Summary
There is a new look to the Document Editor. But don't be alarmed, it has the same functions and features as the previous one did. By the time you finish with this article, you will have received the tools necessary to create amazing documents for your office and your patients.
Where is the Document Editor?
The Document Editor can be accessed by selecting the Home Dropdown Menu and looking under the Letters/Forms section.
Where do I find what to do in the Document Editor?
After selecting the Document Editor from the menu, the next screen should look like the one below.
Across the top there are a series of tabs, the first of which is called File.
File Tab
Under the File tab we can create new documents, Open existing documents, Import .rtf files, Export a document, Print, Delete, and Restore a Document.
Under the File Tab, when selecting the dropdown menu next to New, the following list of choices appear.
It is important to select the correct type of letter you are creating, as after it is created as a New Letter, it cannot be changed into a New Email. Know how you are going to use it, and choose accordingly.
The next option under the File Tab is the Open option. After a document has been created and saved in the Document Editor, this is where you will go to select it for use in the future. When selected, a document list similar to the one below will be displayed:
From this list you will select which document you need to access by highlighting it and selecting the Open button at the bottom right corner.
The document will now be displayed on the screen, and you can make corrections or adjustment to it as necessary. This is where the majority of your work in the Document Editor will take place.
Still under the File Tab, but next to the Open button, you will see the options for Save, and Save As. Always make sure to save your work, as power and internet interruptions could ruin hours of hard work. The first time you save the document, use a Save As, which will provide you the opportunity to name the document. After that first time, you will use the Save function, unless you have made sufficient changes to the document to warrant calling it by a different name. Neither of these buttons are available until you have made a change in the document. When a change has been made, the ability to save it again allows both buttons to no longer be greyed out.
To the right of the Save As feature, you will notice the self-explanatory option of Import and Export. One allows you to bring a Rich Text File (.rtf) into the Document Editor. Also, the Export option allows you to save an .rtf file on your computer as a backup if you so desire.
The Print button will allow you to print a copy of the document you have made in order to review how it looks prior to putting it into use.
When you select the Delete button, a list of documents will appear, as illustrated below.
Select the document you wish to delete and choose the Delete button at the bottom right of the screen. This document will no longer appear in your list of available documents to choose from.
The final option under the File Tab is the Restore button. Since a document is never fully deleted from the Document Editor, it can be replaced on the list of documents to choose from just as easily as it was deleted. Select the Restore button, and the following screen will appear.
This is a list of the documents that have previously been deleted. Select the one you want to appear in the list of possible selections and choose the restore button at the bottom right of the screen.
Home Tab
This tab consists of most of the main things you would expect to see in a Word-type program. The options to Cut, Copy and Paste, select the Font Type and Size, set the font color, etc are all here for your use. But I would like to call your attention to the item in that header bar circled below.
This is how we highlight font within the document.
1. Left click and drag your mouse over the text that you want to have highlighted.
2. Select the dropdown next to the box circled in the image above. Your screen will look like this.
3. From the vertical color bar, move the indicator box up until you get into the yellow shaded area.
4. In the upper left corner, where the circled area is shown, click and drag that to move over the exact shade of yellow that you want to use for your highlighting.
5. Once you have hovered over the shade you want, it will appear in the box on the upper right corner.
6. When it does, select OK at the bottom of the page. The text that you highlighted will now appear highlighted.
7. Notice that the color box next to the dropdown back in the Document is now shaded for that color (yellow) that you selected. You do not have to repeat all of these steps each time. Simply left click and drag your mouse over the area you want highlighted and click the yellow box. The selected area will become the highlighted area.
Insert Tab
The insert tab contains options to insert tables, pictures, bookmarks, hyperlinks, Headers, Footers, Page Numbers and Text Boxes.
Tables: When you select the table button, you will be presented with a screen that asks you to define the table parameters by number of columns and number of rows. Select the options you need for your table, and press ok. A table with your defined number of rows will be inserted into the document. When inside a table, you will be presented with two additional tabs on the toolbar, one for Design and one for Layout. These can be utilized to set the criteria for each cell within the table. The Design tab includes Table Style Options, colors, and borders. The Layout tab includes options to view gridlines, delete cells, columns, rows or entire tables, or insert cells, columns, rows or tables. There are also options for splitting cells if there is additional information that you need to add that you were unaware of when you began work on the table, as well as an option to merge cells if necessary. You can also determine the alignment of text or images within each cell.
Pictures: When you select the picture option, a screen will open up where you can access any images stored on your computer, and you can add those into any cell of the table. Images should always be entered into the document within a cell. This protects the integrity of the information within the cell from moving around to unwanted places when other text gets added.
Bookmarks: Select the Bookmark option and you will see a screen that allows you to name the Bookmark.
Hyperlink: Select this option to be greeted by another screen which allows you to add a url and text that should appear over the Hyperlink, select where to place it, or a hyperlink to an email address.
Header: This will open up an area on the document in which you can add a table and insert an image (logo) into the Header of your Document. It also opens up another tab called Header/Footer which provides additional options specific to the Header and Footer. For more detailed information on adding Headers and Footers to a document, read this Article: Adding a Header and Footer to a Document
Footer: Functions the same as the Header. This is predominantly used for address and phone contact information for your location(s).
Page Layout Tab
This tab contains the normal word-type options that include Margins, Orientation, Size, Columns, and Page Breaks.
Merge Fields Tab
Below you will see the exploded view, under the Merge Field tab, for the appointment options. Each merge field you can select is grouped under one of the available tabs, which are Appointment, Dentist, Financial Insurance, Financial Responsible, General, Patient, Prescription, Recall, Recipient, Referral, Treatment, and Treatment Plan.
View Tab
The view tab allows you to customize your view while in the Document Editor by selecting the Simple View or the Print Layout View, show or not show the horizontal ruler, and adjust your screen to a Full Screen view. Exiting out of the Full Screen view is done by selecting the Esc button on your keyboard.
Conclusion
This article was designed to provide you with a basic understanding of what the Document Editor is capable of providing you. In addition to learning this information, there are other articles that will go more in-depth for creating the documents you need for your practice.
As always, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Cloud 9 Support by emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com, or chatting us online using the chat bubble on the lower right at https://cloud9support.planetdds.com/hc/en-us, or giving us a call during our business hours of 8:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST at the 1.800.394.6050 option 2.