Merge Field Formatting

This article discusses switches, or specific formatting, for merge fields used in conjunction with Filevine’s Word exports. Filevine relies on merge fields to populate Word templates for reports and Filevine Fusion. By adding field switches after the Filevine field name, the format of the exported data can be finely tuned to meet any document requirements. With switches, minute control over the display of text, numbers, and dates is possible.

When a document is generated, Filevine replaces merge fields with data so that only text remains. Only the field switches listed below are supported for formatting Filevine merge fields. Other formatting, QuickParts, and Word Fields can be used in tandem with Filevine’s fields, but those elements will need to be updated manually to show the correct values.

Note: Special straight bracket merge codes can also be used for documents sent to Vinesign templates, in order to automate creation of Vinesign template fields. Learn more about these special merge codes. 

How to Edit Merge Fields

Merge fields appear in curly brackets in your Word document. Press Alt + F9 to toggle the field coding on and off, and you will see the merge field coding appear and disappear in the document.

To add merge fields, click Insert  > Quick Parts > Field and select MergeField from the field names list. Here, you can also add formatting after the merge field. When you’ve added the desired formatting, click OK to add the merge field to the document.

To edit or add formatting to a merge field, press Alt + F9 to reveal the merge field coding. Then, right-click on the merge field to edit the merge field. You can also add the formatting directly in the document. To add formatting to a field, append the switch—including backslash—after the field name:

{ MERGEFIELD fieldName \[Formatting here] }

Text Formatting

Text can be automatically formatted in multiple combinations of capital or lowercase letters. Examples of these switches are in the table below.

Amount Formatting

Amount fields in Filevine can be formatted to account for different combinations of symbols and digits. After inserting the field switch “\#”, the number’s formatting is set using “tokens,” or characters that act as holding places, in a specific pattern. The arrangement of tokens is completely custom, and the document to be generated will dictate which tokens are appropriate. A list of token examples can be found at the bottom of the table below.

These tokens are used in a determined pattern to display the way amounts look. Some examples of what amount formatting can do are below.

Custom Date Formatting

Similar to the amount formatting switch, adding the field switch “\@” specifies a custom date/time format. The date formatting switch can be applied to date fields, deadline fields, and built-in timestamps, like audit logs. Custom text can also be included in the formatting code to display inline with the date output.

Here are some examples of what different date formatting will look like:

Conditional Formatting

Conditional codes can help to maintain clean formatting, preventing gaps caused by blank fields, or they can be used to add formatting, like a comma between fields.

Two codes are used to include specific text only if the field in Filevine is not blank: “\b” and “\f”. Add these codes at the end of a merge field followed by the text or formatting you would like to be included in the case that the field is not blank. “\b” inserts text before the merge field, and “\f” inserts text afterward. 

The following examples reference addresses. If you are adding typical address formatting, you can also use {{sectionname.fieldname.addressBlock}} or {{sectionname.fieldname.addressBlockWithCompanyInfo}} to insert an already-formatted address block, or a formatted address block including the person’s position and company name.

Line Breaks

The “\b” code can be used to insert a line break before a merge field code only if the field is not blank. This formatting can effectively “hide” the second line of an address when that field is empty.

To hide the field when empty, insert the “\b” code after the clientAddress1Line2 field, followed by a line break, like so:

{ MERGEFIELD clientAddress1Line1 }{ MERGEFIELD clientAddress1Line2 \b”

“}

{MERGEFIELD clientAddress1City}

This formatting will add a line break before the clientAddress1Line2 merge field only if that field is filled, meaning that the line break will not be added if the clientAddress1Line2 field is blank. 

Adding Formatting

The “\b” and “\f” codes can also be used to insert any other formatting that should only be added when the field is filled. For example, to add a comma after the client’s city address only if the city field in the address is filled, add a “\f” code after the clientAddressCity merge field, followed by the comma, like so:

{ MERGEFIELD clientAddressCity \f “,” }{ MERGEFIELD clientAddressState }  { MERGEFIELD clientAddressZip }

This formatting will add a comma after the city in the client’s address only if the city field is filled. If the field is blank, the comma will not be added.

In the example above, a carriage return is inserted before Line 2 of the address, but only if that field is populated. This arrangement keeps the address block clean and neatly formatted in all situations.