You can manage documents under Matters, Projects, and Contacts. Managing your artifacts such as documents, email, and email attachments is easy. Under any project, matter or contact record is a Docs tab. 

Use the “My Data Icon” to toggle the list to display records belonging to you. Otherwise, the list defaults to displaying all records you are privy to. You can group records by Type, Staff, or Date. Filter and search with search highlighting.

1. To generate a document from a template click Generate. 
2. To uploads one or more documents click upload.
3. To view or download a document double-click any item in the list. 

The image below depicts the Docs tab of the selected Matter Record.

Local Search

You can perform documents searches from any project, matter, or contact record’s Docs Tab.

To access a record’s documents and files click the Docs Tab.

When you enter a search term the search is performed across all the record’s associated documents.

Records are grouped and sorted by Date, Staff, Client, and Type. You can perform Implicit, Boolean and Logical Nots, Wild-card, Near Word, Sound Like, and Fuzzy searches. The image below depicts a matter’s Docs Tab. 

Global Search

You can perform documents searches from the application’s Global Search panel.

The image below depicts the Global search panel. To access Global Search click the Global Search Field in the upper right-hand corner of the HoudiniEsq Desktop.

When you enter a search term the search is performed across all of your data.

Records are grouped and sorted by their parent record type. Contacts, Matter, Docs, Events, Email, Expenses, Records+, Invoices, Todos, and Notes.

The Docs tab of the Global Search Panel has a Advanced tab on the right hand side of the panel. You can perform Implicit, Boolean and Logical Nots, Wild-card, Near Word, Sound Like, and Fuzzy searches.

Sharing and Receiving Documents

The Client Portal and Intake Forms support the ability to securely share and receive documents with clients and parties. You get to define what is visible and for how long. For more info see the Client Portal Tutorial or the Intake Forms Tutorial

Viewing Documents and Details

To view a document Double Click any record in the Doc’s Tab List. 

To view or edit document details click the Details Tab on the left-hand side of the document to review or edit its details. 

When done click the Save button or the (X) icon in the upper right-hand corner of the document to return to the list.

IMPORTANT Only PDF files are viewable in the interface. Word files are downloaded and opened in MS Office.

Documents can be uploaded, generated, grouped, filtered, searched, edited and viewed from any project, matter, or contact record. Including Word, Office365, Acrobat, and Outlook. For more information on the Free HoudiniEsq Plugins see the HoudiniEsq Downloads Page

Mobile Document Access

To view a document on your mobile phone use the public URL you use to log in remotely or via the cloud. The mobile interface will load automatically. Navigate to the project, matter or contact record. Tap the menu icon in the upper right-hand side of the App. Click the Docs icon to reveal the list. Double Click any record to view the file.

IMPORTANT Only PDF files are viewable in the interface. Word files are downloaded and opened in MS Office.

Exhibiting Documents

In order to exhibit a document you must assign it an exhibit number. To do so open the document as explained above and open the Details Tab. Assign an Exhibit Number. To view the Exhibits list you can click the Exhibit Button in the Details Tab or you can click the Exhibits Icon on the project or matter form.

Viewing Exhibit List

Document Templates

In order to generate documents a document template is required. A document template is created in the OpenDocument format e.g ODT file extension. MS Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and WordPerfect support the OpenDocument format.

You can work with your documents from the programs you use everyday. HoudiniEsq supports creating and generating documents and templates from in MS Word, Office365, and WordPerfect.

Templates are created by including HoudiniEsq Data Merge Tokens into the document. The image below illustrates a document template being edited in MS Office.

Converting Document Templates

To create a template from an existing document simply save the existing document in MS Word as an ODT (OpenDocument) file. Insert HoudiniEsq Data Merge Field Tokens via MS Word or manually via the HoudiniEsq Data Merge Field Reference (as described below) into the document template in the appropriate places and upload the template into HoudiniEsq as described in Uploading Document Templates tutorial below.

Data Merge Fields Reference

The data merge field tokens can be accessed from within MS Word via the Free HoudiniEsq plugin for Word. You can also view data merge field tokens and drop them into 3rd party document editors such as WordPerfect, Office365, LibreOffice or OpenOffice.

To begin, click the Generate button to open the Document Template panel.

Click the Advanced button to expose the advanced options. Click the Field Token Reference button to reveal the Field Token options.

To lookup a Data Merge Field Token

1. Select the Table e.g. Matter, Contact, etc,.

2. Select the Record Type the Custom Field was assigned and optionally the Subtype. The List of Fields Dropdown field will populate with the friendly Field Name. Select the Field to reveal its Token Value which is displayed in the Field Token field.

Uploading Document Templates

The HoudiniEsq add-ons and plugins for Word, and WordPerfect can be used to save and upload templates in to HoudiniEsq.

You can also upload templates in HoudiniEsq directly by clicking Generate to open the Template Panel then click the Advanced to expose the Advanced options, then click the Manage Templates button to reveal the list of templates in the system.

To add a new template to the system manually, that is, not using the free Word or WordPerfect plugins click the Upload button to place the Document Templates form into Upload Mode.

The image below depicts the Document Templates Form in Upload Mode. To upload one or more document templates do the following.

1. Click the Add templates button to make your local file selections. 

2. Select a Document type from the dropdown field.

3. Click the Upload button.

Generating Documents

To generate one or more documents click the Generate button in the upper right-hand corner of the Docs Tab to open the Document Templates Panel.

Select the type of Template to list by selecting a type from the Template Type Dropdown field. Select one or more document templates.

Click the PDF or DOC button to generate the required documents.

Generated documents are listed under the Docs Tab of the open record and are full text indexed.

IMPORTANT The Document Templates panel does not close after generating documents. Instead, the panel stays open so you may continue to generate documents. When you are finished click the Done button to close the panel.

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