Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
The Interactive Forms Framework provides various types of records to allow interactive forms to create and edit items in ContactsLaw. They can be broadly grouped into the following categories:

Contacts

  • Contact - Includes the contact type and basic CRM information.
    • Contact names - The various names for both individual and entity contacts; use only the fields which apply to the type of contact you are creating/editing.
    • Correspondence preferences - Greeting, closing and other preferences.
    • Registered business details - For entities only; the ABN/ACN and ABR information.
    • Financial details - Payment details and information specific to creditors, banks and other financial contacts.
    • Address - Represents a single address of a particular type (mailing, physical or registered office).
    • Inherited address - Allows you to share address records between multiple contacts you create.
    • Communications entry - Represents a single communications entry of a particular type (telephone, fax, e-mail or website). If creating multiple, you can indicate the preferred entry.
    • Inherited communications entry - Allows you to share communications entries between multiple contacts you create.
    • Related contact - Allows you to define a relationship between multiple contacts you create (e.g. individual and associated entity).

Files

  • File - Includes the main properties of a file (matter, workgroup, process model, etc) and its workgroup fields.
    • File contact - Represents a single contact associated with the file in some capacity and/or role. At minimum, all new files must have an entry for the client.
    • Distribution list item - Represents a single item on the distribution list, which may be a role or a specific contact/member.
    • Related file - Allows you to define a relationship between multiple files you create.
    • Billing options - Includes the scale, default product and GST status.
      • Quoted product - Represents a single product on the cost estimate/quote.
      • Quoted disbursement - Represents a single disbursement on the cost estimate/quote.
      • Discount - Includes the type, amount and validity period.
      • Upfront bill - If a record of this type is included with a file, an upfront bill will be posted when the form is completed. The bill will include all items on the cost estimate. You can elect to print or open the bill after it has been posted.

Documents

  • Document - Allows you to read/edit the properties of an existing document. New documents cannot be created by interactive forms.
    • Document contact - Represents a contact associated with the document in some role. The available roles are determined by the document type.
    • Document date - Represents a date associated with the document. This may include a time component or related member.
    • Related document - Represents a relationship between two documents. You can specify the type of the relationship.

Tasks

  • Task - Creates a task/appointment to perform a particular activity in ContactsLaw. The available properties for the record change depending on the type of activity selected.
  • Attendee - For appointment-style tasks, represents an attendee (in addition to the member to whom the task is delegated).
  • Appointment scheduler - Provides a way to determine the available times for a proposed appointment.
  • Attendee criteria - Provides a way to set the criteria for allocating members to a proposed appointment.

Other

  • Fixed charge - Posts a fixed charge to a particular file, optionally with respect to a particular product.
  • Lookup table - Defines a table of values that you can use in conjunction with rules to perform a lookup.
  • Daemon job - Creates a scheduled task that runs in the ContactsLaw Daemon. You can use this type of record to create recurring processes.

Table entries

A table entry record represents a single row in a table. The record belongs to a file and points to the workgroup field in which the table data is stored. Although you can let users edit the table as a whole by adding a table control to the form, this approach offers greater flexibility and lets you limit the form to a single entry. This is useful if the table represents transactions or log entries which are created individually and added to the table over time.

Unless otherwise specified, the record will add a new row to the table. You can load an existing row into the record by setting or pre-populating the value of the Unique ID column (the table must have such a column). Table entry records also have a Delete property which can be used to mark an entry for deletion.

Custom records

Custom records allow you to read/write a set of arbitrary fields. They are useful for reducing the complexity of rules, because they allow you to store intermediate values. They can be thought of as a temporary placeholder for information which exists for the life of the form.

For example, you may have a complex set of conditions (possibly spanning several pages of the form) that you need to draw upon several times. Instead of repeating those conditions each time they are required, you can store the result in a custom record and access the value whenever you need it. As well as being more concise, rules written in this way will take less time to evaluate.


After adding a custom record, you need to specify the names of the fields you want the record to contain. (Note that there are some restrictions on the names you can choose.) You can add to the list at any time, but be aware that removing/renaming fields after they have been used will require further changes to the form. The fields will then be available for use with controls and rules.

If so configured, the fields in a custom record can be referenced in document templates - however, since the records only exist for the life of the form, you must build the document immediately after completing the form (using a form action).

See also