Multiple Form Filler is a Windows software program that allows you to easily fill out multiple document forms and spreadsheets with the same information. This is particularly useful for businesses such as doctor’s offices that must fill out many forms for each new patient with the same information.
Registering Multiple Form Filler
You are free to use Multiple Form Filler for 30 days free of charge. At the end of the 30-day free trial, the program will cease to function until you input a registration code. Specifically, nothing will happen when you click on the OK button on the main screen.
To obtain the registration code, you must pay the registration fee, which is $30. This entitles you to use Multiple Form Filler on one computer indefinitely. This is a one-time fee. (There are no recurring charges.) Volume discounts are available for multiple licenses. Contact Leithauser Research at 1-386-410-6769 for information if you want multiple licenses.
You can make your registration payment by credit card, check or money order. The easiest way to make a credit card payment is to pay online by going to https://www.leithauserresearch.com/paylr.html. Scroll down to Multiple Form Filler, input your serial number (which is displayed in the top line of the registration screen), and click on the Pay Now button. You can go to this Web site by clicking on the Pay Online button on the registration screen. You can also make credit card payments by phone by calling 386-410-6769. This is the best way if you are ordering multiple licenses. You can also print the registration form (click on the Print button on the registration screen), fill out the credit card information, and mail it to the address shown on the form. You should also use this printed form if you pay by check.
The registration screen appears each time you run Multiple Form Filler until you make the registration payment and input the registration code. You can also display this screen by clicking on the Register menu at the top on the main Multiple Form Filler screen.
Using Multiple Form Filler
The main screen of Multiple Form Filler displays customizable input fields that ask you for information such as a person’s first name, last name, etc. You are able to create information models that tell Multiple Form Filler what fields to display (what information to ask you to input). You can also create word processor documents and spreadsheets for Multiple Form Filler to insert this information into. These files are linked to the model so that Multiple Form Filler knows which documents and spreadsheets to insert the information into. Instructions for creating these documents and spreadsheets are given later in this instruction manual.
Once you fill in the text boxes on the main screen, you click on the OK button. You will then see the confirmation screen. This screen lists all documents and spreadsheets linked to the current model. For each document, you have an option to print the document, save a copy of the file with the information filled out under an appended file name, neither, or both. You make the decision by checking or unchecking boxes next to the document name. The default is to print each document.
There is also an option at the top of the confirmation screen to choose fast or high quality printing. The fast printing is done by Multiple Form Filler itself. The high quality printing actually runs your default word processor and uses it to print the document, then closes down the word processor. The main difference for most documents is that the higher quality printing preserves the margins of the document.
If you choose to save a modified copy of the document, a field will appear near the bottom of the configuration screen asking you for a name to append to the file. For example, suppose the name of a document is Insurance. If you decide to save a modified file and select the name David to append to the file, the new document will be David-Insurance.rtf, and it will be saved in your My Documents folder in Rich Text Format (rtf), which is viewable by almost any word processor.
For spreadsheets, the option is whether to save the file with the information added to the spreadsheet. The spreadsheets you create will have either a row or a column of markers showing Multiple Form Filler where to insert information. If you have Multiple Form Filler save the spreadsheet with the information, it will add a row or column of information to the spreadsheet and save the file. The default is to save the modified spreadsheet with the new information added. You can prevent this by unchecking the box next to the spreadsheet name.
Once you have provided all the information needed on the confirmation screen, you click on the Ok button. Multiple Form Filler will then print and/or save the documents and save the modified spreadsheets. You can then click on the Close button to return to the main Multiple Form Filler screen. All text fields on the main screen will be cleared when you return to it.
Creating Information Models
When you first run Multiple Form Filler, it loads a model called Sample Model. This model is for demonstration purposes only. You will want to create one or more models for your own use.
To create a model, click on the File menu and then on Create Model on the list that drops down. This will display the Create/Edit model screen.
This screen allows you to create and edit models. A model is basically a list of input fields you want Multiple Form Filler to display on the main screen and a list of documents and spreadsheets you want Multiple Form Filler to paste the information you input into these fields into.
The first step of creating a model is to give it a name. There is a text box at the top of the Create/Edit model screen where you input this name. If you are editing an existing model, this text box already contains the name of the model. Otherwise, you should put a name for your model into this box before you do anything else.
Once you have a name for your model, the next step is to create the fields. These are the questions that you want Multiple Form Filler to ask you on the main screen. Typical fields might be Patient’s First Name, Patient’s Phone Number, and so on. (These examples, of course, are for a doctor’s office.) To create fields, make sure the option selected in the Operations frame is Fields. This is the default operation when you first activate the Create/Edit model screen. Next, input a field name into the text box labeled Fields and either press Enter or click on the Add button. The name of the new field will appear on the list of existing fields. You can repeat the process to ad all the fields you want to the model.
You can edit existing fields by clicking on a field listed in the Existing Fields list. This will put the name of that field in the Fields text box. It will also change the Add button to an Edit button. To delete the field from the list, press the Backspace key until the Fields text box is empty and then Press Enter or click on the Edit button. To change the name of the field, edit the name within the text box and then press Enter of click on the Edit button.
To add a document to the model, select the Documents option from the Operation frame near the top of the Create/Edit model screen. Type a name for the document in the Document Name text box and press Enter or click on the Add button. This will cause several things to happen. The Create/Edit model screen will disappear. Your default word processor will run, showing a blank document. A Fields box will appear, showing a list of all the fields in your model. (You should be sure to create all fields in your model before creating a document.) You can minimize this Fields box for now. Then, create the document in your word processor. If you already have a document prepared, you can copy it into the word processor by running another instance of your word processor (or other program), selecting the text, copying it, and pasting it into the editing word processor. However, you must create the document using this word processor that Multiple Form Filler is running in order to create the document with the format, name, and location that Multiple Form Filler can use.
Once you have laid out the form in the word processor, you must input the markers for the fields you want Multiple Form Filler to insert. First, restore the Fields screen to normal size by clicking on it on the task bar if you have minimized it. To add a field marker to the document, click on the field name from the list on the Fields screen. Then click on the document where you want the field marker to be to place the cursor at that spot on the document. (You may have to click several time on the spot to position the cursor there, once to give the word processor the focus and once to move the cursor to that position in the document.) For example, if your document has a label that says “Name”, you would probably want the Name field marker next to that. When the word processor cursor is in the right position, hold sown the Shift key on your computer and press the Ins (Insert) key. This will paste the field marker on that spot. The field marker will look like the field name, but have a & mark at the beginning and end of it.
When you have finished laying out the document and inserting the field markers, save the document in your word processor (usually by clicking on File and then Save on your word processor). Then close the fields screen by clicking on the little X in the upper right corner of the screen. This will cause the model screen to reappear. You can then repeat the entire process to add more documents to the model.
You can edit existing documents by clicking on the document name on the list. The Add button will become an Edit button and the name of the document will appear in the Document Name text box. You can delete the document from the model by backspacing until the text box is empty and then either pressing enter or clicking on the Edit button. If you leave the name as it is, you can edit the document by pressing Enter or clicking on the Edit button. This will cause the Create/Edit model screen to disappear, the document to be displayed in your word processor, and the Fields screen to appear. Basically, it is the same thing as when you created the document, except that you are given the existing document to work with instead of a blank document. When you have made any changes you want in the document, save it and close the Fields screen to bring back the Create/Edit model screen. Note: All of these documents are stored on the Multiple Form Filler folder. You should not need to access them directly using a word processor. These documents are basically templates that Multiple Form Filler uses to create the actual forms it prints out later.
To help you understand the format for documents, you can view the sample document that comes with Multiple Form Filler. Once you have selected Documents as your operation, click on the Help menu on the Create/Edit model screen and then on View Sample Document. The sample document will be displayed in your default word processor. Exit the word processor when you have examined the document enough to understand what your documents should look like.
You can also add spreadsheets to the model. Once you have properly formatted the spreadsheets, Multiple Form Filler will be able to add the information you input from the Multiple Form Filler main screen to the spreadsheet.
Unlike the text documents, you can use existing spreadsheet files and modify them for use with Multiple Form Filler. To add a spreadsheet to your model, first select Spreadsheets as your operation by clicking on Spreadsheets in the Operation frame. You will then see controls on the Create/Edit model screen that allow you to select an existing spreadsheet file. Select the drive, then the folder, and finally the file from the controls by clicking on the control lists. Navigation is quite similar to using My Computer or Windows Explorer to find a file. (The default path is you’re my Documents folder.) Once you have selected a file, the name will appear in the Spreadsheet name text box. Click on the Add button. The Create/Edit model screen will disappear, your default spreadsheet program will run with the spreadsheet in it, and the Fields screen will appear.
Create either a row or a column of labels. Labels would be something like Name, Address, Phone Number, etc. These labels are optional, but most people would want one on a spreadsheet for clarity. Below the row of labels (or to the right of the column of labels), create a row (or column) of field markers. You can do this by clicking on a field name in the list on the Fields screen, then clicking on the cell on the spreadsheet, then holding the Shift key and pressing Ins (Insert) on your keyboard. This will paste the field marker into the spreadsheet. Note: If you are going to have a cell that totals numeric content of the spreadsheet, this cell must be above the row containing the field markers or to the left of the column of field markers. When Multiple Form Filler adds data to the spreadsheet, it will move the row of markers down or the column of markers to the right, obliterating any cells in its way.
Once you have configured your spreadsheet, save it using File/Save on your spreadsheet program, exit the spreadsheet program, and then exit the Fields screen by clicking on the X in the upper right corner. The Create/Edit model screen will reappear.
You can edit spreadsheets that you have already added to the model my clicking on the spreadsheet on the Existing Spreadsheets list. This will cause the name of the existing spreadsheet to appear in the Spreadsheet name text box and the Add button to become an Edit button. To delete a spreadsheet from the list, backspace until the text box is empty and then either press Enter or click on The Edit button. To edit a spreadsheet, leave the name as it is and click on the Edit button. This will cause the Create/Edit model screen to disappear, the spreadsheet to appear in your standard spreadsheet program, and the Fields screen to appear. Once you have made any changes you want in the spreadsheet, save it, exit the spreadsheet program, and click on X in the upper right corner of the Fields from.
There is one possibly important additional step to linking a spreadsheet to Multiple Form Filler. Since spreadsheets can have multiple sheets, you must specify which sheet of the spreadsheet to insert the data into. There is a text box on the Create/Edit model screen labeled Sheet. This specifies which sheet of the spreadsheet to insert the data into. The default is sheet 1 (the first sheet of the spreadsheet). If this is the sheet you are using for your data, leave it alone. If, however, you have put your field markers on another sheet, input the number of this sheet into this text box after you have selected the spreadsheet name and before you click on the Add or Edit button.
For an example of how the spreadsheet should look, you can click on the Help menu and then on the View Sample Spreadsheet option on the Create/Edit model screen. This will display the sample spreadsheet in your spreadsheet program. Note that the first sheet shows how to create a row of field markers, and the second sheet shows how to set up a column of field markers.
When you have finished adding all the fields, documents, and spreadsheets to the model, click on the Close button on the Create/Edit model screen. The Create/Edit model screen will disappear and the main Multiple Form Filler screen will appear.
Editing existing models
After you have created a model, you can make changes and corrections in it. Click on the File menu and then on Edit Existing Model. You will see a list of the models. Either double click on one of the names on the list or click on a name and then click on the Ok button. (You can cancel by clicking on the Cancel button.) You will then see the Create/Edit model screen. You can proceed to edit your model using the same procedures you used to create it in the first place.
Note: If you have created a model and you want to create a variation of this model without destroying the original model, you can select the model for editing, change the name of the model in the top text box on the Create/Edit model screen, and then edit the model. The changes you make will be saved under the new name, and the original model will not be affected as long as you have changed the name before you make any changes. This can be useful if you want to create several similar models.
Changing the current model
When you run Multiple Form Filler, it will load the model you used most recently. If you have created several models, you can select which one you want to be using by clicking on the File menu and then on the Select Model option. This will display a list of models available. Double click on one model or click on one and then on the Ok button. The main screen will return and display the new current model fields.
Uninstalling Multiple Form Filler
You can uninstall Multiple Form Filler using the standard Windows Add/Remove Programs in the control panel or you can click on File on the Multiple Form Filler main screen and then click on Uninstall Multiple Form Filler. Multiple Form Filler will ask you several times if you are sure you want to do this, and then uninstall itself.
Exiting Multiple Form Filler
You can exit the Multiple Form Filler either by clicking on the small X in the upper right corner of the main Multiple Form Filler screen or by clicking on the File menu and then on Exit.
Minimizing and resizing Multiple Form Filler
Multiple Form Filler will normally run maximized, filling the full screen. You can minimize Multiple Form Filler by clicking on the minimize button in the upper right corner of the main screen to drop Multiple Form Filler to the task bar. If you normalize Multiple Form Filler so that it is not full screen, it will automatically maintain a size approximately 80% of the screen.
Bug reports, help requests, suggestions
If you need help with this program, have found a bug, or have a request for additional feature, please contact Leithauser Research. The best way is to send an email to [email protected]. You can also call Leithauser Research at 386-410-6769 .
If you are suggesting an additional feature or other improvement, we will make these changes and release a new version soon if we believe these improvements would have broad appeal. You will be notified when the new version is released. If we feel that the changes you suggest are not commercially viable, we can still create a custom version of Multiple Form Filler for you for a fee. Contact Leithauser Research if you are interested in this.