How do I create a template question?

Learn more about creating questions in Precisely templates

Setting up template questions is one of the main steps in template creation and automation.

To be able to create a contract, users drafting from that template will only have one thing to do: answer those pre-set questions in a form of a questionnaire, and that's it! Check out how fast & easy it is to draft contracts in Precisely.

Creating questions

Questions - together with references - are used for variable parts of the template that change from contract to contract. For instance, names, dates and contract values.

To create questions in the template document and choose what parts are variable, start by opening the document in the Precisely editor by clicking the Edit button in the template overview.

Create questions using the Add question section on the left-hand side of the editor. These questions are what the user running the template will be asked to populate the varying parts. Such as “What is the subject of disclosure?” or “What is the name of the company who serves as our counterparty?”.

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Adding references

Each question will have a certain id – a reference. Wherever you want the response to a question to be inserted into the document, you insert the reference.

When drafting, the reference will be replaced with what the user running the template has answered. For instance, the reference name of the question “What is the subject of disclosure?” could be disclosure_subject. Wherever you want the subject of disclosure to appear in the contract, you insert the reference named disclosure_subject.

You can add references to a template document in two ways. Either

  1. Click References in the editor’s top menu, or

  2. Click the green Add reference button (the “+” symbol) in the editor’s left-hand menu.

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Connecting references to a variable part of the template document is not mandatory. Namely, you can simply create questions in your template, but choose not to relate them to the template text. For example, it is usually done in case you don't want the answer to the question to appear in the document in particular, but you still want to have the answer (=the reference) to the question in order to be able to set up and automate metadata tagging for your effortless reporting and archive export from Precisely.

Types of answers

There are a few types of answers to choose from for your questions:

  • Short text – the answer is a short, single row, free text answer.

  • Long text – the answer is long, multiple rows, free text answer.

  • Numeric – the answer is a number. A question using a numeric answer could be “What shall the penalty amount to in case of a material breach?”

  • Date – the answer is a date. A question using a date answer could be “What is the start date of the employment?”.

  • Multiple choice – if the answers can be predefined, you can use multiple choice answers. The user running the template can then only choose from your predefined answers to the question. If you turn on the toggle "Allow multiple selection", users drafting from the template are able to select from several answers. Read more

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  • Multiple clause – you can use the multiple clause option if the user running the template should choose between multiple clause alternatives. For instance, if there are different versions of non-compete clauses. This option is mostly helpful for advanced users, who can review the clause options and their meaning in a diligent way.

To set up a multiple clause reference, simply

  1. Choose Multiple clause in the Type of answer drop down,

  2. Fill out your question and set a reference name,

  3. Click the Add clause button to add clauses as needed, click the Edit button (the pencil) next to the clause to create and edit the clause’s content. When you've finished editing the clause, click the blue Save button.

Screenshot 2022-07-26 at 10.13.09Screenshot of a multiple clause question from the end-user point of view when running the template.

Making questions conditional

Questions can be made conditional by ticking the Make this question conditional box in the question editing view. By making a question conditional, it could be shown, or not, depending on what the answer to a previous question is.

Example: A non-disclosure agreement might contain the question “Shall a penalty clause be included in the contract in case of a material breach?”. If the answer is “Yes”, a conditional question asking “What shall the penalty amount to in case of a material breach?” could be included.

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