Skip to content

Field types

After scanning, each field appears as an interactive control in the task pane. The control type matches the placeholder syntax found in the document.

Text fields

A placeholder like [Client Name: John Smith] renders as a text input pre-filled with "John Smith". Edit the text to change the value that will be written into the document.

A placeholder like [Jurisdiction: England | Wales | Scotland] renders as a dropdown selector. Click the dropdown and choose one of the available options.

The first option after the colon is treated as the default selection. All options separated by | appear in the dropdown list.

Checkbox fields

Some templates use checkboxes for yes/no values. These appear as tick boxes in the task pane.

Date expressions

A placeholder containing <<TODAY>> (for example [Date: <<TODAY>>]) is automatically filled with today's date. You do not need to enter a value manually.

Section headers

Section headers ([{Section Name}]) and collapsible sections ([{{Section Name}}]) are not editable. They organise fields into groups to make long forms easier to navigate.

Editing values

  • Click on any field to edit its value.
  • Text fields accept free-form input.
  • Dropdown fields restrict you to the predefined options.
  • You can edit values as many times as you like before applying.

Required fields

Some fields may be marked as required. These are highlighted in the task pane if left empty.

Choice-dependent fields

Templates can include fields that are only relevant when a specific dropdown option is selected. These dependent fields appear or hide automatically based on your selection in the parent dropdown.

Next steps

SimpleAddins — Professional add-ins for Microsoft Word