Exari PowerAuthor
Template and logic authoring
Designed for non-technical authors
Business Analysts or Lawyers can create and maintain automated documents without IT assistance or programming / scripting skills.
Tagless editing of document text
Word-like WSIWYG editing allows authors to create, edit and maintain document content without any exposure to XML tags.
Import / export / share clauses, etc
Clauses and other modules of content can be exported, shared and imported into other templates, for easier setup and maintenance.
Simple forms to set up logic
Authors easily create most logic by completing simple forms, for example, Topic, Question, User Prompts, etc.
Control topic and question order
Template authors can over-ride the automatic ordering of topics and questions in the web interview, by manually setting the order/priority
Spellchecking in PowerAuthor
PowerAuthor now supports spell-checking of templates, both for document text and questions/logic.
Simple mouse-click to insert variables, etc
Variables and other logic can be inserted or applied by choosing from a drop-down menu of available logic
Keyboard shortcuts to insert variables, etc
Variables and other logic can also be inserted or applied using keyboard shortcuts
Table and image support
Tables and images can be inserted in a variety of common formats, including custom logos, etc, in headers / footers
Smart list handling
Exari's smart list handling has now been extended from multi-paragraph lists, to apply also to items listed inline within a single paragraph. For example, the "and" will always appear in the right place no matter which countries are listed in the sentence "This warranty is valid in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Japan."
Optional tree-view shows document structure
A tree-view can be used to view document structure, giving authors clarity and control over how logic is setup and applied
Document structure simplifies logic authoring
The natural structure of an XML template lets authors handle nested logic without the need for complex "IF, THEN" scripting
Can support arbitrary XML document types
Template and output documents can be setup using general purpose, industry standard, or customer-defined XML doc types
Client-side Java application
Runs on Windows, Mac and other desktops
Web-based "Test Mode" for Authors
An optional "Test Mode" now lets template authors view detailed Variable and Condition names during the web interview, for faster and more robust testing of new or modified templates.
Document assembly logic
Use Variables to insert variable text
Authors define and use Variables to insert variable text for unique things like names, addresses, prices, projects, etc
Use Conditions to include / exclude optional clauses, etc
Authors define and use Conditions to mark optional clauses, sections, etc, for inclusion or exclusion from a final document
Use Repeats to gather / use repeating data X times over
Authors define and use Repeats to enter repeating rows or paragraphs of data multiple times (X times over, or incrementally)
User Text Questions
Authors use these to gather unique answers / data as free text from the end user
Multiple Choice Questions
Authors use these to present end users with a choice of one, many or none from a picklist of Author-defined options
Complex Conditions
Simple wizards help Authors to define complex Conditions based on several different answers, for example "X and Y and Z"
Calculations
Intermediate Authors can use Calculations to define new Variables or Conditions based on mathematical and other functions
Smart function library simplifies complex automation tasks
Authoring of complex logic is dramatically simplified by a library of smart functions, for example, converting a number to words, calculating a date 30 days after today, checking that one date comes after another, sorting a list of items alphabetically, and more.
Database Queries
Advanced Authors can use these to gather answers / data from existing data sources
Flexible Datatype model prevents invalid answers
Authors can specify datatypes for Variables, to validate answers as dates, dollar amounts, numbers, or an extensible list of other types
