Filling in forms can be a tedious task, especially if there are tons of variables to deal with. But, thanks to the capabilities of the one-eyed monster sitting on your desk or lap, the chore can be simplified using Microsoft Word and TheFormTool from Your Dollar Matters.
Designed primarily for lawyers and other members of the legal profession, TheFormTool -- not to be confused with FormTool originally published by Broderbund Software -- basically uses defined fields and lists you create to fill in legal forms such as leases, agreements, etc.
The process is fairly simple:
- You create documents in Microsoft Word, leaving areas that depend on variables (names, addresses, dates, legal conditions, etc.) blank.
- You define these fields in the form and then define what you want in each field by creating the variables in TheFormTool. These can be as simple as questions and answers, pronouns, names and dates or other data that needs to be used multiple times.
- TheFormTool makes the changes in the documents without you having to reenter all of the data for each form.
Although the creators of TheFormTool have targeted the legal profession for their product, I can see it as being useful in the creation and distribution of any document ranging from sales pitches and other form letters to thank-you notes to friends and relatives. Just leave the fields containing names and pronouns blank and let TheFormTool do its thing.
There are three versions of the product available online at www.TheFormTool.com:
- A simplified free version that contains a few basic tools.
- TheFormTool Pro (89) that expands upon the simple form-filling tasks by allowing you to define singular and plural nouns, provide conditional text, correct punctuation and create master lists to fill in multiple forms.
- TheFormTool Pro Plus (350), where those of us that are too busy to create forms and documents can have them professionally done by a member of the TheFormTool staff.
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