GENERIC MULTI-DOCUMENT LAW PRACTICE SYSTEM
for
WordPerfect 4.2

(c)1987 - Richard T. Rodgers


S H A R E W A R E    P I T C H

This may well be the first piece of "shareware" (a/k/a "User-
Supported Software" or also "Freeware") you have ever seen.  If
so, you might have some vague notion of it being both "free"
(which certainly casts doubt on its real-world value) and
"tainted."  In my opinion, it is neither.

I've copyrighted this effort, and I'm keeping the copyright in my
hot little hands.  This is my system, but I encourage you to use
it.  Accordingly, I hereby grant you a license to use it to your
heart's delight.  You may copy it and give it to your associates,
mother-in-law, and even (if you're really crazy) to your
competitors.

But this license is granted to you upon two (2) immutable
conditions and with one (1) additional precatory request:

IMMUTABLE CONDITION #1	If you elect to distribute this system
to any person, firm, corporation or other legal entity, you must
convey it in its present form (ie, exactly as I have created it). 
This includes all my copyright notices (unchanged), files on this
disk (unchanged), and the entire (unchanged) README.1ST file
which you are reading right now.

[Obviously, it's OK to change this system so it will run as you
want it in your office.  It's designed to be changed, and I
encourage you to change and use it to help you deliver legal
services more effectively.  But if you want to pass along your
discoveries to a colleague, just be certain s/he gets this entire
Generic Practice System Disk - and not your changed version of
it.]

IMMUTABLE CONDITION #2	If you elect to distribute this system
pursuant to IMMUTABLE CONDITION #1, you must convey it for no
more than US$6.00 which you may charge only for the ostensible
purpose of defraying your own production and distribution costs
(such as postage, handling, and charges for the floppy disk (or
other media) itself.  Such charge will not constitute
consideration paid me for the license assumed by your transferee
to use this program (I'm not charging anyone for that license,
remember?).BIG PRECATORY REQUEST	Comes now the pitch....

IF you like this system; and,

IF you actually use it in your law practice or other
business,

THEN, won't you please send me US$25.00 for my efforts
in developing it for you?

That's it?  Yes, that's it.  There's no legal requirement that
you pay for your use of this system.  At worst, it's a "moral
obligation."  You'll certainly feel better if you pay something
for it.  And I'll feel better of you if you do.  Furthermore,
your check will allow my Baby Brother Joey to have his operation
(so he can run and play like the other kids); there will be great
karma in the universe; Republicans and Democrats will be able to
lie down together (although, admittedly, neither will ever get
much sleep), law schools will stop churning out more lawyers,
etc., etc. etc.

And if you do fork over the $25.00, I just might send you the
latest version of this system (which, undoubtedly will add a
whole new dimension to the word "magic").  And if I ever get
around to creating it, I'll also send you my "Generic Complex
Document Generator System" which currently exists only in my head
but possibly could be forced out with proper inducement.

How's that?



Richard T. (Rick) Rodgers
Lawyer and Professor of Law
P. O. Box 1027
Buies Creek, NC  27506-1027  USA






SYSOP - Frolic & Detour BBS for Lawyers
	919-893-5206 (1200bps, 8 bit words, 1 stop bit, no parity)

ABA/Net - ABA1401





June 17, 1987GENERIC MULTI-DOCUMENT LAW PRACTICE SYSTEM
for
WordPerfect 4.2

(c)1987 - Richard T. Rodgers




PURPOSE

There are four basic types of word processing tasks within a law
office:

First-time final drafts of unique documents (a consummation
devoutly to be wished, but infrequently achieved).

Example: a thank-you note.

Unique documents which are revised at least once before
reaching their "final version" state.

Example: an appellate brief.

Complex, but largely boilerplate, single documents.

Example: a will (which is "assembled" into a unique document
from a large collection of pre-recorded blocks of text).

Multi-document projects which inevitably contain the same
information in the "blanks" within each document.

Example: a residential real estate closing, which frequently
requires a score of documents all reciting the name and
address of the Buyer, Seller, property location, purchase
price, loan amount, etc.

The enclosed files constitute GPS, a Generic Practice System for
WordPerfect 4.2 users.  GPS addresses with novel simplicity the
process of completing multi-document projects (ie, Type #4 above)
within a law practice.INTRODUCTION

There are six (6) catagories of files within this system:

MENU.1ST - contains the text which appears on the screen
when you see the system's Menu

INPUT.MVL - contains the prompts which extract the actual
variable data from the user.

ALTM.MAC - the macro which invokes the Main Menu.

?MENU.MAC - macros which respond to the various choices the
user may make from the Menu.  In this case, the "?"
represents the letters "I", "D", "E", "C", "R" and "Q" or
the numbers "1" through "20", inclusive.  Also in these
*.MAC files, you'll find one called "MENU.MAC" file (used
when the user just presses <enter> instead of making a
proper menu selection.  All told, there should be 28 files
with the extension of ".MAC" (including ALTM.MAC and
MENU.MAC).

?.DOC - the "primary" merge documents.  In this case, the
"?" represents the numbers "1" through "20" inclusive.  All
told, there are twenty (20) separate document files.

README.NOW - which, of course, is what you're reading right
now.

Each file has a purpose, so don't <DELETE> any of them (even if
you don't expect to use some of them).

While the demo will work fine if you'd prefer to run it off a
floppy disk, I nevertheless suggest you begin by placing all
these files into a subdirectory on your hard disk named "GPS." 
The DOS command:
COPY A:*.* C:\GPS

will do nicely (assuming you've already created a subdirectory
named "C:\GPS").

By way of elaboration, I put all my data (word processing files,
spreadsheet files, etc.) in a subdirectory I have named "WORK." 
To help organize the stuff more, I have created subdirectories
within that subdirectory.  In this scheme of things, I've put all
the GPS stuff in a subdirectory with a full pathname of
"C:\WORK\GPS".  This is a suggestion - not a requirement.  GPS
should work anywhere on your hard disk; it does, however, prefer
to work in its very own subdirectory (so try not to put anything
unrelated to the system in there with it!).  

The enclosed files will serve both as a demonstration and as a
template from which you may build your own practice system in
WordPerfect 4.2.DEMONSTRATION AND TUTORIAL

I suggest you plan to run this demo at least twice.  Once just to
watch it work and the second (and subsequent times) to see what's
really going on.  To run the demonstration:

Load up WordPerfect and move into the GPS subdirectory.

[NOTE: From here on out, first-time users
should read only the "main points" starting
(as the above paragraph does) with arabic
numerals; the COMMENTARIES and other stuff
under the "main points" are explanatory
materials you'll appreciate later - but, for
now, let's just get the thing running....]

. . . . . . . . . .

Once you see WordPerfect's "clean screen", press <ALT+M> to
view the GPS menu.  NOTE:  the <ALT+M> command will always
(well, almost "always") bring you this Main Menu.  So when
in doubt - or whenever you're looking at a blank screen -
try mashing <ALT+M> to get a clue about what you should do
next.  Remember, "M for Menu!"

. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  Actually, <ALT+M> is a macro which resides in
the \GPS subdirectory - it's not some magic coding change
I've made to WordPerfect itself.

<ALT+M> invokes WordPerfect's MERGE function in which the
file "MENU.1ST" is the "primary file"; and, in this case,
there is no secondary file.

After you've quit running GPS, you might want to take a look
at MENU.1ST (simply by using WordPerfect to "Retrieve" it
from the subdirectory).  In this document, you'll find:

	the Menu text (which appears on the screen while GPS is
running) between the ^O markers;

	a ^C command near the bottom of the text to pluck off
the user's keyboard response; and,

	the MERGE command to run a macro which has as its

		first character(s), the keys pressed by the user;
and,
		last four (4) characters the letters "MENU."This <ALT+M> macro and the file MENU.1ST is really the
trickiest part of the whole GPS system.  Once you understand
it, you can consider yourself an advanced WordPerfect
user/programmer.

Press "<I>" and then <enter>" in response to the "Your
Choice ==> " prompt at the bottom of the Menu Screen.  This
will let you enter information about a new case.

Answer the next series of questions quickly (accuracy won't
be too important for the moment - this is a demo, not a
final exam!) and don't forget to press <F9> when you finish
typing your response to each question (ie, DON'T use the
<enter> key!)

When finished with the questions, you'll be prompted for a
File Number; please respond by typing "1234" and "<enter>";
the system will return to the Main GPS Menu.

. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  Actually, this <I> response runs the macro
named "IMENU.MAC."

IMENU.MAC clears the screen and then runs WordPerfect's
MERGE function in which INPUT.MVL is the primary file and
there is no secondary merge file.  [In case you were
wondering why I used the "MVL" extension, it stands for
<M>erge <V>ariable <L>ist.]

After you've quit running GPS, you might want to take a look
at INPUT.MVL (you will find this by using WordPerfect to
"Retrieve" it from the subdirectory).  You'll find this:

Enter Seller's Name            [then press F9]
Enter Seller's Street          [then press F9]
Enter Seller's City, ST ZIP    [then press F9]
Enter Buyer's Name             [then press F9]
Enter Buyer's Street           [then press F9]
Enter Buyer's City, ST  ZIP    [then press F9]
Enter Purchase Price           [then press F9]
Enter Closing Date             [then press F9]
Enter Broker's Name            [then press F9]
Enter Broker's Street          [then press F9]
Enter Broker's City, ST  ZIP   [then press F9]
Enter Lender's Name            [then press F9]
Enter Lender's Street          [then press F9]
Enter Lender's City, ST  ZIP   [then press F9]
Enter Amount of New Loan       [then press F9]
INPUTOUT

	When making your own practice systems, you will simply
replace the above described bold-printed (sample)
prompts with your own prompts.  As far as I can tell,
there's no limit on the number of "questions" you can
ask.  But do try to restrain yourself, however.  What
you want here are your system-wide "global" variables
(ie, the ones which occur within several of the
documents you'll be placing in the system - or which
occur several times within one document in the system). 
Remember that WordPerfect has another way to pluck off
the "unique" (ie, "once-in-a-system") variable(s) you
may put in an individual document; more about that
later.  For the beginners to this system, this (and the
installation procedures listed below) is all you need
to know.  But if you just can't go to sleep tonight
without knowing how all this works, read on....

	The "[then press F9]" part of the prompt is there
simply to give your operator a clue to use the <F9> key
instead of the <enter> key when s/he has finished
answering the question.  WordPerfect requires <F9> as
the keystroke to end a merge field (when merging, the
more familiar <enter> key has a separate function
altogether...).

	Remember that WordPerfect's MERGE function will display
the stuff between the ^O codes at the bottom of the
screen as an "input prompt."  These won't show up later
or affect the running of the system in any other way.

	And also remember that WordPerfect's MERGE function
uses the ^C code for "<C>onsole input"; in English,
this means "operator to type something here ==>!"

	The ^V^R^V is a funny combination of stuff, too.  The
^V is a "switched mask" in which everything between the
first ^V and the next ^V is left alone during the MERGE
operation (the first ^V switches this function "ON"
while the second ^V switches it off - the "meat between
the bread" gets left alone).  The net effect of the
^V^R^V here is to pass the ^R (ie, the "meat") through
the MERGE process.  Just inspect the results of this
process by looking at the secondary MERGE file this
process produces - you'll see why this is important.

	Finally, there's the ^GINPUTOUT^G statement.  This is a
command to run a macro called INPUTOUT.  This one is
the most complex macro in the system and its job is to:

		Prompt the operator for a file number;
		Save the "answers" the operator has entered to the
questions presented in the file number specified;
		Clear the screen; and,
		Return to the Menu.

This ain't as easy as it sounds (it does sound easy,
doesn't it?).  If you really want to know what it does,
you may inspect every keystroke in it with the Macro
Editor program (which is bundled in the WordPerfect
Library offering).

And so that's how WordPerfect can be trained to extract
information and then plunk it into a user-named secondary
file which is ready to MERGE with any (properly configured)
primary document you may create.  Frankly, the process is a
little crude (messy screens, no error-trapping of the user's
keyboard responses, etc.);  the remarkable thing about it is
not that WordPerfect doesn't do this well - the incredible
thing is that it does it at all!  [Does anyone remember Dr.
Johnson's dog?]  If you want to improve this process, try
using the NOTEBOOK program in WordPerfect's Library system
(or, even better from the user's standpoint, write your own
computer program [al a' my RESPA Resolver]).


All this gets us back to the Menu.

If you're not there for some reason, press <ALT+M>.

. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  From here you can:

	Get a <D>irectory of the files you've created.

This is another macro (named "DMENU.MAC") which prompts
WordPerfect's directory to give a list of the files in
the GPS subdirectory which have no extensions (ie a DIR
of *. filenames); note that all the system files have
extensions, so everything without an extension must be
stuff the operator has added to the directory (ie, the
merge information for your cases).  Moral: don't screw
up this system by using extensions on your operator-
inputted filenames!

	<E>dit the responses you previously inputted.

This macro does nothing more than call up a previously
created secondary "client data" file so that your
operator can use WordPerfect to edit and then re-save
it.  By now, you should have guessed (1) this was done
with a macro and (2) the macro's name.

<C>lear the screen, so you can get out of the MERGE
system and use WordPerfect to do whatever you'd like
while remaining in the C:\WORK\GPS subdirectory (or
whatever subdirectory you're in).  Ditto on what does
this magic....

<R>eturn to the previous directory.  For example, if
the full pathname of your "active" directory is
C:\WORK\GPS, running this command will move you to the
next subdirectory "up" in the DOS tree (ie, C:\WORK). 
Ditto, again.

<Q>uit to DOS.  Actually, this will take you out of
WordPerfect but, depending on how you've set up your
system, not necessarily back to the C> DOS prompt.  If
you're using the Library system, you'll probably wind
up back at its Menu.  Ditto, again.

Press <1> and <enter> to prepare the sample "Buyer's
Employment Letter."

In response to WordPerfect's "Secondary File?" prompt, type
in your recently typed file's number, 1234<enter>.

NOTE:  If you want to try using some data I've pre-prepared
for you (instead of using your earlier responses), type
DEMO<enter>.
. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  Now we're into a new type of system.  The macro
in this case is 1MENU.MAC and it begins a MERGE in which a
document named "1.DOC" is the primary document.

Then the macro pauses in response to WordPerfect's
"Secondary File?" prompt.  Here's where you enter the number
of the file you wish to use as your merge variables
("secondary file", in WordPerfectese).  Once you enter this,
the macro continues by beginning the actual MERGE process.


Type "John<F9>" in response to the prompt "Salutation" which
appears at the bottom of the screen - and remember not to
use the <enter> button (we're merging!).

Note that this "salutation" is a piece of information which
you haven't previously entered into WordPerfect.  While
you're looking around, also note that the Buyer's Name and
Address somehow got put into this letter without you doing
anything.  Such is the magic of merging....

. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  Now we're adding "unique variables on-the-fly"
while the "global variables" (which we put into the
secondary file named [in this case] 1234) are placed
automatically in the document via the MERGE function.  To
see how this is done, you'd better look at the primary
document 1.DOC.  The secret is in the line,

Dear Salutation,Dear Salutation,

If you don't understand what this does, please go review the
WordPerfect 4.x User's Manual on page Merge-41.

Also please remember that you could run another macro at the
end of this merging process.  Why would you do that?  Maybe
to force the operator to print the letter when it's finished
merging, or to save it in a Correspondence Log (or in a
"work-in-progress" subdirectory), or to go to the Library's
Calendar program to log up a "Reply Expected" date, or to
return to the Main Menu, or ....

Press <ALT+M> to get back to the Main Menu.

. . . . . . . . . .

Now, just to show off - and to demonstrate the speed of
document production once you've set up the merging process,
print the Seller's Employment Letter (by pressing 2<enter>,
of course).

Note that this system can do this same dance with a total of
20 documents (even though I've only really given you the
first two as practice samples [and the rest of the documents
are only dummies]).

. . . . . . . . . .

COMMENTARY:  By now, you should have figured out how this
works.  When you select #1 from the Menu, you're actually
doing a MERGE in which a file called 1.DOC is the primary
document and the user's keyboard reply determines the
filename of the secondary document (remember that the
filename is the user's file number in this system).

And when you select #2 from the Menu, you're actually doing
a MERGE in which a file called 2.DOCis the primary document
(and, of course, the user's keyboard reply again determines
the filename of the secondary document).

Select #3 from the Menu and you get 3.DOC as the primary
MERGE document, #4 gets you 4.DOC, etc.  Pretty simple, huh?





END OF DEMONSTRATION - TUTORIALINSTALLATION PROCEDURE


Please follow these five steps to convert my generic sample
system to your practice:

STEP ONE - Hard Disk Setup

make a new subdirectory on your hard disk into which
you will later place your new running system.  In this
regard, I suggest (but do not require) that:

		all your work be in an area whose full pathname is
C:\WORK (keep programs such as WordPerfect and all
other stuff out of this area - consider this space
yours alone and you'll find daily hard disk
BACKUPs to be a little easier to do...);
		your practice systems be in subdirectories located
below \WORK; and,
		you assign these subdirectories very short names
(ie, so that the full pathname of a Residential
Closings system might be named C:\WORK\RC).

Copy everything from this GPS system into the new
subdirectory.

STEP TWO - Forms Creation

	Determine what practice area in your office you wish to
systemize first;

[Suggestion: try something relatively simple which
requires many separate documents into which essentially
the same information is placed.  Typical examples of
"simple multi-document systems" include corporate
formations, debt collections, and (perhaps) residential
real estate closings.]

Collect all the forms you routinely use in this
practice area.  When determining whether to include a
form in the system, remember The 10% Rule (ie, if you
use the form less than 10% of the time, don't include
it).  The object is to keep your system simple and easy
for others to use, not to create an "All the Law That's
Fit to Print" behemoth that no one but you can fathom;

	Spend some time re-writing these forms to make them
more "generic" and structurally consistent.  Use the
same margins, pitch and font settings throughout (set
all these parameters at the beginning of the document -
don't rely on the WordPerfect system defaults [some
clown may change them...]).  And try using "hereinafter
referred to in the neuter singular as 'the GRANTOR'"
instead of the number-and-gender-specific "Party of the
First Part", etc.  In sixteen years of law practice,
I've never had a client complain about this little
literary "trip to the vet."  In other words: CLEAN UP
YOUR DAMN FORMS BEFORE YOU COMMIT THEM TO A SYSTEM!! 
The more time you spend doing this, the happier you and
your staff will be with the results of your joint
labors.  'Nuff said....

	Organize your "cleaned and preened" forms into some
kind of progression or other logical order and then
rename them accordingly as 1.DOC, 2.DOC, 3.DOC, 4.DOC, 
etc.; 

Copy your "cleaned and preened" forms into the new
subdirectory (NOTE: the copy process will "over-write"
the sample and dummy forms I've placed in the
collection of GPS files - that's fine!).

STEP THREE - Create Your Main Menu

Retrieve MENU.1ST as a standard WordPerfect document
and then change the prompts in it so that they
appropriately identify what your newly organized and
renamed documents are.  Save this edited document
(which will replace my sample system with your
efforts).

STEP FOUR - Establish Global Variables List

Identify the items of information which appear more
than once throughout your collection of forms (ie, more
than once in one document or more than once throughout
your entire collection of forms).  These are your
"global variables."  Maintain a list of them as you
review and edit your collection of forms; and,

	Organize your "global variables" and then insert them
into my INPUT.MVL file, overwriting (using
WordPerfect's "typeover" feature) the sample data I've
put there.

STEP FIVE - Put Variable Names into Forms

	Go back over each form you have stored in the system:

		make the "global" variables called for in each
document "point to" the appropriate "global"
variable you've created in your edited INPUT.MVL
file (ie, make sure that ^F1 in the secondary
document really corresponds with the ^F1 you've
put in your primary (form) documents);

		if you want the date automatically added to your
documents, use the ^D feature; and,

		whenever you encounter a "unique variable" in a
form, change it in your document so that it works
like the Dear Salutation, example in my
sample 1.DOC.

	Run the system and see how it works!

	Re-read the Shareware Pitch at the beginning of this
document.  Won't you please consider:

		registering your use of this system and sending in
the requested $25.00; and,

		sending me a copy of what you've developed with
this system (or any modifications you've made to
it)?



	THANKS!!

		Richard T. (Rick) Rodgers
		P. O. Box 1027
		Buies Creek, NC  27506-1027
		voice -(919)-893-4111 (ext. 2551)
		data -(919)-893-5206 (300/1200bps, 8 bit word
length, 1 stop, no parity)


<END>                                                                                                                     