Each contact has a "role," such as inventor, employee, client, or company. For contacts that have relationships to entities, for example, inventors, employees, or paralegals, who are associated with clients or foreign associates, it would be nice to have the option to specify the contact's preferred contact information (mailing address, phone number, etc.) is the same as for the corresponding entity, maybe via check boxes next to these fields. Otherwise, when an entity moves, I have to change the addresses of all the people associated with that entity. I realize I could use the address, etc. fields for people to store only their personal contact information, but that defeats automatic generation of reporting letters, such as those that must be sent via paper (ex. original Letters Patent). It would also make it easier to be consistent in the way correspondence gets addressed. For example, it would avoid sending one contact's correspondence to "The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc." and sending another contact's correspondence to "Draper Laboratory."
Thanks.
George
Posts made by GeorgeJ4336
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Add "Same as associated entity" address check box in Contact record
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Subject line from e-mail template when replying in Conversations tab
When replying to an e-mail message within the Conversations tab, I can use an e-mail template, which is nice. However, only the message body from the template is used. The subject line specification in the template is ignored. Instead, the subject line of the message being replied to is used.
Please let me use the template to customize the subject line in the reply message.
It is sometimes desirable to keep the original subject line. So, for complete generality, please add a template field along the lines of {email.subject} to enable the template to refer to the original subject line of the message being replied to. Along those lines, it would be really nice to have template fields like {email.from}, {email.to}, {email.cc}, and {email.date}, too.
Thanks,
George -
Don't "compress" e-mail messages in Conversations tab, or enable reply using a template from email folder
The Conversations tab of each matter nicely lists the e-mail correspondence stored in the email folder of the matter. However, the body text of the message is "compressed," i.e., all line breaks are removed. (1) That makes the message difficult to read.
When replying within the Conversations tab, for example acknowledging correspondence from a client or foreign associate, advantage can be taken of the nice e-mail template feature of AppColl. In contrast, opening an e-mail message in the email folder and replying to it employs the user's native e-mail agent (probably Outlook), which does not have access to the AppColl e-mail templates.
(2) However, replying in the Conversations tab includes the compressed text, which looks bad to the recipient (i.e., the sender of the message being replied to). Replying from the email folder uses the original (uncompressed) message, which looks much better and is easier to read, but lacks the AppColl e-mail templates.
Thus, I see two reasons not to compress e-mail bodies in the Conversations tab, or at least give us the option to compress or not compress them. Alternatively, please give us a way to use the AppColl e-mail templates to reply to e-mail messages from the email folder.
George -
Separately store each attachment, when email message is uploaded to email folder
When an e-mail message is sent or copied to an AppColl mailbox (ex. xxxxxxm123@intake.appcoll.com), AppColl stores the e-mail message in the appropriate email folder. The attachments remain attached to the stored e-mail message. AppColl also separately stores a copy of each attachment in the same folder, which is nice.
However, dragging and dropping (or uploading) an email message into an email folder only stores the e-mail message (along with its attachments) in the email folder. The attachments are not separately stored in the email folder.
Many times, clients send e-mail messages to me alone, i.e., without copying the AppColl in-take mailbox, so I have to upload the message to the email folder, and then separately upload each attachment.
Please allow an option to cause AppColl to automatically separately store each attachment to an e-mail message as the e-mail message is uploaded, so uploaded and ingested e-mail messages are treated the same. Thanks.
George -
FULLY selectable columns in email folders
Most grid-based displays, such as the email folder of each matter, allow a user to select which fields to display and the columns in which to display them, which is nice. However, the email folder always displays the "Name" and "Revision" fields in columns 1 and 2. Furthermore, the Name field is often messy, because it contains lots of information, such as date & time, subject line (our and our foreign associate's docket numbers, application number, etc.) Thus, the Name field is often not helpful to quickly understand the contents of the email message. Fortunately, the "Notes" field is available to store an abstract of the message, for example, "Instructions to F/A to pay issue fee."
I would like the Notes field to be displayed in the first column, but that is not currently possible.
Please enable us to fully select which fields (including the Name and Revision fields) are, and are not, displayed in the email page, and the order in which these fields are displayed.
Thanks.
George -
Per-inventor assignment date in each matter
As I noted in another post, an AppColl form letter can be used to easily generate an XML (TXT) file that contains almost everything needed to record assignments, by uploading the XML file to ePAS. The primary missing information is per-inventor and per-assignee assignment execution dates, which AppColl does not store. Thus, if AppColl added these dates in each matter, this form letter would become even more useful.
Please consider adding per-inventor and per-assignee assignment execution dates. Thanks.
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Number formatting as words (ex., for a check amount)
I would like to be able to use a letter template to print checks to pay my foreign associates and draftsman. I need to print the check amount in two places on each check: once numerically (ex. $1,234.56) and a second time in words ("One Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Four and 00/100"). The numeric part is easy.
Please consider adding number formatting in words, for example something like:
{Task.ExpensesCap(ToWords)}
which follows the text formatting model (ToUpper, ToLower, etc.)
There seem to be may number-to-word converters available on the Internet. (Search for "check amount in words") Therefore, finding open-source code to do the conversion should be relatively easy.
Would anyone else find this useful?
Thanks.
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RE: AppColl CEO Tim Southgate recognized as Top CEO
Congratulations! Based on the product quality and support, I would have voted for you.
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RE: What fields are available for form letters?
Also see this Forum thread for information about invoice fields.
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Form letter for generating XML file to upload to ePAS for assignment recordation
I don't like to retype or copy/paste when I don't have to. Recording assignments requires LOTS of error-prone and mind numbing typing and/or copying and pasting. However, most of the information required by ePAS is already in a Matter Detail record. So, why not have AppColl generate an XML file that ePAS (USPTO Electronic Patent Assignment System) will ingest? Since AppColl now supports TXT files, and an XML file is just a TXT file with a different filename extension, it can be done.
The attached file (actually, a PDF of a TXT file, because the forum does not allow uploading TXT files) does almost everything that I need. Store the TXT file as a Form Letter in AppColl, then generate a document in the Matter Details page, and almost all of the information needed to record the assignments goes into the generated TXT file. Lightly edit the TXT file with a text editor (if you use a word processor, be careful to output a TXT file), and you can then upload the TXT file into ePAS. (ePAS accepts TXT and XML files.) See instructions in the comments section at the beginning of the attached document about what you have to edit in the TXT file. I have lobbied AppColl to add some capabilities, such as per-inventor assignment execution dates, but until these are implemented, you will have to enter the execution dates manually. You have to be fastidious, because ePAS is notoriously finicky, and in some places inconsistent. So, pay attention to the instructions.
The attached document is built to handle up to 20 assignors and one assignee, but you can extend that, if you want.
I provide this file FYI, without support or warranty.
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Multi-level fields
Currently, most fields are limited to one level of hierarchy, ex. {Task.FeesCap}. Some fields have two levels of hierarchy, ex. {Task.Matter.Client}. However not all two-level fields work. For example, in a Task, {Matter.ForeignAssociate} and {Task.Matter} return values, but none of the following fields returns a value: {Matter.ForeignAssociate.Company}, {Matter.ForeignAssociate.Street}, {Task.Matter.ForeignAssociate},
{Task.Matter.ForeignAssociate.Company}.In order to create really powerful e-mail and form letter templates, we need access to multi-level fields (and the ability to generate e-mail messages and form letters from each page).
For example, I have a Task to "Pay foreign associate," although it could be more generally "Pay vendor," such as draftsman. I'd like to be able to print the vendor's check from the Task (using a Form Letter template), and print a payment cover letter from the Task (using another Form Letter template), and send the vendor a payment advice via e-mail (using an e-mail template), all from the Task. However, this would require multi-level fields, such as those mentioned above.
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Create Form Letter from Task, or any other page
I have a task to "Pay foreign associate," although it could be more generally "Pay vendor," such as my draftsman. I'd like to be able to Create Form Letters (for example, as Matter Detail pages can do). Then, I could print the vendor's check from the Task, and print a payment cover letter from the Task, and send the vendor a payment advice via e-mail, all from the Task.
Alternatively, I could print the check and cover letter, and send the advice, from a corresponding Billing Item (expense) page, but that page has neither a "Send e-mail" button or a "Create Form Letter" button. It should.
I already have form letter templates for printing checks and payment cover letters, but I must use these in the Matter Detail page, where the Task fields are not accessible.
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RE: Document Generation From Contacts
@MarkW5689
Agreed! Adding a "Create Form Letter" button, as in the Matter Details page, would be great. Indeed, just about every page would benefit from a "Create Form Letter" button. See my separate post advocating for such a button on the Task page. -
RE: Task User Fields
@jonah-soundhound-com
Agreed! I have a task to "Pay foreign associate," although it could be more generally "Pay vendor," such as draftsman. I'd like to be able to store the vendor's invoice number and invoice amount in the Task, then use those fields in generating e-mail messages. It would be even more useful if Tasks were augmented to be able to Create Form Letters (for example, as Matter Detail pages can do). Then, I could print the vendor's check from the Task, and print a payment cover letter from the Task, and send the vendor a payment advice via e-mail, all from the Task. Some of this would require expanding the number of fields that return values in Tasks. For example, currently {Matter.ForeignAssociate} returns a value, but {Matter.ForeignAssociate.Company} and {Matter.ForeignAssociate.Street} do not return values within a Task.This situation is a reason to support multi-level fields, such as {Task.Matter.ForeignAssociate} or {Task.Matter.ForeignAssociate.Company} or {Task.Matter.ForeignAssociate.Street}.
Another useful user field would be check number, to record the check with which I paid the vendor. All these fields could, of course, be user-defined, as Jonah suggests. But, the number of fields that return values in Tasks needs to be expanded, and Tasks need to be able to Create Form Letters. (I will post these as separate suggestions.)
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{Invoice.BalanceDue} field
The Manage Invoices module generates a Balance (current amount due plus past due invoices). However, this does not seem to be a field I can access, which is unfortunate. It would be nice to be able to include this in a cover e-mail message when I send an invoice.
Would anyone else find such a field useful? -
RE: Help Article with Invoice Fields
@GeorgeJ4336
I just found that {Invoice.Payment} is misspelled. It should be {Invoice.Payments}, as it is spelled in the column headings of the Manage Invoices module.I also just found that {Invoice.InvoiceNos} returns nothing, and {Invoice.Number} returns the name of the invoice file. I reported these issues to AppColl Support.
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Agreed! (Preview Pane in File Module)
Re: Preview Pane in File Module
I agree, particularly with respect to e-mail messages. Outlook has a very nice preview pane for e-mail messages, and Mac Finder can show previews of files. I believe Windows File Explorer also can show file previews. Such previews make it MUCH easier to find a file of interest. For example, many e-mail messages in a chain have similar subject lines, since they are replies to each other. A preview would make wading through such a chain much easier.
George -
RE: Modify in place - docx
@BrandonK6644 I agree. Other docket management systems (ex., Clio, I believe) have nice implementations of this. You click on a document in the docket management system web page, and the document downloads to your computer (ex., to the Downloads folder), and your preferred application automatically launches to open the document. When you close the document, the document is automatically uploaded back to the the docket management system. It is all transparent.
In some implementations, a program runs in the background to make this magic happen. The docket management system communicates with the background program telling it what the user clicked on, and the background program launches the application program, pointing the application to the downloaded file. The background program monitors the downloaded file, and after the application closes the file, the background program automatically sends the edited file back to the docket management system.
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RE: Parse email subject line for Docket Number/Client Reference
@MarkW5689 Yes! I would really like this, for the reasons given. Some of my foreign associates are not capable of storing per-matter e-mail addresses, so they send all correspondence to my general in-take mailbox. It would be great to have an automatic facility that parses the subject line and then stores the message in an appropriate matter. Storing in the matter should trigger the "Receive e-mail message" event in that matter.
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RE: Help Article with Invoice Fields
@MarkW5689 I can't remember where I found them, but here are some invoice fields:
Invoice Balance
Invoice BillTo
ex. {Invoice.BillTo.First} {Invoice.BillTo.Last} {Invoice.BillTo.Company} {Invoice.BillTo.EmailCC} {Invoice.BillTo.EmailNoCC}
These values are determined by the “Bill To” field in an invoice. This field accepts a Contact, so the subfields are determined from the Contact record.
Invoice Client
ex. {Invoice.Client.Name} {Invoice.Client.IntakeEmailAddress}
(See notes re BillTo.)
Invoice Comments
Invoice CutoffDate
Invoice Description
Invoice DueDate
Invoice Expenses
Invoice Fees
Invoice InvoiceAmount
Invoice InvoiceDate
Invoice InvoiceNos
Invoice LEDESFile
Invoice Locked
Invoice Modified
Invoice PaidOnDate
Invoice Payment
Invoice PaymentTerms
Invoice PDFFile
Invoice RemitTo
ex. {Invoice.RemitTo.Name} {Invoice.RemitTo.EmailNoCc
(See notes re BillTo.)
Invoice SendToQuickBooks
Invoice StartDate
Invoice Status
Invoice WriteOffs