Letters, Documents & Templates

Prerequisites You should have completed the exercises in the Setting Up & Modifying Plan Types section. Objective In this exercise, you will learn how to create letters (or other documents) and document templates that can be used for all your plans.

LESSONS Letters, Documents & Templates Headers & Footers Graphs Custom Plan Reports Section Review

Facts

Start the Tax Planner and open the plan you saved for A Couple, Basic and Average (A Couple.pl5). Open the Letter/Document Setup and add a new letter for this plan. Base this letter on the General template. Enter the keywords to add the state to the firm's address in the letter heading. Preview the letter on-screen, then save the letter as a plan document, then as a template. Use "Tutorial" for the name of each. If you like, delete each of these items in the Letter/Document Setup upon completion of this exercise.

Program Considerations

When you create a new letter or document, you can create it from scratch, or based on an existing template. This letter or document will be available to print with the current plan report only, and will be saved in the Letter/Document list. The selections available from the New Letter/Document window are:

• Create a new blank letter/document: Opens a blank document in the Document Editor, and allows you to create a new letter or document for the current plan report.
• Create based on template: Allows you to use an existing template as a starting point for customizing a new letter or document for the current plan report.

The Letter/Document Setup dialog is where you can manage documents for the current plan and templates for all plans.

At the Letter/Document tab, you can edit or create a letter or document to print in the current plan report. The Letter/Document list shows letters and documents that are available to print with the current plan report. These letters and documents are specific to the current report and will not be available in any other plan reports.

At the Templates tab, you can create a template that you can use as a starting point for customizing a letter or document in any plan report. A template is a letter/document file that you can use as a pattern for creating a new letter or document in a plan report. Templates store your settings and layout, preventing you from having to repeat work you've already done. The Template list shows letter/document templates that are available to use in the current plan report or any other plan report. These templates are NOT specific to the current plan report.

The Letter/Document Editor is a basic text editor that you can use to create letters, other documents, or templates to include in your plan reports.

The following toolbar buttons are available in the Letter/Document Editor.

Button	Purpose
	Applies a font set to the selected text
	Applies a font size to the selected text
	Applies a font color to the selected text
	Formats the selected text as bold, italics, or underlined
	Aligns (justifies) the selected text left, centered, on both sides, or right
	Cuts or copies the selected text to the clipboard
	Pastes the cut or copied text from the clipboard into your document
	Spell checks the document
	Formats lines as bulleted lists, or removes bullets from the list
	Inserts a keyword in the document (opens the Keyword Selection dialog)

The Keyword function allows you to use keywords as placeholders that represent one worksheet item or one informational item in the tax plan. Use keywords to insert data in your custom documents, graphs, or headers/footers without having to type the information. As information changes in the tax plan, your keywords will automatically update the corresponding information in the documents, graphs, and headers/footers. When you print a plan report, Tax Planner reads the keywords and replaces them with the corresponding information in the tax plan.

The Keyword Selection dialog is arranged a little differently than the one in the Tax Program. The Category selection allows you to select a keyword list based on the type of information you want. If you select Worksheet Data, the Worksheets list is activated and you must click a worksheet to see a corresponding Keyword list. For all other categories, the Worksheets list does not apply, and you will immediately see a Keyword list.

The Case and Year lists are only active when you select Worksheet Data.

How?

To add a new letter/document:

1. Start the 2005 Tax Planner program and open the sample plan (A Couple.pl5).
2. Click Letter/Document Setup on the Reports menu.
   

   Note: If there are no saved letters or documents for this plan, the New Letter/Document window opens.

3. Click Create based on template and select General in the template list.
   
4. Click OK.
5. The Letter/Document Editor window opens the General template.

To insert a keyword:

1. Position your cursor at the end of the [Firm City] keyword.
   
2. Click Keyword on the Insert menu.
   
3. Select Misc./Firm Data from the Category list.
4. Click Firm State in the Keyword list.
   
5. Click OK.

To preview a letter in the Letter/Document Editor:

1. Click Print Preview on the File menu.
   
2. The program calculates the plan and displays the letter.
3. Click Exit on the File menu to close the preview.
   

To save as a document:

1. Click Save As Document on the File menu.
   
2. Save the letter as "Tutorial."
   
3. Click OK.

To save as a template:

1. Click Save As Template on the File menu.
   
2. Save the template as "Tutorial."
   
3. Click OK.
4. Click Exit on the File menu to close the Letter/Document Editor.

Tips & Shortcuts

• The Letter/Document Editor also includes other features such as the ability to insert page breaks (Insert menu) and a Print Preview function (File menu)
• You can close the Print Preview by clicking the Close viewer icon in the toolbar.
  

Review

You should have been able to create a new letter and template.

Troubleshooting

Problem: I'm not sure I understand the difference between a letter and a document.

Solution: The Letter/Document Setup is designed to allow you to create ANY type of printed page using the Letter/Document Editor.

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