A2J Author Blog

Training Announcement for July-September

A2J Author New User Training for HotDocs Users
Date: July 22nd
Time: 11:00 am-12:30 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Description: This training is designed for those have some limited HotDocs experience. The training will cover basic functionalities of A2J Author necessary to get you started in drafting A2J Guided Interviews.

Register for the New User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/443773933

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A2J Author Intermediate User Training
Date: September 16th
Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Description: This training will cover how to construct Repeat Dialogs and will review a number of advanced functions.

Register for the Intermediate User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/432341786

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A2J Author Advanced Training, June 26, 1:00 - 2:00pm

A2J Author Advanced Training

Date: June 26th

Time: 11:00 am-12:00 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern

Description: To Be Determined.

Register for the A2J Author Advanced Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/526413585

A2J Author Developer Call - June 16, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (CDT)

A2J Author Developer Call

Date: June 16th

Time: 10:00 am-11:00 pm Pacific / 12:00 pm- 1:00 pm Central / 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern

Description: This developer call will discuss "best practices" used to successfully develop A2J interviews. Standardized language, types of questions that fit best at the beginning and end of interviews, amount of text used in each question, and how to successfully approach working on A2J interviews will be highlighted during this session.

Presenters:
Bob Aubin, Northcom Associates, LLC
Carol Austin, Ohio Pro Bono Law Ontario
Kate Bladow, Pro Bono Net

Register for the A2J Author Developer Call here:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/653944696

Innovative Uses of A2J Author Training

DOC 130: Innovative Uses of A2J Author Training

Date: April 8th

Time: 11:00 am-12:30 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Description: Originally an application designed to create pretty web interfaces (A2J Guided Interviews) for document assembly, A2J Author is now being used to solve a host of justice web issues. This training will introduce executive directors and managers to the potential of A2J Author to facilitate remote online intake, train pro bono advocates or the public on substantive law, and guide other end users to useful resources.

Presenters:
Rachel Medina, LSNTAP
Cynthia Vaughn, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
Avrom D. Sickel, Family Court Self-Help Center Branch Chief, D.C. Superior Court

Register for the Innovative Uses of A2J Author Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/463973932

Developer Call

A2J Author Developer Call - April 7, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (CDT)

This developer call will cover the information from the call that was initially scheduled for 3/31/09. We will discuss the planned improvements for A2J Author 4.0., which includes enlarged text size and audio controls for members of the senior community and people with limited literacy. We will also talk about the "save & exit" and the "send feedback" capabilities.

If there is something you would like to see on the agenda for this call, please contact us at a2j-author@kentlaw.edu!

Developer Call

A2J Author Developer Call - March 31, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (CDT)

We will discuss the planned improvements for A2J Author 4.0., which includes enlarged text size and audio controls for members of the senior community and people with limited literacy. We will also talk about the "save & exit" and the "send feedback" capabilities.

If there is something you would like to see on the agenda for this call, please contact us at a2j-author@kentlaw.edu!

Training Announcement for February and March

A2J Author New User Training
Date: February 27th
Time: 11:00 am-12:30 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Description: This training is designed for those who are new to document assembly and little or no HotDocs experience. We will cover the basics of how A2J Author and HotDocs work together. In addition we will cover a few basic functions of the A2J Author software, including how to import variables from HotDocs and design basic questions.

Register for the New User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/182160235

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A2J Author Intermediate User Training
Date: March 6th
Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Central / 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern

Description: This training will review the various field and variable types and how they correspond with HotDocs, with special emphasis on drop-down multiple choice lists. In addition, a number of special functions will be reviewed, including the HASANSWERED function and the pronoun functions. We will also explore Repeat Dialogs as time permits.

Register for the Intermediate User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/800465877

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Updated Contact Information for A2J Author Project

Hello to All,

Due to some personal family circumstances, my husband and I have just recently relocated to Southern California. It is with mixed emotions that I make this announcement. Of course, there are plenty of reasons to be happy about living in Southern California -especially during the winter. But I am somewhat sad to be leaving the cocoon of law school and the Center for Access to Justice & Technology in Chicago. I learned so much during my tenure as the A2J Author Project Manager and met so many wonderful people.

You may now be wondering what I will be doing in California and who do you call when you have a question about A2J Author.

I have just recently accepted a position with LSNTAP as their new Training Coordinator. I am very excited to be joining the group at LSNTAP. I look forward to staying in a role that allows me to assist the legal aid community that I have grown so fond of over the past couple years and hope to stay in touch with many of those that I met through the A2J Author project.

With respect to the A2J Author project, I will continue to assist Professor Ron Staudt for a period of time as an A2J Author Project Consultant. However, as roles will be changing slightly, I would like to update you with the appropriate contact information should you have questions on A2J Author matters. The contact information listed below will be posted to the A2J Author blog for future reference as well.

If you have a highly technical question regarding implementation of XSL Transforms for A2J Author online intake tools, you may contact:

John Mayer
Executive Director
CALI
312-906-5307, jmayer@cali.org

If you have a question regarding the development of A2J Author-related grant projects or court implementation of A2J Author, you may contact:

Ron Staudt
Professor and Director of the Center for Access to Justice & Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
312-906-5326, rstaudt@kentlaw.edu

If you have a general question regarding how to use the A2J Author software or a slightly technical authoring question, please consider the following resources:

1. Online training videos and materials located on www.a2jauthor.org;

2. A2J Authoring Guide, also located on www.a2jauthor.org; or,

3. Document assembly listserv - docassembly@lists.lsntap.org.

If you have questions regarding upcoming A2J Author trainings or have a general question about the software, you may send your inquiries to either: a2j-author@kentlaw.edu or rmedina@kentlaw.edu. Or, you may call and leave a message at the general number for the A2J Author Project: 312-906-5331.

My new contact information for LSNTAP is as follows:

Rachel R. Medina
Training Coordinator
Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP)
951-665-6020
Rachel@lsntap.org

Best regards,

Trainings and Presenations available on A2JAuthor.org

Please visit the trainings and presenations page of A2JAuthor.org for the most up-to-date versions of our training materials. Our latest update includes:

- November 5th New User Training

- November 12th Advanced User Training

- November 21st NLADA Presentation

HotDocs Resources

Here are some helpful resources for those starting to use HotDocs

-- The NPADO Contributor Portal. You can download and freely copy the
scripting any of the hundreds of templates that your fellow legal
services HotDocs developers have uploaded to the NPADO server. You'll
need to go to www.npado.org and register as a template provider if you
have not done so already. Then once you are approved, login and click
on "Contributor Portal". You can search for specific words in the
template title and description to find templates in the practice area of
specific interest to you.

-- HotDocs Help. In HotDocs Pro 2008 help, search for "interview" and
you'll see several helpful topics such as "Overview: HotDocs
Interviews". HotDocs Help is particularly well-written and thorough.

-- HotDocs Knowledgebase. www.hotdocs.com/knowledgebase. Click on
"Developer Corner" and you'll see lots of articles on scripting.

**Thanks to Alan Soudakoff of Capstone Practice Systems for the information.**

SIGN UP FOR A2J AUTHOR TRAININGS

A2J Author New User Training - November 5th, 2:00 pm- 3:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Navigating A2J Author
*Adding, Inserting & Cloning Questions
*Designing Questions in A2J Author
*Review of Field Types and Variable Types
*Introduction to Functions

Register for the New User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/970383739

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A2J Author Advanced User Training - November 12th, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Review of Macros
*Review of Functions: "SUM," "ROUND," and "TRUNC"
*Repeat Dialogs

Register for the Advanced User Training here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/502015318

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Notice about Adobe Flash Player and A2J Author

Minimum requirements for A2J Author: A2J Author requires that at a minimum Adobe Flash Player version 8 is running from whatever internet browser program is being used. Thus, if you use both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, you need to make sure you are running the current version of Flash, or at least version 8 of Flash, with either internet browser. You should have no problem running A2J Author with a later version of the Flash Player installed. To determine what version of Flash you are running in each browser. Open the browser and go the following web address: http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/. The website will indicate what version you have installed.

Flash Player Version 8 Pervades the Market of Internet Users in the U.S.: It should be noted that Flash version 8 pervades roughly 98.9% of the market of users in the US/Canada. So, it is not likely that end-users will run into issues with running an A2J Guided Interview, as many internet users will most likely have upgraded to Flash version 8 in order to view various other sources on the internet. See http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html.

*Flash Player 9 Update 3, released on 12/4/2007, introduced H.264 video and HE-AAC audio playback, multi-core support, hardware scaling of HD quality full-screen video and component caching. Includes v9.0.115 and v9.0.124.

Recommendations: Despite the pervasiveness of Flash Player 8, we have received some reports of people not being upgraded to Flash version 8, thus encountering difficulty with running A2J Author. It is recommended that a notice be posted on your websites informing users that they must be running Flash version 8 in order to use A2J Author. This can quite easily be done by a brief statement to that effect and provision of a link to the Adobe Flash Player download site at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

Unique issue with Internet Explorer 7: It has also been noted that a unique problem has arisen with the use of Internet Explorer and Adobe Flash Player. A small percentage of users that have recently upgraded to Internet Explorer 7 have experienced a corruption of their Flash Player program files. The remedy is to uninstall Flash Player and then reinstall..

Rachel R. Medina
Manager
Center for Access to Justice & Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
rmedina@kentlaw.edu

Ph: (312) 906-5331

SIGN UP FOR A2J AUTHOR TRAININGS

A2J Author New User Training - September 11th, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Navigating A2J Author
*Adding, Inserting & Cloning Questions
*Designing Questions in A2J Author
*Review of Field Types and Variable Types
*Introduction to Functions

Register for the New User Training here:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/676912690

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A2J Author Advanced User Training - September 18th, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Review of Macros
*Review of Functions: "AGE," "DATE," and "TODAY"
*Repeat Dialogs
*Troubleshooting Conditions using the Script and Variables Window

Register for the Advanced User Training here:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/709564093

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Upcoming Trainings

Hello all,

This is just a note to update you regarding the schedule of upcoming A2J Author trainings.

While I will not be in attendance at the national HotDocs sessions in Idaho on September 15-16, I will be holding online trainings in close proximity to the HotDocs session --hopefully this will have the effect of helping you connect the dots between HotDocs and A2J Author.

*A New User Training intended for new users and those that would like a refresher on the basics is scheduled for September 11^th.

*An Advanced Training is scheduled for September 18^th.

Please watch your email and this blog for links to register for the training.

Best regards,

Rachel R MedinaManagerCenter for Access to Justice & TechnologyChicago-Kent College of Law
rmedina@kentlaw.edu

A2J Author 2.0 Survey

This survey was originally sent to the HotDocs user community in June. If you haven't had a chance to participate, we would still really appreciate your input!

Summer contacts for A2J Author

Hello A2J Author Community,

Please be advised that Rachel Medina will be out of the office until July 30th. In the event of a question or other issue during this time, please contact Professor Ron Staudt at (312) 906-5326 / rstaudt@kentlaw.edu OR Lauren Conway at (312) 906-5328 / lconway@kentlaw.edu.

Thanks and have a great summer!!

A quick reminder about multiple choice questions....

Radio button fields are meant to be used with multiple choice variables. And, in A2J Author, multiple choice means that you can provide the end user with multiple options, but that they can only select one of the options.

If you want to provide the end user with multiple options and the ability to select multiple choices, then you must use checkboxes which are defaulted to a true false variable setting. Thus, each checkbox is a true/false variable, where when selected the variable's value will be true and when unselected the variable's value will be false.

Please see the A2J Authoring Guide chapter on Variables (subheadings regarding multiple choice and true false variables) and the Creating Questions chapter (subheadings regarding checkbox and radio button fields).

Materials for Developers

As a follow-up to our recent Developer Call for 3.0, we have posted the following documents on the Community Website: Adjustable field space issues.doc, Requirements Doc-ShowMe-VideoDisplay.pdf; and, Requirements Doc-Single-MultiQuestionImport.pdf.

Please visit http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/311 to access the materials.

A2J Author Video Demonstrations

As highlighted in today's New User training, the following video demonstrations (listed throughout the online Authoring guide) are currently available to registered users of the A2J Author Community Website:

• Functions-AGE
• Go to the Creating Questions section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/268
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Functions-DATEandTODAY
• Go to the Creating Questions section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/268
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Interview Tab Demo
• Go to the Interview Tab section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/286
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Importing Variables Demo
• Go to the Variables section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/271
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Just-in-Time Learning Features
• Go to the Creating Questions section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/268
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Organizing Steps and Questions
• Go to the Steps Tab section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/274
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo
• Test Assembly Demo
• Go to the Preview Mode section http://www.a2jauthor.org/drupal/?q=node/278
• Select the attached .wmv file to view the demo

SIGN UP FOR A2J AUTHOR TRAININGS & DEVELOPER CALLS!

A2J Author New User Training - June 19th, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Navigating A2J Author
*Adding, Inserting & Cloning Questions
*Designing Questions in A2J Author
*Adding an Alternative Graphic
*Adding Conditions and Branching questions

Register for the New User Training here:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/259441504

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A2J Author Advanced User Training - June 20th, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm (CDT)

The Agenda for the session will be as follows:
*Repeat Dialogs
*Working with Multiple Choice and True/False Variables
*Writing Conditions in 2.0
*Working with the "A2J Step” Program Variable

Register for the Advanced User Training here:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/458855704

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A2J Author Developer Call - June 24th, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (CDT)

We will discuss recent bug fixes and enhancement requests to be incorporated into A2J Author 3.0. We will also review the new graphic and video features as well as the "save & exit" capability.

If there is something you would like to see on the agenda for this call, please contact us at a2j-author@kentlaw.edu!

Register for the Developer Call here:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/911890880

A2J Author Project Manager Schedule for May

Hi all,

I will be attending the Equal Justice Conference in Minneapolis next week. As you may have noticed from Kate Bladow’s recent e-mail, I will be joining a couple of panels at the conference to discuss unique ways in which A2J Author can be implemented in your program. On Wednesday, May 7^th at 1:30pm, I will join Debra Jennings, Judy Meadows, and Liz Keith to present “Lawyers Without Borders: Evolving Intake Systems and Models”; and, on Thursday, May 8^th at 2:00pm I will join Kate Bladow, Kathleen Brockel, and Alison Paul to present “Using Technology to Advance Your Mission: Challenges and Opportunities for the Up-to-Date Legal Aid Law Firm.” We hope you can join us! (A complete schedule for the conference is located at https://www.abanet.org/legalservices/ejc/agenda_2008.html.) I look forward to seeing many of you next week!

Following the conference, I will be out of the office for two weeks (May 12 through May 27) for finals and again for 2-3 weeks in July for the bar exam. Many of your questions on A2J Author can now be answered by consulting our new and improved online guide, and the downloadable training materials. You can find these tools at the A2J Author Community Website at www.a2jauthor.org. If you have trouble or issues regarding how to use the software also consider using either the hotdocs listserv (hotdocs@lists.lstech.org) or the forums on the A2J Author Community Website (often times others in the community have had the same question and can provide the help you need.)

If you have feedback on the software, bug reports or enhancement requests, please continue to forward your responses using the “Send Feedback” button in the A2J Author software, which guarantees that both the project manager and the developers of the software at CALI receive a copy of your comments. Alternatively, you may continue sending e-mails to rmedina@kentlaw.edu. I will respond as soon as practicable on my return.

If you have an emergency, you may contact Ron Staudt at rstaudt@kentlaw.edu.

Best regards,

Rachel

Rachel R. Medina
A2J Author Project Manager
Center for Access to Justice & Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
565 W. Adams Street, Suite 775
Chicago, IL 60661

www.kentlaw.edu/cajt
www.a2jauthor.org
rmedina@kentlaw.edu

Ph: (312) 906-5328
Fx: (312) 906-5165

Danger of opening 2.0 interviews in 1.5...

URGENT - A2J AUTHOR DEVELOPER CALL MOVED TO TUESDAY (TOMORROW)!

A2J AUTHOR 2.0 DEVELOPER CALL HAS BEEN MOVED UP TO TOMORROW!

The developer call was inadvertently scheduled for a time that conflicted with another conference call typically attended by members of the developer community. So we have moved the developer call up to tomorrow. The A2J Author Developer Call will discuss in more detail the new features and functions of A2J Author 2.0 and components of the A2J Author 2.0 Starter-Kit. We hope you can still attend. (If you are unable to attend the Developer Call tomorrow, you may want to sign up for one of the upcoming trainings to learn more about A2J Author 2.0.)

Developer Call:

Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 10:00 a.m. (CDT)

Register for the Developer Call here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/549827495

Sign Up for A2J Author Developer Call and Trainings

A2J AUTHOR 2.0 IS HERE!

What’s special about 2.0?
Several enhancements, many of which were suggested by A2J Author™ users, have been included in Version 2.0. While some of the improvements in 2.0 face the pro se users of the A2J Guided Interviews™, most of the improvements make the tool more efficient and easier for the authoring community to use.

New Features for the authors of A2J Guided Interviews™ include the ability to:

· set multiple variables in a single condition;

· round and truncate numbers;

· script macros for sign text and field labels;

· script functions in either lowercase or uppercase letters;

· add unlinked questions to an interview;

· add or insert automatically numbered questions without disturbing the existing numbering scheme; and,

· for replicated interviews, clear all audio file references if they do not apply to the current interview.

Developers will also find that it is much easier to move between screens in the program. Many other fixes and formatting changes will make authoring of A2J Guided Interviews more efficient for developers. Developers will be able to sort text and number lists making selection from a multiple choice list easier for the pro se user.

The most prominent new 2.0 feature aimed at the user is an alternative end graphic. This feature provides the developer the ability to exchange the traditional courthouse graphic for an alternative graphic designated by the author. With the increasing popularity of the program as a means to conduct online web intake, programs will now be able to designate a graphic more in tune with the purpose of the interview.

While we are very proud to get you version 2.0, we are already hard at work on version 3.0, which promises to eclipse any of the previous versions of the software. Version 3.0 will bring video and graphics into the A2J Author interface and will deliver the import question(s) function.

Want to learn more?
Attend the next A2J Author Developer Call! We will discuss in more detail the new features and functions of A2J Author 2.0 and components of the A2J Author 2.0 Starter-Kit.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 10:00 a.m. (CDT)
Register for the Developer Call here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/549827495

Ready to upgrade to 2.0?
A2J Author™ 2.0 can be downloaded at the following location: www.a2jauthor.org

Is the “national server” (NPADO) upgraded with 2.0?
YES. The National Public Automated Documents Online server has been upgraded with A2J Viewer 2.0, the viewer through which all of your A2J Guided Interviews will be launched on the web. Version 2.0 of the “Viewer” should not have any adverse effect on A2J Guided Interviews created in either A2J Author 2.0 or any previous version of A2J Author.

Please be ALERT to the following:
While the A2J Viewer has been tested on the development server, we do not know exactly which of the thousands of interviews uploaded to the national server are in production. It is impossible for us to test all “live” interviews on the production server. Therefore, as introduction of new software always presents some risks, we recommend that you take some time this week, or as soon as possible, to test run those interviews which are in production. It would be worth everyone’s peace of mind, and very helpful to us, to at least check those interviews that receive a lot of traffic. Please notify our office immediately if you notice any inconsistencies, by phone (312-906-5328) or email (a2j-author@kentlaw.edu). Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Interested in attending A2J Author 2.0 Training?
A number of training sessions have been scheduled for the next couple of weeks. Each training session will include a new user component and an advanced component. You are welcome to attend the entire session or the first or second half. Each session will be held at 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. (CST). The agenda for each session is as follows:

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (CST)
The first hour: New User Introduction to A2J Author 2.0

*Navigating A2J Author
*Adding, Inserting & Cloning Questions
*Designing Questions in A2J Author
*Adding an Alternative Graphic

1:00 p.m. – 1:05 p.m. (CST) 5-minute break

1:05 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST)
The second hour: “Stay after class” to learn advanced features

*Writing Conditions in 2.0
*Working with the "A2J Step” Program Variable
*Using Macros to Set Multiple Choice Labels
*Other New Features Q&A

SESSION #1 - April 9, 2008, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST) Go here to register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/371854498

SESSION #2 - April 11, 2008, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST) Go here to register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/798417812

SESSION #3 - April 15, 2008, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST) Go here to register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/986096089

SESSION #4 - April 16, 2008, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (CST) Go here to register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/764143830

CAJT Launches A2J Author 2.0