MS Word. Browse to the template and click
Open
. The converter will analyze the syntax and apply the correct conversion logic.Converting HighQ (Velocity) templates
This tool can be used to convert Velocity-based HighQ templates. Both manually coded Velocity markup and markup inserted using the HighQ Word add-in can be converted using this tool.
If the template is recognised as a HighQ template, when the conversion is complete a converted version of the template will open, with a prompt to run iSheet Import.
Select "Yes" to retrieve iSheet column settings, such as variable type and any guidance or constraints, from HighQ and update the variables in the Contract Express dictionary accordingly.
If you select “No”, all variables will default to text variables in the dictionary, with only the variable name and question text (iSheet column name) populated.
Note that you can run iSheet Import at any time to update variables with the latest column settings. See Using the HighQ iSheet import tool.
Converting other third-party templates
Where the converter expects an associated dictionary file to be available for the conversion, it will attempt to locate it in the same folder as the template file. If the file cannot be located, you will see a prompt asking if you want to locate this file manually.
Browse to the relevant file to complete the conversion with the import of the variable definitions and questionnaire information.
Note that any syntax using IF/ELSE logic will be converted into separate spans for each result, based on the following principle:
Original markup | Converted markup |
|---|---|
IF A "text1" ELSE "text2" | < A "text1"> <NOT A "text2"> |
IF A "text1" ELSE IF B “text2” ELSE "text3" | < A "text1"> <NOT A AND B "text2"> <NOT A AND NOT B "text3"> |
To make it easier to spot these spans in the converted document and identify them as originating from a single IF/ELSE statement, the span rules that negate the previous condition will be highlighted in yellow.
Original markup | Converted markup |
|---|---|
IF A "text1" ELSE "text2" | < A "text1"> <NOT A "text2"> |
IF A "text1" ELSE IF B “text2” ELSE "text3" | < A "text1"> <NOT A AND B "text2"> <NOT A AND NOT B "text3"> |
Unconverted markup
Comments will be inserted into the document to indicate where the Velocity syntax could not be translated into equivalent Contract Express markup.
note
Always test the template after conversion to validate that the automation is working as expected. The conversion tool can handle most common code, but there may not be equivalents for more complex expressions. Some parts of the template may require manual updates to ensure they work correctly with Contract Express. Where the questionnaire pages and groups are imported, their order and completeness should be checked as well.
Convert content-control markup to character-based markup
Users can now convert content-control markup from templates created using the new author online add-in to the traditional character-based markup, utilising the convert template option.
The converter is particularly useful when you receive a template that includes content-control markup. If you wish to continue working on this template but require advanced functionalities, such as lookup tables or warnings, which are not yet available in the new author add-in, this conversion process will facilitate your workflow.
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