This feature assists users in transferring content between documents and ensuring that the transferred content is styled correctly.
Understanding the CTA workflow
It is possible to interact with CTA in a number of separate ways but in most cases the same workflow is followed. The exception to this is the Convert functionality. In this case the process works as described from point 4 below.:
- Content is copied from the source document.
- This content is stored temporarily in a temporary file in the user’s profile where some processing takes place.
- The content is pasted from the temporary file to the target document.
- The user selects a Schema to apply OR creates/edits an already existing schema. See below for more information on schemas.
- Any paragraphs that identified as matching a style from the schema are automatically styled.
- The user then uses the CTA task pane within Word to apply styles to paragraphs within the document not automatically detected by the tool.
What is a schema?
A schema is a style map. CTA categorises each style defined by a user, or a global admin based on its formatting, i.e., font, indentation, numbering, etc. A list of the properties evaluated as part of this process can be found below. This allows the tool to match content between different templates without relying on style names. These definitions are then stored on the users' profile as a schema. This schema allows CTA then to:
- Compare the content of the source and target
- Identify matches in the formatting between the two documents.
- Automatically restyle content accordingly.
- Identify paragraphs that do not have an obvious style to apply when transferred.
- Suggest to the user which styles are closest in match.
List of properties evaluated:
- Font Name string value
- Font Size value
- Font Colour RGB value
- Font Bold - True/False
- Font Italicised -True/False
- First Line Indent Value
- Left Indent value
- Alignment value
- Line Spacing value
- Spacing Before value
- Spacing After value
Global vs personal schemas
There are two distinct categories of schemas:
- Global schemas are deployed globally to all users. This type of schema is intended to be read only and cannot be edited. These schemas should be created by CTA admins. Deployment is normally controlled by client's IT department.
- Personal schemas are created from scratch or based on an already existing schema by individual users. ALL users can create their own schema.
How to use Content Transfer Assistant
The Content Transfer Assistant is normally accessed by users through their client ribbon in Word. The layout of buttons in the ribbon can vary, but a common and suggested layout is to have four buttons available: Copy, Paste, Convert and Edit.
A fifth button, CTA to New File, is suggested for clients planning on using CTA to transfer content to documents coming from Templafy.
Transfer content to an existing document
This option allows the user to transfer whatever content they like from an existing document to any other document.
- Select the content from an open document that you want to transfer.
- Select the Copy option from the client ribbon.
- Open the document you wish to transfer into and place the cursor at the point you wish to transfer the content to.
- Select the Paste option from the client ribbon.
- Use the CTA task pane to select the schema to be applied as described above.
Applying styles to content within an existing document
This option allows the user to automatically convert content in an existing document according to a schema.
- Select a range of content within an active document.
- Select the Convert option from the client ribbon.
- Use the CTA task pane to select the schema to be applied as above.
Transfer content to a Templafy template
For clients running Templafy, it is possible to configure a button to have CTA open a Templafy dialog, enabling the user to select a template to paste active document contents to.
- Select the CTA to New File option from the client ribbon. This will present a Templafy window.
- Select the template from Templafy you wish to transfer the content to.
- Use the CTA task pane to select the schema to be applied as described above.
Remove a defined style from a schema
To remove a defined style from a schema:
- Select the Edit button from the ribbon and select the schema to edit. This will present the CTA task pane with all the defined or 'mapped' styles.
- Select the option to Remove mapping against the required styles.
CTA task pane
Using the CTA task pane is an essential part of CTA. From here users can define new schema's, amend existing schemas, and apply schemas to content.
- After pasting content copied using CTA the user will be presented with the following dialog:
Fig: Select schema dialogFrom here users can:
- Select an existing Global schema to apply on paste. The drop-down menu lists all available
- Select an existing Personal schema to apply on paste. The drop-down menu lists all available.
- Create a brand-new schema based on the styles in the target document.
Selecting
Apply or Create
will paste the content and apply the schema as described above. - When selecting a schema where all styles have been defined, the user will be presented with a dialog. In these instances, there are no actions for the user to take. The tool has identified matching styles for all paragraphs in the target document and applied them throughout. Click
Finalize
. - In the event where some or all the paragraphs in the target document do not have a matching style in the schema a task pane will appear on the right-hand side of the application screen like below:
Fig: CTA task pane- Select the name that highlights here all styles within the document that have similar formatting.
- Use the drop down to select which style to apply. By default, Set to Normal is selected for all paragraphs. Changing the style will automatically change the style applied to all similarly formatted paragraphs in the document. Note that the styles available are the styles in the target document.
- Where the style is part of a multi-level list, selecting Whole List will apply the entire multi-level list set of styles across all relevant paragraph’s, selecting Each Level will allow the user to define a unique style to be applied to each multi-level list level within the document.
- Selecting Finalize will apply all the selections to the target document.
How to create a schema from scratch
When selecting the option to create a new schema in the select schema dialog described above, instead of the user accessing a drop down menu to select a schema, a field to enter the name of the new schema is presented. Once a schema name has been selected, the user simply makes the required selections and after selecting finalise, the schema will become available for them in their personal schema’s menu.
There are a number of things that a user can do to make Schema Creation easier and avoid issues with creating schemas for large documents:
- When creating a schema based on the contents of a document, it is not necessary to use the entire document. The tool simply requires examples of each different type of formatting.
- The entire schema does not need to be created in one session. It can be edited.
- When creating new schemas, try copying smaller sections of the document into the target document and creating the schema based on that section alone.
- Once this has been finalised, return to the original document, and select another section to copy and paste to the target document. This time, rather than creating a schema, select the previously created schema. Any already defined formatting should not be presented again in the CTA task pane. Only formatted paragraphs that have not been defined should be presented.
- Once the new definitions have been saved, return to the original document, and repeat the above steps.
How to create a personal version of an existing schema
After selecting a schema for use, the user has the option to save a modified version of this schema to their personal schemas for future use. To do this, they simply need to add a title in the field at the top of the task pane, make their selections as described above and select finalize. This schema will then appear for future use in the users Personal Schema’s drop-down menu.
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